O/U Cleaning

[UT_Air_Assault]

I have a Beretta 12 Guage O/U that I run 100 rounds through, about every week at the trap & skeet range. Everyday when I get done, I totally degrease the gun with Mineral Spirits, clean everything (including the barrel and even under the ribs) and than regrease everything before storing it, barrel down in my safe.
Am I going to far in cleaning this so often?
If so, how often should I be cleaning this gun?
Any other advise on what to clean on this gun?
This is my first O/U so any advise you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Big Yac]

try some Hopes#9 for the bore. It is some very good stuff, cleans the powder and the plastic fouling out really well. Just take a patch soaked in it and run it through the barrel, then follow up by a brass brush (followed by another solvent soaked patch) if you so desire then run dry patches through the bore until they come out clean and dry. This is how I do it on all my guns. Also for the outside of the barrel and receiver and all the other metal parts I scrub everything with a toothbrush soaked with WD-40 then wipe it dry then go over it with a rag soaked in Rem-Oil. This leaves a nice light film and it protects against rust. I also will run a patch of Rem-Oil down through the cleaned barrel and then folllow it up with a quick swipe from a clean dry patch....again leaving a light film in the barrel. For the wood, I dont use anything except a dry, clean rag to wipe it off if I get anything on it. Theres nothing wrong with cleaning your gun often. Mine is cleaned after every session of shooting weather its trap or whatever. It all pays off to keep your gun clean and functioning right.

[kudu]

I clean my Beretta about every 2 or 3 thousand rounds, or about every three months. I pull a boresnake through the bores, and get the chokes scrubbed out with some good solvent and it's good to go for a few more thousand. I wipe the exterior down with an oily wrag every time I shoot it and grease the hinges though. I detail it about once a year in all the nooks and crannies. Same with my autos and pumps.

If I am in some inclement weather it will get cleaned right away, but for everyday use I don't think it needs the thorough cleaning.

[mete]

I assume your beretta like mine has a chrome plated bore . It doesn't get very dirty and if it does it's easy to clean.Plastic deposits are easy to clean with a 'tornado' brush. There is no need to degrease the whole gun .I run a patch through the bore ,wipe down the outside with RIG. It's a good idea for shotguns to use a lube designed for high pressure applications on bolts and trunnions such a s RIG+P.These parts do see very high pressures and the special lubes will extend the life of the parts.

[HSMITH]

I agree with Kudu and mete. I think you are doing WAY more than is prudent.

On a Beretta I would pull a dry bore snake through the barrels and wipe ALL of the fingerprints off every time out, and clean it a couple times a year completely, maybe spring and fall cleanings. If it gets wet then clean immediately, otherwise enjoy the shooting without all the labor.

[K80Geoff]

I run a boresnake through the barrels at the range immediately after shooting. If the gun has been in rain or snow or high humidity I wipe the outside with a silicone rag, otherwise I just wipe the dust off with a rag. Krieghoffs have a tendency to rust in the chambers quickly, so I pay particular attention to this area, ofted applying some oil right after shooting.

When I get it home the barrels are cleaned with Hoppe's #9. Run a soaked patch through and let it sit, than run dry patches through untill clean. I will occasionally run a brass brush soaked in Hoppes, about once a month when I am shooting a lot.

Hinge grease gets removed an re applied.

I clean the outside with CLP. Usually wipe it down with a patched soaked in CLP. I take care to clean under the rib and inside the open action.

I take the extractor/ejectors off maybe 2x a year to clean underneath, or when the gun gets wet.

Never spray it with degreaser. Might remove the lubes in the trigger mechanism.

You can never overclean, especially if the gun is exposed to the elements during shooting.

I do take my K guns to a service center to do a factory service every few years. They replace all the springs and re lube the trigger mechanism. They use an ultrasonic cleaner to thoroughly clean the action and then replace all the springs and some other small parts. They even polished the face of the breech last time. Gun looked new. Cost me $125 last time, but considering what the gun is worth it was worth it. The pros have it done every year.

I know several folks who never clean their guns, just wipe them off after shooting! One guy shoots a collection of Parkers!! Go figure.

[Big Yac]

oooohhhhhh a K80.....my dream gun But I'm picky with trap guns. I want a single barrel (34") with a fixed full choke. Just like my BT-99. I dont need to get anything like an O/U, my plan is to get as good as I can with singles before even messing with doubles Cant you get a K80 combo? You said you wiped your gun down with a silicone rag. I hear silicone can ruin the finish on the wood. Is this true?

[K80Geoff]

Silicone has never harmed my stock, it was recommended to me by the dealer who services the gun. I mostly pay attention to the metal parts as the stock has a urethane coating and moisture just rolls off.

You can get all kinds of barrels, top singles, bottom singles, sub gauge tube carriers, Whatever you desire.

[auto45]

I just spray a couple of "shots" of light oil in the chambers to prevent rust and only clean the bores when it rains, put the gun away for a while or just a couple times a year.

Normally, I use oil on the bearing surfaces and apply each time, since I take down and assemble each time I shoot. Clean/brush out the receiver once in a while, or if it's dirty. Of course I make sure the bearing surfaces are clean before I oil. When I used grease, I always wiped it off since it traps particles.

I also use a silicon "rag" to wipe down, but also use spray oil on the exterior of the gun once in a while so the "rag" has both in it!

The level of cleaning you are doing, I would do if the gun was drenched in a rainstorm.

Have fun!!

[sm]

Your'e supposed to clean them?

I'm in the camp with kudu, HSMITH and K80Geoff ( sorta, never owned a Boresnake).

RIG+P is the ticket. Also used STOS- anyone remember that stuff? Yes - it really is that "slick".

I used barrel sets ( that dates me huh?) So the grease was applied when changed and bbls wiped down before they went into their little sacks, receiver wiped off before it went into its sack.

[kudu]

sorta, never owned a Boresnake

OK sm, how about a Tico tool? You know the long fuzzy brush that is gauge specific that you run in and out 6 or 8 times to get the bores half way clean. A boresnake will do it in 1 or 2 times.

[sm]

Allright you whippersnapper!

Once upon a time the earth was flat [tm] This was before the BBS Era [ Before BoreSnake] I'm talking even before the Tico Era [ was gonna use initals, figured I'd hear from Grammaw] The "Kit and Caboodle" was just becoming availble, you folks know it by the Otis name.

For quickie cleaning I used a Thong - yeah like the history books said the Military did. I used a length of Rawhide boot lace, with a slit cut in it. A round pc of leather to fit the bore. Used the same way a Otis kit is used today. Only mine was kept in a empty tin that Shinola came in. Shinola was the name of a shoe polish, some of you know what a Kiwi shoe polish tin is like - same deal.

So My glass vial of oil , patches, and rawhide in a tin was handy. I used this since I was wee pup. For all Shotgun gauges and handgun and rifles too...still do as a matter of fact.

For more thorough , well some fella made drills cordless, we would use that for fast cleaning. The Tube sets became popular and folks cleaned the bores with cordless drills before changing tubes.

I won a Tico tool...my first thoughts were 1) this would be great to clean under the fridge, 2) I bet if I bend this just right I could clean a ceiling fan.

So now you know how it "was" , and probably why I am poor and some fella got rich with my Tico Tool adaptations . Once again old Steve here did not follow his hair-brained ideas to fruition.

I started young...I never grew up - just got bigger is all.