Understanding how your gun works is important. Getting out and shooting your gun to get it ready for the upcoming season is a necessity. You should inspect, clean and know how your gun works. Gas operated guns can fail because of powder residue accumulating on the gas ports, rings, magazine tube or gas spring. These parts are generally under the forearm. Older guns with long recoil blowback systems, and the newer designs, run cleaner. But common use takes a toll on those also. Even if they sit for a long time. Parts can wear out; others can start to fail from corrosion or gelled lubricants.

Cheaper shells, not your name brand, can cause trouble. They can jam in the chamber of a new gun as well as one that has never been shot before or never jammed before. The shells can have rough edges that need to be addressed. A Synthetic motor oil can slick up the action. Followed up by steel wool and cleaned with a cleaning solvent. A ceramic wax automotive coating to the mag tube.

Small issues can occur such as, spring ends can be sharp, probably cutting whatever it touches. The spring can end up at the edge of the plunger, that connects the bolt link to the spring. A jammed spring can bind the recoil tube instead of traveling back with the plunger. When filing your spring to smooth out rough edges, be careful not to cut into the next coil, this can weaken the spring. Insert something between the coils can give a bit more room to work.

Knowing how your gun operates can make for better understanding of any troubleshooting.

Where to Hit Your Big Game

Most deer hunters use 3 calibers: 30-30, 30-06 or the .270. We seem to get caught up with the fancy new calibers. One of my favorites is the .243, has a small recoil. It is more than enough for shooting whitetail deer. All of these are as popular today as they have been for decades. 

You can talk and have the argument about big calibers, but we all know it’s about bullet placement. There are rare exceptions, but more important is the placement of your bullet. We owe it to the animal to put your bullet or arrow in a vital organ. That will give you clean kill. 

You need to study the vital areas. If you’re a bow hunter know the areas of arteries. Arrows can kill by hemorrhaging. The best shots are to the brain. It should not be your primary target since it is a small area. You can miss easily. Neck shots can be tricky since the spine is only 2 inches thick in diameter, in a deer. If you miss the spine and hit the neck muscle, a deer can run a long distance before dying. Short distance a neck is a good choice so you can be sure of hitting the spinal column. 

The shots you’re looking for are where the heart, lungs, arteries, spine and shoulder are. Any bullet hitting these areas with drop a deer, but I prefer a heart shot for your primary target. If you miss the heart your bullet will most likely hit the lungs, which is a fatal shot. Take advantage of learning the location of vital areas on your big game.

Now that you know the vital shots, you to know how to position your gun to the animal’s body. If a deer is broadside, to hit the heart, put your sights just above where the foreleg joins the body. Aim a bit high, so if you miss the top of the heart, you’ll be sure to take out the lungs. If a deer is facing you, put your sights on the center of the chest so again your target area is the heart and lungs.

You can get targets that demonstrate these spots in different positions the animal maybe in. Practice is for the smartest hunters out there. Finally, you never take a shot at an animal unless you are completely sure of a quick clean shot.