Pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles are an excellent choice for hunting, plinking, and competition. If you want your air gun to continue to function at its best, it’s important to maintain it properly. Air rifles are easier to maintain than firearms and require less frequent cleaning, but there are still steps you should be taking regularly for PCP air rifle care. Read on this blog to know how to clean air rifle!
Here are some tips for air gun maintenance:
Check Your PCP Air Rifle’s Manual
You’ll see that we repeat this advice a few times throughout the article because it really is essential for proper maintenance. Although general guidelines are similar among different types of PCP air rifles, each model will have specific recommendations from the manufacturer. You should read the manual that comes with the model you have and follow any directions or cautions given in this manual.
Maintain Air Pressure
It’s important to keep a minimum charge in your PCP air rifle’s air reservoir. This creates positive pressure which prevents outside air from getting into the reservoir. The reason this matters is that the air outside of the rifle may be damp and can damage the interior. In order to find out what minimum storage pressure you need to maintain, check the manual for your specific model of air rifle.
Use Proper Lubricants
Lubricating the system components can help improve performance. However, you need to be careful with the lubricants you choose. Since PCP air rifles store air at very high pressure, using petroleum-based oil in these systems is dangerous and can cause internal combustion. Instead, choose a pure silicone lubricant. This operates safely at a significantly higher pressure than petroleum-based oils. Check your air gun’s manual for more information about which lubricant to use and how often to use it.
How To Clean Air Rifle?
You don’t need to clean an air rifle as often as you clean a firearm. This is because with a firearm, gunpowder builds on and leaves residue inside the barrel, whereas air guns don’t use powder. However, there is still some residue left behind from pellets over time, so you won’t want to skip cleaning entirely, although you can often wait a long time between cleaning. Recommendations for how often to clean your air gun barrel vary and (you guessed it) you should check the manual for your model for specific advice.
When it is time to clean your barrel, you can use a pull-through to do so. Be sure it has a bore-friendly coating so it doesn’t harm the rifling. Some PCP rifles can also be cleaned with felt pellets.
Purchase PCP Air Rifles At AirFire
At AirFire Tactical, you can find a selection of high-quality PCP air rifles. These require less maintenance than firearms and can be a great alternative for certain types of hunting. They’re also great for plinking and competition.
