Congratulations! You’ve now bought your first air gun from an air guns warehouse. But, do you know how to take care of the gun? Yes, you might have bought a gun cleaning kit—but, do you know how to use it? Taking care of an air rifle is an important part of owning and using the gun. 

First, you must understand that the air gun has numerous internal mechanisms, which work together, thus making it possible for us to shoot. Therefore, it’s essential to understand how to clean and take care of an air rifle for it to continue working effectively. An air gun is made of many parts, and some of them require some sort of cleaning and maintenance. In this post, we shall discuss how to safely maintain these parts. Let’s delve in!

Barrel (internal) 

The barrel of an air gun does get dirty—however, it doesn’t need 24/7 cleaning. The main problem with air gun barrels is the accumulation of oil or metal deposits when firing pellets. One thing you must never do is oiling the barrel. This can allow oil to get inside the gun, and damage its mechanisms. Besides, dieseling can also occur when you oil the barrel. Now, this is when the oil combusts when you fire a pellet, and the long-term effect of this damage to the seals, as well as loss of air in the gun. 

Thus, you should always clean your gun after every tin of pellets. You can either use a cleaning rod or fire a cleaning pellet through the gun. Firing a single cleaning pellet after every tin of pellets will keep the barrel clean and in good condition. 

Barrel (external)

The external barrel also needs maintenance—just like the internal barrel. The metal is susceptible to wear and tear, as well as rusting. So, if your barrel comes into contact with water, always clean it with a dry cloth. This is essential since water can damage the metal- and woodworks. If possible, buy a silicone gun oil or rust protection spray-you can find these at an airgun warehouse inc. And, you can either spray a light coat of the rust protection spray over the metalwork or apply a light coat of the gun oil with a cloth after using the gun. Doing this regularly will keep the external barrel protected against rust and water damage.

The scope

An air rifle scope is essential, especially when you plan to shoot targets from a longer distance. If the scope is not in a good condition, it can make it hard for you to shoot your target. Taking care of your scope is very easy—to remove dust, you can use compressed air or a piece of lint-free cloth. Always do this whenever required. Oil, water, or finger marks can be removed with a microfiber cloth. However, you should always be careful to avoid scratching the lens. 

Stock

The stock provides comfortable and firm support when shooting your gun. Apart from allowing you to aim steadily, it also houses the internal mechanisms. Wiping the stock helps to keep it a good condition. However, most people don’t know that water can get inside, thus making the mechanisms rust and fail. To prevent this from happening, just remove the stock casing, and apply some gun oil inside the stock. You should never use gun oil because it’s very thick and it can slow the internal mechanisms. Also, it can soak and make the wood soft. 

Trigger

Now, this is the most essential part of your air gun. Most people opt to take their gun to a professional gunsmith to inspect and do the necessary maintenance on the trigger because if done incorrectly, it can deter your gun from cocking. However, there are simple maintenances that you can do—like taking off the casing to expose the internal mechanisms. Then, you can spray a degreaser on the internal mechanisms and re-oil the necessary parts. However, if you are not confident with working on the trigger, you should allow an experienced gunsmith to work on it.