Shotgun cleaning?

misterdub · April 4, 2010, 10:35 AM

So, I took my shotgun to the range yesterday for the first time. Fired about thirty rounds through it. I also bought a cleaning kit while I was out and about and was planning on cleaning it today. Unfortunately, I tried using it just now and I noticed the cleaning kit was missing some pieces and the store is closed for Easter.

I've read a fair bit about proper cleaning and seems people are pretty militant about cleaning after every use because of "corrosive" remnants in barrels. Will it be okay for the gun to let it sit for a full week without a cleaning? Will it be harder to clean (due to the gunk hardening) if I wait a week? The place I got the cleaning kit from is a bit of a hike from my house and I'd prefer not to make the trek after work next week. If it's okay and won't foul anything up, I'll go next weekend while I'm out running errands.

I imagine I'm just being overprotective of the new gun. As I said, I'm new to this and it was purchased for HD so I want to make sure it'll function properly if the need arises. If it matters to the question: it's a Remington 870 Express and I was shooting Remington 2 3/4" 00 Buck.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

BigJimP · April 4, 2010, 11:12 AM

I don't know what you're missing in the kit ...(I don't think I ever bought a kit ) but its not like its going to be a rusted piece of junk if you don't clean it either .... it can wait a week.

Just take a lightly oiled rag - and wipe the gun down / run a lightly oiled patch thru the barrel....it'll survive...

My cleaning routine:

remove the barrel - brush the barrel with some solvent / run some clean patches thru it / run a lightly oiled patch thru it.

remove choke tube - clean threads in barrel ( toothbrush ) - clean plastic residue out of choke / lube threads in barrel (I use Break Free) - lube choke tube and put it back in barrel.

remove trigger group / clean out receiver / use some Q tips on trigger group / clean bolt, etc - and lube with a little light spray oil - and put it back together. Lube the portion of barrel that goes into receiver / put gun together.

Wipe down the whole gun ( WD-40 or some light spray oil ) / put it in the safe ..

misterdub · April 4, 2010, 11:33 AM

It's missing 2 out of the 3 pieces of the metal rod to clean the barrel (they screw together with a nylon brush at the end). So the nylon brush and rags can only reach about a 1/3 of the way through the barrel. I could clean either end but there's no way to get the middle.

Thanks for the reassurance that I don't need to make the drive out there midweek!

30-06'in · April 4, 2010, 11:46 AM

What cleaning kit did you get? The reason i ask is when i bought a Hoppes kit i thought it was missing a couple of rods, but it turned out to be under the tray in the wooden box it came in.

BigJimP · April 4, 2010, 02:59 PM

Just use a wooden dowel, if you have one --- or somekind of a plastic rod ...to push an oiled patch thru the barrel a couple of times - until you get another rod.

Dfariswheel · April 4, 2010, 06:39 PM

Modern ammo is not corrosive like black powder, military surplus, or the commercial ammo of the 1920's.

Your gun will be fine for a week or more as long as you don't store it in a damp location like a clothes closet.

If you're worried, simply remove the barrel and give it a good spray down the bore with something like Rem-Oil or even WD-40. Don't allow it to flow back into the action by leaving the barrel off the gun.
This will prevent any corrosion for some time, certainly until you get a complete cleaning kit.

zippy13 · April 4, 2010, 07:53 PM

You can always clean the bore the old fashioned way: Tie your patch cloth to a length of twine (with a small weight on the other end) and pull it thru your barrel. A few times with a solvent soaked patch, a few dry patch pulls and then with an oiled patch.

bobelk99 · April 4, 2010, 09:42 PM

I only shoot my shotguns a few score times a year each.

After each use, assuming no exposure to inclement weather, I wipe down the exterior with protectorate of choice and return gun to racks. Period.

I do tear down and internal cleaning of pump or semiauto after 500 rounds or so.

I have some new looking 40 year old guns that have survived this abuse will several hundred rounds through them.

misterdub · April 4, 2010, 09:49 PM

Awesome, much thanks for the advice everyone.

I won't fret about it too much. If I can find some twine tomorrow after work, I'll give that a whirl with the cloth. Otherwise, I'll just chill out about it until next weekend.

Quote:

What cleaning kit did you get? The reason i ask is when i bought a Hoppes kit i thought it was missing a couple of rods, but it turned out to be under the tray in the wooden box it came in.

Yes, it was a Hoppes kit but no wooden box. It was a plastic box and I had the same thought: "Oh, maybe it's taped underneath." Nope. I checked under, over, everywhere... and the nylon brush doesn't even attach to the one metal tube I do have. There are some stains inside the box so it definitely looks like someone opened it up and even used it and then returned it.

22 rifle · April 4, 2010, 10:18 PM

me and my ded was looking at his guns and in the 20 geuge pump shotgun was a cricket in the shotgun

oneounceload · April 5, 2010, 10:11 AM

You might have bought a pistol cleaning kit. They'll only have one rod. A boresnake is also a decent device for cleaning the bore of your shotgun.

Uncle Ben · April 5, 2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Your gun will be fine for a week or more as long as you don't store it in a damp location like a clothes closet.

I'm glad I read that, cause that's where I keep my 12ga (no long safe) and I never thought of a closet as being any more damp than any other place in the house. Why is that? What makes a closet more damp?

(not challenging the statment, but am just surprised to hear that)

BigJimP · April 5, 2010, 01:45 PM

I'll let him defend his own statement ....

But I have seen some issues pop up on guns stored in "cool" locations / and sometimes it can be a problem if you put the safe on an "external wall" as opposed to an "internal wall". The "external wall" may be cooler - and cause some condensation ......

...but I wouldn't want any damp closets for storing guns or anything else ,,,

zippy13 · April 5, 2010, 03:37 PM

Why is that? What makes a closet more damp?

The same reason attics and crawl spaces can be damp: A lack of ventilation.

April 4, 2010, 10:35 AM	#1
misterdub Junior Member Join Date: April 4, 2010 Location: PA Posts: 3	Shotgun cleaning? So, I took my shotgun to the range yesterday for the first time. Fired about thirty rounds through it. I also bought a cleaning kit while I was out and about and was planning on cleaning it today. Unfortunately, I tried using it just now and I noticed the cleaning kit was missing some pieces and the store is closed for Easter. I've read a fair bit about proper cleaning and seems people are pretty militant about cleaning after every use because of "corrosive" remnants in barrels. Will it be okay for the gun to let it sit for a full week without a cleaning? Will it be harder to clean (due to the gunk hardening) if I wait a week? The place I got the cleaning kit from is a bit of a hike from my house and I'd prefer not to make the trek after work next week. If it's okay and won't foul anything up, I'll go next weekend while I'm out running errands. I imagine I'm just being overprotective of the new gun. As I said, I'm new to this and it was purchased for HD so I want to make sure it'll function properly if the need arises. If it matters to the question: it's a Remington 870 Express and I was shooting Remington 2 3/4" 00 Buck. Thanks in advance for the advice. Last edited by misterdub; April 4, 2010 at 10:57 AM.

April 4, 2010, 11:46 AM	#4
30-06'in Junior Member Join Date: March 11, 2009 Location: B.C, Canada Posts: 10	What cleaning kit did you get? The reason i ask is when i bought a Hoppes kit i thought it was missing a couple of rods, but it turned out to be under the tray in the wooden box it came in. __________________ --------------------------------- Savage 30-06, .303 British Lee-enfield, Marlin 22LR, Model 12, soon to be Remington 870

April 4, 2010, 10:18 PM	#10
22 rifle Member Join Date: March 17, 2010 Posts: 16	yesterdey the weirdest thaing me and my ded was looking at his guns and in the 20 geuge pump shotgun was a cricket in the shotgun Last edited by 22 rifle; April 4, 2010 at 10:24 PM.

April 4, 2010, 11:12 AM	#2
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I don't know what you're missing in the kit ...(I don't think I ever bought a kit ) but its not like its going to be a rusted piece of junk if you don't clean it either .... it can wait a week. Just take a lightly oiled rag - and wipe the gun down / run a lightly oiled patch thru the barrel....it'll survive... My cleaning routine: remove the barrel - brush the barrel with some solvent / run some clean patches thru it / run a lightly oiled patch thru it. remove choke tube - clean threads in barrel ( toothbrush ) - clean plastic residue out of choke / lube threads in barrel (I use Break Free) - lube choke tube and put it back in barrel. remove trigger group / clean out receiver / use some Q tips on trigger group / clean bolt, etc - and lube with a little light spray oil - and put it back together. Lube the portion of barrel that goes into receiver / put gun together. Wipe down the whole gun ( WD-40 or some light spray oil ) / put it in the safe ..

April 4, 2010, 11:33 AM	#3
misterdub Junior Member Join Date: April 4, 2010 Location: PA Posts: 3	It's missing 2 out of the 3 pieces of the metal rod to clean the barrel (they screw together with a nylon brush at the end). So the nylon brush and rags can only reach about a 1/3 of the way through the barrel. I could clean either end but there's no way to get the middle. Thanks for the reassurance that I don't need to make the drive out there midweek!

April 4, 2010, 02:59 PM	#5
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Just use a wooden dowel, if you have one --- or somekind of a plastic rod ...to push an oiled patch thru the barrel a couple of times - until you get another rod.

April 4, 2010, 06:39 PM	#6
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Modern ammo is not corrosive like black powder, military surplus, or the commercial ammo of the 1920's. Your gun will be fine for a week or more as long as you don't store it in a damp location like a clothes closet. If you're worried, simply remove the barrel and give it a good spray down the bore with something like Rem-Oil or even WD-40. Don't allow it to flow back into the action by leaving the barrel off the gun. This will prevent any corrosion for some time, certainly until you get a complete cleaning kit.

April 4, 2010, 07:53 PM	#7
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	You can always clean the bore the old fashioned way: Tie your patch cloth to a length of twine (with a small weight on the other end) and pull it thru your barrel. A few times with a solvent soaked patch, a few dry patch pulls and then with an oiled patch.

April 4, 2010, 09:42 PM	#8
bobelk99 Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2005 Location: Central KY Posts: 220	I only shoot my shotguns a few score times a year each. After each use, assuming no exposure to inclement weather, I wipe down the exterior with protectorate of choice and return gun to racks. Period. I do tear down and internal cleaning of pump or semiauto after 500 rounds or so. I have some new looking 40 year old guns that have survived this abuse will several hundred rounds through them.

April 5, 2010, 10:11 AM	#11
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	You might have bought a pistol cleaning kit. They'll only have one rod. A boresnake is also a decent device for cleaning the bore of your shotgun.

April 5, 2010, 01:45 PM	#13
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I'll let him defend his own statement .... But I have seen some issues pop up on guns stored in "cool" locations / and sometimes it can be a problem if you put the safe on an "external wall" as opposed to an "internal wall". The "external wall" may be cooler - and cause some condensation ...... ...but I wouldn't want any damp closets for storing guns or anything else ,,,

April 5, 2010, 03:37 PM	#14
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Why is that? What makes a closet more damp? The same reason attics and crawl spaces can be damp: A lack of ventilation.