The 3000 round cleaning experiment,and....

Dave McC · June 16, 2001, 01:45 PM

Following a discussion here some months ago, I decided to let the receiver on my Trap 870 TB go for a while and see just how much grunge and filth built up. The test revealed a few things, but I do not regard the results as universal for all shotguns, all places, climes and uses. But, it may give some folks an idea and serve as a starting point. So...

My slipshod and sloppy record keeping indicated that I had run about 3000 rounds through the TB, and it was time to see how much buildup and dirt there was. The receiver was untouched and unopened, but the bbl and outer surfaces had been cleaned and protected from oxidation with CLP,Slip 2000, and a silicone cloth.

So, I removed the bbl, and forearm, separated the bolt block and carrier, dropped the trigger group and examined the parts and the inside of the receiver. It was gross....

The rounds that were exclusively used in this test were my traploads, Clays powder in either STS or AA hulls with appropriate components and an oz of lead shot. Clays has a reputation for being a clean burning powder, but the red AA hulls seem to get dirty as heck. Funny, it doesn't seem to be that way with the STS hulls, which also last longer.

The inside surfaces of the receiver were cleaned by using old T shirt material first plain, then with CLP to clean, lube and protect all the metal.

Buildup was not enough to affect reliability,at least there's been zero glitches since I bought the TB. This was not guaranteed in the future,tho, the extractor had enough grunge buildup in the "Hook" to change the angle and more would have possibly left the spring compressed way to much.

Besides the extractor, the ejector and bolt had mucho grunge, enough to cause problems if left uncleaned.

The shell lifter had some surface stuff on it, but a simple wipedown did the job.

The trigger group showed some probs. The spray gun scrubber I've used had gone flat, so I did the toothbrush and Hoppe's #9 method. It's hard to get everywhere, but I did the best I could. About this time I noted the rather rough machine marks on the housing and some of the parts.So, since the Trap 870s are supposed to be of better fit and higher finish than even the Wingmasters, I grabbed Frankenstein, my homemade parts 870, and dropped the trigger group for comparison.

Probably,the receiver, stock and trigger group for Frankenstein came from a group of 870s bought for the Md Pen after the 71-72 riots, and surplussed in the early 90s when the Pen was closed(It had opened as a prison during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson). So, the trigger group for Frankenstein, was perhaps 25 years older than the one in my ca 1995 built Trap gun, and had way fewer machining marks, irregularities and so forth. IOW, a 70s era trigger group meant for an institutional weapon showed better workmanship and QC than an upscale one made recently.Both work, but the older one looks nicer, despite a quarter century of iffy PM and abuse. This says something about recent Remington management, and I hope their CEO monitors this BB.

REPEAT: I HOPE REMINGTON'S CEO MONITORS THIS BB!!

Also, I had broken down the forearm parts and lubed them when I bought the TB. I broke them down
again to check and see how things looked and was aghast to find mucho grunge and even some light rust inside the action bar tube and in the nut on the front. A clean and relube fixed it, but I vow to check more often in the future. BTW, the older 870s do not seem to be as sensitive to this. Even Frankenstein, that has seen more salt marshes and wet conditions than some mallards, hasn't any rust in the interior of the forearm.Go figure....

Anyways, this test may give a better idea of how often deep cleaning is needed.....

June 16, 2001, 01:45 PM	#1
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	The 3000 round cleaning experiment,and.... Following a discussion here some months ago, I decided to let the receiver on my Trap 870 TB go for a while and see just how much grunge and filth built up. The test revealed a few things, but I do not regard the results as universal for all shotguns, all places, climes and uses. But, it may give some folks an idea and serve as a starting point. So... My slipshod and sloppy record keeping indicated that I had run about 3000 rounds through the TB, and it was time to see how much buildup and dirt there was. The receiver was untouched and unopened, but the bbl and outer surfaces had been cleaned and protected from oxidation with CLP,Slip 2000, and a silicone cloth. So, I removed the bbl, and forearm, separated the bolt block and carrier, dropped the trigger group and examined the parts and the inside of the receiver. It was gross.... The rounds that were exclusively used in this test were my traploads, Clays powder in either STS or AA hulls with appropriate components and an oz of lead shot. Clays has a reputation for being a clean burning powder, but the red AA hulls seem to get dirty as heck. Funny, it doesn't seem to be that way with the STS hulls, which also last longer. The inside surfaces of the receiver were cleaned by using old T shirt material first plain, then with CLP to clean, lube and protect all the metal. Buildup was not enough to affect reliability,at least there's been zero glitches since I bought the TB. This was not guaranteed in the future,tho, the extractor had enough grunge buildup in the "Hook" to change the angle and more would have possibly left the spring compressed way to much. Besides the extractor, the ejector and bolt had mucho grunge, enough to cause problems if left uncleaned. The shell lifter had some surface stuff on it, but a simple wipedown did the job. The trigger group showed some probs. The spray gun scrubber I've used had gone flat, so I did the toothbrush and Hoppe's #9 method. It's hard to get everywhere, but I did the best I could. About this time I noted the rather rough machine marks on the housing and some of the parts.So, since the Trap 870s are supposed to be of better fit and higher finish than even the Wingmasters, I grabbed Frankenstein, my homemade parts 870, and dropped the trigger group for comparison. Probably,the receiver, stock and trigger group for Frankenstein came from a group of 870s bought for the Md Pen after the 71-72 riots, and surplussed in the early 90s when the Pen was closed(It had opened as a prison during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson). So, the trigger group for Frankenstein, was perhaps 25 years older than the one in my ca 1995 built Trap gun, and had way fewer machining marks, irregularities and so forth. IOW, a 70s era trigger group meant for an institutional weapon showed better workmanship and QC than an upscale one made recently.Both work, but the older one looks nicer, despite a quarter century of iffy PM and abuse. This says something about recent Remington management, and I hope their CEO monitors this BB. REPEAT: I HOPE REMINGTON'S CEO MONITORS THIS BB!! Also, I had broken down the forearm parts and lubed them when I bought the TB. I broke them down again to check and see how things looked and was aghast to find mucho grunge and even some light rust inside the action bar tube and in the nut on the front. A clean and relube fixed it, but I vow to check more often in the future. BTW, the older 870s do not seem to be as sensitive to this. Even Frankenstein, that has seen more salt marshes and wet conditions than some mallards, hasn't any rust in the interior of the forearm.Go figure.... Anyways, this test may give a better idea of how often deep cleaning is needed.....