I&I- Inspect and Inventory

With stay at home orders in place for many Americans, it can be hard to get range time and proper practice. While you're sitting at home with all your guns and gear, it's a perfect time to do a proper I&I.

An I&I, or Inspect and Inventory, is a detailed tear down of your equipment and supplies. This will show you what you have, what you need, and will hopefully catch any issues with your guns and gear. In a recent teardown, I found that I had a cracked buffer in one of my rifles. I've ever even heard of them cracking, but I found 8t with a detailed stripping of the gun. I noted the bad part and added it to my to-buy list.

Guns aren't the only things you should look at. Magazines, slings, optics, ammo, all of it needs a good look, and repaired or replaced as needed.

What a mess

Let's look at magazines. Whether or not you have mags loaded long term, you will want to check:

• Feed lips- are they spreading? Dented, worn, out of spec? 
• Followers--are they dirty, crusty? Do they move freely inside the magazine body?
• Spring- is it properly attached to the follower and seated on the floor plate? Are they corroded or warped, rusty? 
• Floor plate- is it cracked or bent from veing dropped? Does the locking system work as intended?
• Magazine body- is it dented, cracked, punctured or rusty?

Getting a good ammo count is a good idea at this time too. 

• How much total ammo do you have? 
• How many loaded magazines do you have? 
• How much of your ammo is training ammo, vs personal defense ammo? How do you mark what is what in your storage and magazines? 
• Do you have multiple calibers? How are they stored? For me, having 5.56 and 300blk rifles means I have the blackout mags painted tan. 
• Do you have corroded, rusty, or damaged ammo? 

You should tear down your guns as far as you can and check all the springs, pins, internal/external parts, storage compartments, optics, lights, and all associated batteries and cables.  A good cleaning and lube will finish each gun off. 

Be sure to check and service your stash guns as well. I keep a shotgun in the main area of the house, and it's easy to forget in the cleaning process. If you have a trunk gun, break it out and give it some love. 

Take the time to set up your guns storage when you put your stuff back. Your future you will thank you. Add desiccant where you need it, make sure the lights and work areas are working and good to go 

This process can take some time, but time is one thing we have right now. 

What did you find when you did your I&I? Do you have some before and after stories of your own?

REMEMBER. PEOPLE GET SHOT WITH "UNLOADED" GUNS ALL THE TIME. CHECK, CHECK, AND RE-CHECK YOUR GUNS AND NEVER ASSUME. 

Till next time, stay accurate.