by Steve Felgenhauer
I see more than my share of dirty shotguns. As a gunsmith I have found weed seeds, sand, feathers and even a .22 rifle shell inside of a shotgun – I’m still trying to figure that one out.
I’ve always said if hunters treated their trucks like they did their guns, they’d be walking. Shotguns from waterfowlers are the worst because they’re often exposed to unfavorable conditions for a firearm like water and mud. Pumps and semi-autos get nasty inside the receivers that become caked with burnt powder residue and excess carbon. Break-action shotguns are generally much cleaner as the barrel is closed on the breech face and there aren’t a lot of places for the crud to go aside from out the muzzle. Still, they need to be maintained.
The cleanliness of a shotgun can be attributed to several factors. Many hunters – especially bird hunters – like to keep their shooting skills honed, which means off season practice. If you shoot the same gun for sporting clays that you use for bird hunting, the gun’s going to get dirty. One of the biggest problem areas on over-and-under shotguns is build-up under the extractors/ejectors. If they don’t sit flush as designed, the firearm won’t fire. An all-purpose brush or a toothbrush will keep this area clean and help your shotgun work like it should.
What Ammo is Used
The brand of shells can also be a factor in how dirty the shotgun gets. Less expensive, imported shells can be very dirty with carbon and unfired powder residue that’ll require your gun to be cleaned more frequently. Imported shells with Cheddite primers have a very thin metal sheet covering the ignition compound. The firing pins pierce this thin metal, exposing them to the hot gases of the primers’ igniting. These gases can pit the firing pins. Over the span of a few months, this pitting can erode the length of the firing pin, causing the gun not to fire. Another reason to use quality ammunition.
Cleaning Your Shotgun
Most hunters keep the bore of their shotguns spotless; however, the chamber and forcing cone often get overlooked. Burnt powder and plastic build up in these areas, causing extraction and ejection problems. A shotgun chamber brush is just the tool to keep the chamber and forcing cone on your shotgun trouble free.
Nearly all shotguns manufactured today are equipped with choke tubes. These should be addressed as part of the shotgun and not neglected. Choke tubes also get plastic build up, which can affect patterning. They also need to be periodically checked to ensure they remain tight when shooting and remain well lubricated with a good gun oil or quality anti-seize throughout the season. At the end of the season, remove them, clean them off and re-apply a lubricant. When cleaning the barrel, a chamber brush can be used to clean out the choke tube threads inside the barrel.
Be mindful of harsh chemicals. Some of these can damage both wood and metal finishes along with insect repellents or sunscreen.
Leave the WD-40 on the shelf in the garage for squeaky hinges as it gets gummy over time. I see dozens of guns each year rendered inoperable from WD-40. Once the WD-40 gets gummy, the gun will need to be disassembled to remove all the sticky residue. Instead, use CLP or Hoppe’s gun oil sprayed on a rag
Give Your Shotgun a Little Attention
Many hunters put their guns away with good intentions of getting things fixed during the off season. However, in our shop, the workload typically slows throughout the summer. Often, it’s September when work orders are high as hunters pull out their shotguns for dove season and notice their gun needs to be repaired.
Remember last fall during that cold spell when the recoil pad kept getting hung on your vest? Now’s the time to address this. Crisp lines are a sight to behold, but these sharp lines can get caught when shouldering your shotgun. Your local gunsmith should be able to break the edges of the pad to allow it to come to the shoulder without getting hung up or switch you over to a pad with a rounded top, which will allow the buttstock to slip by and not catch on your clothes.
When your shotgun’s been sitting for a while with little attention, it’s a good idea to remove the recoil pad and ensure the stock bolt is tight. This is the main culprit of cracked stocks. Over time, humidity increases and decreases, and wood fibers contract and expand, which can loosen the stock bolt. The same holds true with the forearm screws.
Caring for Your Shotgun at Home and Afield
Water and steel don’t mix. If your gun gets wet from hunting in the rain or an accidental dip, remove the stock after you get home and allow it to dry.
Wood stocks with high gloss are nearly maintenance free. A simple wiping with a dry rag will remove mud or any build-up. To clean the checkering, a dry soft bristled toothbrush can remove dried mud. A light coat of quality wax will bring the luster back to the stock. Oil finished stocks benefit greatly from a light wiping down with furniture grade tung oil.
Before the beginning of each season, apply a very light coat of grease on high wear areas where metal interfaces with metal. This includes the hinge pin, the juncture where the forearm bracket and receiver meet as well as the sides of the barrel lug. This will keep the parts from galling.
While in the field wipe down the metal with an oil dampened rag and punch the bore with a Tico tool between uses. This should keep you shooting throughout the season.
Steve Felgenhauer is a freelance writer and a professional gunsmith with more than 30 years’ of experience working on firearms. He uses his knowledge to educate and entertain his readers. He served in the United States Marine Corps and now lives in Missouri. He can be found at the range when not gunsmithing or writing.
