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A simple question, when an individual purchases a firearm from a dealer (new or second hand), is it standard practice that it must be stripped and cleaned before use or could you shoot a bit, before cleaning?

When you buy a car from a dealer, you don't service it yourself before driving it!

Geek wrote:A simple question, when an individual purchases a firearm from a dealer (new or second hand), is it standard practice that it must be stripped and cleaned before use or could you shoot a bit, before cleaning?

When you buy a car from a dealer, you don't service it yourself before driving it!

Geek, brand new I clean to get rid of any oil and any residue from the test firing then clean again during the break in process. Second hand, again I clean before I shoot because when it comes to my firearms I'm a picky b'stard. Put it this mate, it doesn't hurt it to clean it first.

Blu

Geek wrote:A simple question, when an individual purchases a firearm from a dealer (new or second hand), is it standard practice that it must be stripped and cleaned before use or could you shoot a bit, before cleaning?

When you buy a car from a dealer, you don't service it yourself before driving it!

That's because the dealer has removed the protective wax and prepped the car for you.
If you don't at least clean the bore of a firearm of any protective grease or oils that may be in it you run the risk of a bulged barrel. In any case stripping and cleaning a firearm prior to first using it will give you the chance to inspect for any faults or damage. I certainly wouldn't use one that I had just bought without doing so.

Geek, brand new or second hand just take it as a given and clean the gun.

Blu

I always clean first if for no other reason than to familiarise myself with the rifle, but considering most of mine are second hand I clean first anyway.

Pretty much any decent secondhand car dealer I know at least verbally advises they give the car a service before handover (and in fairness each time I've heard that it has indeed been done- or at least an oil and filter change and valet- which I suppose in rifle terms is a bore clean, check over and a cloth over the outside).

Most gun dealers I know couldn't give a toss about aftersales or repeat custom.

I watched a gun being prepared for dispatch by a dealer the other day.

It was fully visually checked, the barrel was pulled through, and it was lubed up.
if that was coming to me I'd be confident at pulling it out of the wrapping, slapping a mag on and firing it.

Would I? No. Id be stripping it down, visually inspecting everything, cleaning off all lube to make sure i didnt miss anything, then re-lubing it prior to firing.

Id do the same whether it was new or second hand.
although id probably be getting it gauged if second hand.

Gundoc that dealer is probably one of the exceptions to the rule and one that can probably be recommended to others. All to often you see guns offered for sale in shops where the dealer can't even be bothered to run a patch through the barrel.
You mention lubrication but I find that one of the greatest faults with shooters is the over lubrication of firearms, as they say less is more.

Always strip, clean and re-lube before using.

There is usually a crap ton of oil/grease on new firearms from the factory. None of which is usually idea for immediate use.

Also helps you get familiar with you're new purchase too..

After getting 2 second hand rifles-one with the chamber peened and the other absolutely filthy- I'd def clean and inspect every rifle from now on, even if I didn't enjoy learning the inner workings.

I don't read my own signature!