Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

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Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by djmm » 17 Mar 2021, 8:31 am

I am getting a 22LR rifle (Steyr Zephyr II) in a couple months and someone advised me to take it to gunsmith to have it properly cleaned/break in/inspected/scope aligned etc.
I plan to own this rifle long term, just wondering if this is necessary/not overkill?

Being new shooter honestly I probably wouldn't pick up if there's anything slightly off with the rifle. So maybe it's a good idea?
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by Bill » 17 Mar 2021, 8:51 am

I'm unaware of any known issues with the Steyr Zephyr.

Save ya money and ask the gun shop your buying the rifle from on how to set up your scope and ask for assistance in an initial clean and how to look after you gun.

Good luck with the Steyr
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by Oldbloke » 17 Mar 2021, 8:57 am

1. Remove the bolt and stock.
2. Clean the bolt of all grease and oil
3. Clean action and barrel of all grease and oil.
4. Take special care in cleaning the bore of all gease, oil.
5. Dry the bore with a jag. Leave it clean and dry.
6. Lightly oil the bolt, outside of barrel and action.
Reassemble.
Enjoy.

A. No need to run in. It isn't an old car.
B. Try a heap of different brands and types of ammo for best accuracy.
C. Generally a 22rf barrel doesn't need cleaning between 1000s of rounds

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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JimTom » 17 Mar 2021, 9:42 am

Mate in my opinion it would be a waste of money. Plenty of information on this site, or the wider net on various break in procedures. So much variation it’s not funny. The place of purchase will generally set up rifle for you if you ask.
Just give it a good clean mate, then go and have some fun.
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by Bugman » 17 Mar 2021, 9:53 am

Ditto to all of the above. :)
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by djmm » 17 Mar 2021, 1:16 pm

Yeah thanks guys. I was also quite hesitant in spending money when I would think a general maintenance would do unless I can see problem with the rifle. But then again being new I can always ask the shop if I have issues.

Will follow the instructions above then.

Only thing I'm not 100% is whether the shop will do a "proper" install for the scope for you. I've seen a video which shows rather complex and time consuming way of scope installation but seems to be very accrate. not sure if the shop will do this for you.. cheers.
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JohnV » 17 Mar 2021, 2:46 pm

Gunshops can only install a scope to their liking and bore sight it approximately because they generally don't know what ammo you will be using . There is no guarantee it will suit your eyes , your head position , your eye focus . 22 rf don't really need running in .
Start a thread on how to mount a scope .
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by Wm.Traynor » 17 Mar 2021, 7:47 pm

JohnV wrote:Start a thread on how to mount a scope .


Good idea. There is a wealth of info on This Forum about that topic but not under that particular heading, I think :oops: If that heading attracts contributors, that would be great. The heading itself is very much to-the-point and should be one, I think, under which people are most likely to do a search..
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by Lebner » 18 Mar 2021, 5:26 am

I got a zephyr in 22 mag a month ago (second hand). Great rifle. I read on a forum that a few had an extractor issue. Mine likes the bolt to be worked a little harder than you would on a cz to fling shells out, takes some getting used to but works fine
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by cz515 » 18 Mar 2021, 5:41 am

My suggestion, find a friend.

The gunshop will set the scope close to zero. But you need to adjust it to your setting, and everytime you change sitting distance and even ammo

Cleaning the gun is one of the basic maintenance things that everyone should know.

My second suggestion, if you cannot find a friend, get onto YouTube. Among thousands of others, i find Ryan Clackner very easy to understand and he explains basic concepts very well. He has done a bunch of videos for NSSF in America. Have a look through them when you have some time.
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JimTom » 18 Mar 2021, 6:24 am

Here is a link to Ozzie Reviews. In my opinion he does a good honest review with no rubbish. He has plenty of instructional videos on cleaning, sighting in etc, plus Q&A videos. Lots of good info. Here is a link to a video on how to mount a scope. Hope this helps mate.

https://youtu.be/YgCAy_WzReY
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by in2anity » 18 Mar 2021, 7:52 am

djmm wrote:Only thing I'm not 100% is whether the shop will do a "proper" install for the scope for you. I've seen a video which shows rather complex and time consuming way of scope installation but seems to be very accrate. not sure if the shop will do this for you.. cheers.

If it were a bench gun, and you were already in high level comp area, then maybe all that fancy install stuff might be warranted. Maybe. But it's just a sporting rifle. Whack the scope on her, don't overtighten the screws, and go shoot :thumbsup: don't overthink it. The recoil is SFA so think about the mechanics of that - unlike a recoiler, there will be hardly any inertial forces being applied to the scope during recoil. The scope is unlikely to move too much.

Tonnes of variance will be coming from the shooter and ammo before you need to worry about any of that stuff.
Last edited by in2anity on 18 Mar 2021, 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by djmm » 18 Mar 2021, 8:02 am

Thanks guys, great tips. I think it's inevitable that I should have the tool to properly mount and adjust the scope especially considering I am likely to have more than 1 rifle down the track
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JohnV » 18 Mar 2021, 8:34 am

Beware of youtube it sometimes speaks with forked tongue .
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JohnV » 18 Mar 2021, 8:45 am

JimTom wrote:Here is a link to Ozzie Reviews. In my opinion he does a good honest review with no rubbish. He has plenty of instructional videos on cleaning, sighting in etc, plus Q&A videos. Lots of good info. Here is a link to a video on how to mount a scope. Hope this helps mate.

https://youtu.be/YgCAy_WzReY


That video is only part of the proper process .
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Re: Taking brand new rifle to gunsmith?

Post by JimmyS » 18 Mar 2021, 9:06 am

Waste of money. That's like buying a brand new car, then taking it straight to the mechanic for a major service, and asking the nice mechanic man to charge by the hour while they "Break in" your car.
Don't throw your money away.
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