How do you set your rifle down in the field?

[ljalberta]

I just put mine on the ground. Preferably not with the action directly in some mud, but not much additional thought given to it.

 

[NE Herd Bull]

I have all my guns drilled and tapped for the Acme Anti-Gravity Levitation Hyper Coil 2.0
Fully adjustable. Never needs lubricated.
I also use it to warm up my frozen Little Debbie snacks

 

[roosiebull]

Back to the topic, you guys putting in on the ground, in the snow and in the trees, have you ever had problems with water, dirt, stuff in your action that led to problems?
Do you worry about that?
how do you handle it?

I want more protection from limited experience. Makes me paranoid. Not sure how much others worry about it. Obviously, you all arent losing sleep about the “looks” of the tool.

What about functionality? You all have much more time in the field than me. I am a rookie hunter, in the grand scheme of things. I love to pick brains when I have a dilemma like OP.

I blew a primer cause water got in my action. It worries me for safety reasons. At a match, I got some “stuff” in my action and interfered with closing the bolt. Both times, I needed to break the bolt down because it wouldn’t fire. The primer got stuck in the bolt and some grit got in the firing pin to slow it down beyond just difficulty closing the bolt.

Also, I have heard of triggers going down because they get dirty. I want to avoid that.

What are you doing after the hunt, if anything, to clean your rifle beyond a wipe down and whatever cleaning of the barrel?

The only problem I have ever had was a lot of rust in my bolt/firing pin… normal junk and water has never caused me any issues, and all of my rifles have been very exposed to mud/water/brush

I just started taping my barrel again this year and haven’t for the past few… I don’t know how much it helps, but if at all, it’s easy insurance

The water in the bolt I didn’t notice until later when it was feeling strange firing, thought it was crud in the trigger, and when that wasn’t it, I tore the bolt down and it was crazy it even fired. Now I tear the bolt down after deer season because it sees a lot of water this time of year and don’t care to repeat that… I had my barrel taped that year, which obviously doesn’t keep water out of the action

 

[TheGDog]

Electrical tape over the barrel front end. Always have a Neoprene type scope cover on to protect the lenses from possible rain stopping you from being able to aim, and of course to limit dust getting on the glass as well. So no problem setting it against something or down across my trekking pole laid on the ground first. Or the ground itself if need be. Try to not leave my rifle off me too much when in the forest. Just 'cause I figure I'd be pissed if that caused me to lose an opportunity.

 

[Formidilosus]

Back to the topic, you guys putting in on the ground, in the snow and in the trees, have you ever had problems with water, dirt, stuff in your action that led to problems?
Do you worry about that?
how do you handle it?

If laying a rifle down on the ground causes issue, how does it function in actual use? You have to have a rifle condom surrounding it at all times?




Two of use were behind the rifles waiting in the blowing snow for it to clear a bit to shoot animals. This happens dozens of times a year.

I blew a primer cause water got in my action. It worries me for safety reasons. At a match, I got some “stuff” in my action and interfered with closing the bolt. Both times, I needed to break the bolt down because it wouldn’t fire. The primer got stuck in the bolt and some grit got in the firing pin to slow it down beyond just difficulty closing the bolt.

I rifle that needs a cover to function because it might get a speck of dust or a water droplet in it, is quite frankly a POS rifle.

Also, I have heard of triggers going down because they get dirty. I want to avoid that.

Short answer- use better actions and triggers and it’s not a problem. All actions pushed hard enough will fail, however the difference between them and what it takes to cause failures are objectively obvious and stark when used side by side.

Functioned just fine.



Functioned correctly.





Functioned correctly.



Some of these rifles functioned without issue at all, some of them were a disaster, one of them would fire everytime the bolt was closed for almost an hour. Bet money you could guess which trigger system failed utterly and fired without the trigger being touched at all, and which actions and trigger had zero issues.

What are you doing after the hunt, if anything, to clean your rifle beyond a wipe down and whatever cleaning of the barrel?

The muzzles are taped at all times. Maybe wipe the water off. Otherwise, nothing.

 

[svivian]

Back to the topic, you guys putting in on the ground, in the snow and in the trees, have you ever had problems with water, dirt, stuff in your action that led to problems?
Do you worry about that?
how do you handle it?

I want more protection from limited experience. Makes me paranoid. Not sure how much others worry about it. Obviously, you all arent losing sleep about the “looks” of the tool.

What about functionality? You all have much more time in the field than me. I am a rookie hunter, in the grand scheme of things. I love to pick brains when I have a dilemma like OP.

I blew a primer cause water got in my action. It worries me for safety reasons. At a match, I got some “stuff” in my action and interfered with closing the bolt. Both times, I needed to break the bolt down because it wouldn’t fire. The primer got stuck in the bolt and some grit got in the firing pin to slow it down beyond just difficulty closing the bolt.

Also, I have heard of triggers going down because they get dirty. I want to avoid that.

What are you doing after the hunt, if anything, to clean your rifle beyond a wipe down and whatever cleaning of the barrel?

2nd rifle hunt this season during a weekend of constant snow my buddies tikka froze over night and took us 10 or 15 minutes to thaw it out over a jet boil before the trigger functioned properly again. Otherwise I have never had a reason to cover a rifle.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I just put down on the ground, wherever it wont slide and get stepped on. My bolt is fluted so never had issues with the action and I do put tape over the end of the can..I do treat my rifles a little better than my shotgun. Shotgun has been completely submerged in saltwater and covered in sand multiply times, used it as a boat paddle one morning when the out board shit the bed, and I lost track of how many times I have used it as a trekking pole to get un stuck out of some pluff mud...most of my coastal duck hunts end up with me cleaning my shot gun off with the hose pipe.

 

[The Ri Guy]

I thought we all bought Tikka's so we could beat the sh*t out of them and not question their ability to get job done...

My rifle looks like it spent a year in a WW1 trench by the end of every season. Hasn't stopped killing animals in one shot yet!

 

[WKR]

lol, so true. “That’s a pretty rifle.” Made me think who else in the outdoors calls their gear or tools pretty?

I'm pretty sure electricians do

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Lay it on the ground or in the rocks.


Hunters have to be the largest “I don’t actually use anything I have cause it might get dirty” group of people that exist in the outdoors.

Ain’t this the 100% truth right here. I know guys and gals who would pack it in and call it a day if their gun looked like this while hunting.

 

[Pilsner]

Ill set it on the ground. Now I won't lay it in a bunc of snow and/or mud but dry ish ground or dusting of snow just lay it down. If it is too steep to lay it down just lay it across you lap or lay it righ behind you uphill so you are blocking it from sliding etc.

If you are in terrain too steep to lay it down why is it not already strapped to your pack or on a sling anyways?

We had both but the wood and blued guns were treated like anyother gun. Scratches and nicks add character and hold stories. It is like guys that have a classic care in mint condition and brag about it but never drive it.....I never go the point of buying something just to look at that is literally designed for use? Cars, guns, women, etc.

I was once a bystander at a car show as a youth.
One guy had a pristine, resto-mod Corvette.
Guy #2 asked how often he drove it.
Guy #1 replies "only on perfect weather days and not far".
Guy #2 "Ive got a trophy wife but only F*ck her on perfect weather days and never twice in one day"
Guy #1 "WELL WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? THATS THE DUMBEST THING IVE EVER HEARD!"
Guy #2 "Gotta keep the mileage low for the next owner so she holds her value."
Guy #1 *confused look*
Guy #2 "Well you're doing the same thing with your 'trophy car' aren't ya?"
Guy #1 awkward silence


I feel the same way about pretty guns.

 

[Pilsner]

sometimes a rifle just gets dragged


View attachment 623627View attachment 623628

That's why God made spray paint.

 

[Yellowknife]

Back to the topic, you guys putting in on the ground, in the snow and in the trees, have you ever had problems with water, dirt, stuff in your action that led to problems?
Do you worry about that?
how do you handle it?

Like the other guys are saying, I carry guns that aren't that sensitize. Usually switching back and forth between a Tikka and a Ruger 77 "All-Weather" for the last 10 years.. The Ruger is stupid functional, and it starts out ugly so that helps. It just got back from a coastal hunt, and got full on flung in the mud at least once. I didn't even wipe it off.

Most failures I've seen have been caused by excessive gun oil or factory grease in the bolt. That will gunk and cause a slow firing pin fall in real cold weather. That can happen with ANY brand, so disassemble and clean that bolt out once in a while. Remington style triggers will freeze up with enough snow, and I once watched a bolt fall out of a BDL onto the ground when the bolt release rusted up on an extended wet hunt. Failures happen, but some guns are certainly less prone to it than others.

 

[chav0_12]

Back to the topic, you guys putting in on the ground, in the snow and in the trees, have you ever had problems with water, dirt, stuff in your action that led to problems?
Do you worry about that?
how do you handle it?

I had a rifle misfire twice due to dirt in the bolt. The third shot went. All of this happened while I had a deer standing at about 80 yards from me. This was a few months after this picture was taken, notice where the rifle is in the photo. I’ll take more care to not set it in mud the next time.

To the OP, I will always have a pack with me if I’m hiking around glassing so setting a rifle in the mud, dirt, or snow isn’t something that I’ve encountered in the situation you’re describing.

 

[TheHammer]

If there’s no tree to lean it on. I set my pack or jacket down and the rifle on the jacket or pack. If it’s rocky I’ll prop it up on a rock.. my main rifle season is in marsh ground and I’d like to keep them out of the mud.

 

[Cameron.25]

My truck and guns are pretty beat up cause i use them and refuse to baby stuff. I just usually set it on the ground even if im using a bipod lol

 

[JohnJohnson]

Also, I have heard of triggers going down because they get dirty. I want to avoid that.

Well triggers can be cleaned out pretty well by just pouring lighter fluid into them and then after it evaporates if you want you can put a drop or two of trigger lube of your choice down into it. It'll vary by manufacturer but the trigger I use is designed to be run dry or very lightly lubed.

 

[stoopiddumbman]

I’m guessing you guys don’t use yours to dig cat holes or pry up rotten logs when the ground is frozen to poop under?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I’m guessing you guys don’t use yours to dig cat holes or pry up rotten logs when the ground is frozen to poop under?

This comment reminded me of when I found a coyote den with a bunch of pups in it.

Was getting paid for depredation and I shot so many coyotes that day I actually ran out of bullets in the ATV (3 boxes worth of .204)

The coyotes were so young and dumb that they kept coming out of the den, smelling the blood of their just killed siblings and eating them. I got to, I think it was the 5th coyote and I was out of bullets. So I snuck up to the den and waited on top of it to see if anymore pups would come out. Sure enough one more dog came out and he got the tikka butt stock and then boot treatment.

 

[JollyRoger]

This is my first year without a bipod I think and everything easy. Just set it down where it won’t slide down the mountain and is within reach.