Gun/ barrel cleaning

[jwpzx9r]

Hi

Been reading a few articles on gun cleaning and most of them suggest starting off by cleaning the barrels with a bit clean kitchen towel on a jag then a squirt of barrel cleaning fluid a minute soak and then a run through with a phosphor bronze brush then kitchen towel again. I normally just clean the barrels with a clean shotgun patch and then an oily wool mop. Do you really need to use a bronze brush after say 200 carts?  After the barrels are cleaned I remove the chokes and clean the threads re oil and replace then clean the moving parts and re oil  then finally go over the whole gun with an oily rag. What do other shooters do after a couple of hundred shells?

 

[Will Hewland]

OK, i know there is a big 'I don't ever clean my gun' fraternity on here. Well nip off and have a beer, leaving we clean folk only to read this.

I don't do a full brush clean after every shoot, unless I have used fibre wad (then you need to IMO). Also even some cartridges in plas form are dirty. I found Eley bake a load of crud onto forcing cones and needed a big scrub EVERY time.

I use 'clean' plas wads, so usually I just spray a bit of Napier down, leave for a minute or 5 then push paper through. hen finish with cleaning paper on a jag.

About every 5-700 I will use a brush to get it really nice, (after spray and paper to get the real muck out first) followed by the paper routine above.

When I have used a brush, it will spread some dirt onto the ejectors etc, so I use a piece of paper pushed around by a sharpened long match to clean up. (Or if I can be bothered, remove the ejectors and clean properly).

 

[Iggy]

I'm a bit OCD with my guns and always clean them thoroughly after every shoot, but like Clever says best thing to do is start off with a decent squirt of Napier Gun Cleaner down each barrel followed by bronze brush and then kitchen roll, and repeat until clean.

It's taken me a year or two to work this out but I've recently found the trick is to let the Napier sit and so its work for 10 or 15 minutes before you go at it with the brush as this really helps melt the crud.

I've only ever used plaswads so I don't know if the same routine would apply to fibre, although I can't see it being that different.

Iggy.

 

[jwpzx9r]

Right so after my next shoot I think I will give it a bit of bore cleaner and the phosphor brush then a thorough clean and oil. Its very easy to look down the bores and because the are shining assume that they are totally free of plastic residues. I always take the chokes out and clean the threads up and oil.

 

[Jonny English]

A chamber brush can be a good investment too to get lead or plastic fouling from your forcing cones. Its like a normal bronze but twice as long wider and shaped, with a lot shorter handle.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

I shoot clean cartridges so don't need to clean mine unless it gets wet. :smile:

Just a quick push through with the fluffy thing.

Some on here polish their cartridges a well.....just saying.

I cannot be bothered....more to life

 

[Hawkeye]

You say that you oil the barrel's after cleaning. Do you remove it before shooting or doesn't it make a difference ?

 

[ips]

Nic

yep fluffy thing for me too there great.

 

[VicW]

You say that you oil the barrel's after cleaning. Do you remove it before shooting or doesn't it make a difference ?

Bryan,when I clean my gun,about once a month, and that to me means a complete strip (of the gun) I oil the barrel.

To me that means a pass through the barrel with a wool mop with a very light application of oil on it.When you look down the barrel you can just see a thin film.I do not remove this before shooting and have never had a problem.

Vic.

 

[jwpzx9r]

Bryan

I just give the barrels a run through with a mop that has been oiled for a while now so it gets a light coating of oil. I don't remove it. I also rub the outside of the barrels and action with a lightly oiled rag when I have completed my cleaning just to remove my sweaty paw prints

 

[chippy]

You say that you oil the barrel's after cleaning. Do you remove it before shooting or doesn't it make a difference ?

I don't think it's a problem in a shotgun It just burns off.very different in a rifle though.

 

[Hamster]

 What do other shooters do after a couple of hundred shells?

The sensible ones have a beer. Really, I'm typing this and taking regular gulps. What you need to do is leave things well alone unless it gets wet or a whole six months has passed and you have nothing better to do. Then take a 10 gauge bronze brush, loosen the deposits, spray something like Ligier oil inside the tubes and roll up some kitchen tissue for a tight fit and force it through with the rod. You'll find they'll display exactly, and I mean exactly the same level of black muck as if you do this after a single shot. :beerhat:

 

[Hawkeye]

It would be good to have a retired gunsmith's views on firing a shotgun with oiled barrel bore's

 

[Hamster]

Why retired? Obviously a hugely bad idea in principal but I did once get away with it when upon firing my freshly cleaned Laurona we were all treated to a foot long fire flash :lol:  . 

 

[Hawkeye]

Hamster , I was referring to Salopian 

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Hampster....he was referring to Salop.... :smile:

 

[Mark Jones]

injectors and chokes out every shoot, only takes a long time when you dont know how. Use clenzoil to reduce time even further. IMO if you look at the barrell you oiled after say a week and it has been stored vertically in a gun safe for example if it has been at room temp(warm) you will prob find that film has all but ran to the bottom, hence the reason for storing muzzle down.

Cleaning habits...each to their own!

 

[Will Hewland]

I used to oil barrels religiously and still always store muzzle down. I stopped oiling my main gun barrels as don't see the point with frequent use and decent storage. Not had an issue in years. Bit of oil on the occasional use guns as a precaution.

 

[Les53]

Hampster....he was referring to Salop.... :smile:

That's a thought, where is Pete lately Nic? He does not seem to have been on here of late!