Firearm Cleaning, A Must

Since last night sleep was eluding me, I decided to clean 3 of our firearms that I knew needed it. My 2 yo was tucked safely away in his bed, no doubt dreaming up new ways to torture his poor mother, I took advantage of his absence. He is so fast and inquisitive, all guns are kept seperate from ammo under lock and key, oh make that 2 locks, never underestimate my 2 yo! We have a small collection of 5 rifles, 2 shotguns, and 3 handguns. My .3030 deer hunting rifle needed a good cleaning so I started on it first.

I really like my .3030 bolt action rem. Its decently scoped out, and just enough power to be accurate in the brush and backjacks I usually find my blind in. This past fall, I only saw 3 deer during the 2 days I was able to hunt. 2 does and a small spike that I could not get a clear shot at. Also, this past fall was the first year my son sat in the woods by himself(his first year spent sitting with dad). He completed hunter's safety 2 years ago and his Father and I purchased him a nice youth .243 bolt action rifle for deer. He is quite responsible and safe, more so than some adults I know. Anyhow, I parked him in his blind about 1200 yards from me, darn near a mile over some not so easily walked terrain. All he saw was a few does as well. Kinda disappointing for his first real hunt independantly. I am hoping fall '06 turns out to be a better one! My family loves venison, we eat alot of it cooked different ways ( I have a rockin' jerky recipe!), I think its one of the best red meats to eat, taste and health wise. Moose and black bear being my least favorite game to eat or cook.

After I put the polish on my rifle, I cleaned the 12 gauge pump and the .357 magnum. Neither have been used in awhile and I thought I had better get them out, clean them up. The .357 is a cannon as far as I am concerned and I dislike using it, I prefer my little .38 special, its more accurate and less likely to jam than my antiqued .380 colt auto and does not have the extra BOOM the .357 mag packs. The 12 gauge, has not been used in awhile as well, I keep my oldest son's single shot .410 handy for snakes and other pesky varmits, so it gets regularly cleaned. Nothing better to snuff out a sneaky copperhead!

Not much fun, but gun cleaning is a necessary chore, not near as bad as vacuuming....