Coop, you live not far from where I live. A range that would be VERY good for you is the San Gabriel Valley Gun Club, just off the 57 freeway in Duarte. The nearest offramp is Irwindale Avenue. They are a very organized range where you can do serious target shooting, out to 200 yards for non-members (forget "joining" the club, won't happen, but almost all of the range is open to non-members.) They are open every day but Mondays; wekends are of course busy.

Yes, by all means clean your gun before you shoot it! Lots of crap from the manufacturing process and handling afterwards winds up in barrels. Clean it from the rear, never the front. If you nick the front of your barrel where the bullet exits (this is called the crown) your gun will shoot poorly. Each time you bring it to the range, run a clean dry pacth down the bore before your first shot; if a bug crawled into your barrel and you fired a bullet through it your barrel will be ruined, and may evenb rupture and injure someone. This is important. Spend 30 bucks and get a one piece cleaning rod specific for your caliber. The 3 piece aluminum cheapies break and can damage your bore; besides, they just plain suck. Use a one piece rod once and you'll see what I mean.

Since you probably don't reload (yet,) buy yourself one box each of several different types and brands of ammunition. Buy different bullet weights. Take these to the range, and see which brand and bullet weight groups the best with your rifle. Each rifle is different, and some rifles shoot one type of ammo best. This has to do with the total harmonics of the rifle and ammunition and is not indicative of the "quality" of a particular maker's ammo. I've got four rifles in .30-06, and none of them like Winchester factory ammo. Some of them like Remington 165 grain bullets, another likes Remington 180 grain bullets better. None of them shoot as well with 150 grain bullets as they do with 165 grain bullets. I can develop handloads around any bullet weight that give the best groupings for that bullet weight in that particular gun, but the specifics (how much and what type of powder, bullet seating depth, etc.) will vary from rifle to rifle. Again, it is not hard to find the brand that your rifle likes best. It just takes a bit of time and money.

It is perfectly legal to order ammo off the internet. Try www.MidwayUSA.com, www.cheaperthandirt.com, among others. Walmart is hard to beat on price also. Big 5 is so so on price and selection; Turners is also so-so on price but very good on selection. These are all stores in our area. I would stay clear of Wolf brand ammo; I have heard reports that this has left rust in barrels despite claiming to be non-corrosive. Also be careful of old military surplus ammo, as this may be corrosive, and most ordinary bore cleaners won't clean the corrosive salts out of your barrel. If you stick with Remington, Winchester, PMC, AMerican Eagle (Federal) you need not worry.

Last piece of advice - - buy yourself a strap-on recoil shield. I am not joking; the cumulative effects of recoil will not only leave you with bruises and discomfort, they can damage your rotator cuff, requiring surgery. I know someone that this has happened to. A few rounds is no problem, but if you sit down and shoot 50 or 100 rounds in a day you will wish you had one. These can be had at better gun stores or fromMidway. Look for a PAST recoil shield. They come in different thicknesses, from field grade to Magnum. I use a field grade and it's all I need for .30-06, but if I was shooting anything heavier I would but a thicker version. It may set you back about 30 bucks.

Hope this helps. Good luck!