Cleaning Rifled Shotgun Barrel

Clevinger · April 24, 2013, 12:02 AM

I plan to purchase a rifled shotgun slug gun in the next week.

I am experienced cleaning smooth bore shotguns and regular rifles, but not rifled shotguns.

I need to see the take-down of the actual gun (Ithaca Deerslayer II), but if the barrel isn't fixed would you guys just use a rod? Should I use a bore guide like it was a rifle?

If the barrel is fixed should I just use a bore snake?

PetahW · April 24, 2013, 04:52 AM

I've never seen a 12ga bore guide, but in the event one's made by someone, I doubt it's needed.

Bore guides are to keep nearly-bore-sized, or flexing, cleaning rods from rubbing against the rifling @ the muzzle (usually) - and a 12ga bore (.729") is over 2x bigger than a 12ga cleaning rod, which don't usually flex much anyway.

A slug gun with a rifled barrel's still just a rifle, but bigger than most (.72 cal)
I just use a 12ga bronze brush in mine to get rid of any melted plastic from the sabots, then finish up with a bore cleaner on patches.

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Clevinger · April 24, 2013, 05:47 AM

Brownells actually has bore guides, but depending on how a shotgun broke down I'm also unsure of the utility of them.

Cowboy_mo · April 24, 2013, 09:53 PM

presuming the rifled barrel isn't "pinned" it is easy to remove the barrel on an Ithaca pump and you can clean it from the chamber end.

If it is pinned, you can carefully clean from the muzzle end with a brush and then patches. The worry about cleaning a std. rifle from the muzzle end and the reason for bore guides, is to protect the "crown" of the barrel. Not sure if a rifled shotgun barrel actually has a crown.

April 24, 2013, 12:02 AM	#1
Clevinger Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 407	Cleaning Rifled Shotgun Barrel I plan to purchase a rifled shotgun slug gun in the next week. I am experienced cleaning smooth bore shotguns and regular rifles, but not rifled shotguns. I need to see the take-down of the actual gun (Ithaca Deerslayer II), but if the barrel isn't fixed would you guys just use a rod? Should I use a bore guide like it was a rifle? If the barrel is fixed should I just use a bore snake?

April 24, 2013, 09:53 PM	#4
Cowboy_mo Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,039	Never owned the Deerslayer model but: presuming the rifled barrel isn't "pinned" it is easy to remove the barrel on an Ithaca pump and you can clean it from the chamber end. If it is pinned, you can carefully clean from the muzzle end with a brush and then patches. The worry about cleaning a std. rifle from the muzzle end and the reason for bore guides, is to protect the "crown" of the barrel. Not sure if a rifled shotgun barrel actually has a crown.

April 24, 2013, 04:52 AM	#2
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	I've never seen a 12ga bore guide, but in the event one's made by someone, I doubt it's needed. Bore guides are to keep nearly-bore-sized, or flexing, cleaning rods from rubbing against the rifling @ the muzzle (usually) - and a 12ga bore (.729") is over 2x bigger than a 12ga cleaning rod, which don't usually flex much anyway. A slug gun with a rifled barrel's still just a rifle, but bigger than most (.72 cal) I just use a 12ga bronze brush in mine to get rid of any melted plastic from the sabots, then finish up with a bore cleaner on patches. .

April 24, 2013, 05:47 AM	#3
Clevinger Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 407	Brownells actually has bore guides, but depending on how a shotgun broke down I'm also unsure of the utility of them.