Do I really have to clean my barrel that much? It's a scatter gun for goodness sake.
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BHP FAN
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With modern shells you end up with a lot of plastic in the barrel,mainly from the shot cups.If you buy a Boresnake in your gauge,give the bristles a spritz with WD40,and pull it from the chamber end out through the barrel once or twice,you're good to go 'til next time.Cleaning your shotty should take two minutes or less,and it will save you some really ugly plastic build up.
Hungry Seagull
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I clean all guns after each shoot and wipe em down weekly. They go to smith several times a year for a tear down and total cleaning.
The plastic in the ammuntion is the problem not the lead. I dont do boresnakes, just fat cotton pads wrapped around big strong brush until clean. But Im intent to find a solvent that likes plastic. It's getting out of hand.
My handgun takes a minute to clean at most. If that. No plastic anywhere left behind by the ammuntion.
The plastic in the ammuntion is the problem not the lead. I dont do boresnakes, just fat cotton pads wrapped around big strong brush until clean. But Im intent to find a solvent that likes plastic. It's getting out of hand.
My handgun takes a minute to clean at most. If that. No plastic anywhere left behind by the ammuntion.
You can get plastic solvents from serious shotgun suppliers. Keep them away from stocks or anything that's finished with something other than blue, parkerizing, or similar.
You don't need to clean your gun every 4 boxes. It can't hurt to boresnake the thing.
There's much to be said for a break-action shotgun. Easy to clean. There's even more to be said for fixed barrels. Choke tubes are an unmitigated pain in the ass when plastic-fouled.
Plastic buildup CAN impact accuracy, or really patterns. But not after a few boxes. After a few cases, a wad-fouling cleaning is probably due.
But yes, you should pay attention to the insides of your shotgun barrels. If there are any moisture issues where you live (humidity, drizzle, snow, condensation) you should address that immediately.
Chamber condensation can be a real problem in some places, even desert places, where you might shoot the barrel hot, leave the gun in a rack and go inside for a snack while the outside temperature drops. I've found the insides of barrels coated with a layer of water! (For some reason, Brownings have a reputation for this, but it can happen to any gun. The wettest gun I've found was my Beretta. Maybe the rap Browning got was because they had plain steel bores instead fo chrome.)
I'm a lot more anal retentive about putting a coat of Rem Oil in the bore after shooting than I am about cleaning all the fouling out. Rust is the enemy; plastic is just a small nuisance.
You don't need to clean your gun every 4 boxes. It can't hurt to boresnake the thing.
There's much to be said for a break-action shotgun. Easy to clean. There's even more to be said for fixed barrels. Choke tubes are an unmitigated pain in the ass when plastic-fouled.
Plastic buildup CAN impact accuracy, or really patterns. But not after a few boxes. After a few cases, a wad-fouling cleaning is probably due.
But yes, you should pay attention to the insides of your shotgun barrels. If there are any moisture issues where you live (humidity, drizzle, snow, condensation) you should address that immediately.
Chamber condensation can be a real problem in some places, even desert places, where you might shoot the barrel hot, leave the gun in a rack and go inside for a snack while the outside temperature drops. I've found the insides of barrels coated with a layer of water! (For some reason, Brownings have a reputation for this, but it can happen to any gun. The wettest gun I've found was my Beretta. Maybe the rap Browning got was because they had plain steel bores instead fo chrome.)
I'm a lot more anal retentive about putting a coat of Rem Oil in the bore after shooting than I am about cleaning all the fouling out. Rust is the enemy; plastic is just a small nuisance.
Unless your barrel or chamber is rusting, then cleaning it after each shooting session is unnecessary. If the barrel and chamber are chrome lined, then cleaning them frequently is REALLY unnecessary.
As for plastic buildup, if there is any at all, it will likely be in the choke tube area. I've shot literally thousands of rounds through my choke tubes (stainless steel) and patterned them when clean and again after thousands of round and found NO difference in patterns. I clean my choke tubes about once per year, or every 10,000 rounds, whichever comes first.
So do what you want. If you feel like cleaning them after every shooting session, have at it. Otherwise, don't worry about it unless you are getting rust in the chamber.
As for plastic buildup, if there is any at all, it will likely be in the choke tube area. I've shot literally thousands of rounds through my choke tubes (stainless steel) and patterned them when clean and again after thousands of round and found NO difference in patterns. I clean my choke tubes about once per year, or every 10,000 rounds, whichever comes first.
So do what you want. If you feel like cleaning them after every shooting session, have at it. Otherwise, don't worry about it unless you are getting rust in the chamber.
MCgunner
Member
It takes a few minutes, mop the bore with a mop. What's the big deal? You THAT lazy? I clean every gun I shoot as soon as I get home with it, don't matter if I've fired one round or 1000. I strip and clean my auto and my pistols. It's just part of the deal. I guess I've been trained by my black powder stuff. You don't leave a BP gun uncleaned, not if you ever want to fire it again.
When I first got my Winchester auto, a gas gun, I used it a full season of dove hunting without takin' it down, just mopping the barrel. Toward the end, it started jamming. When I stripped it down, it had this black goo, tar like stuff built up in the gas piston area. Now, I strip it after every hunt.
My hunting is normally in salt marsh or on the bay for waterfowl. The salty environment does not reward laziness with the gun cleaning kit.
When I first got my Winchester auto, a gas gun, I used it a full season of dove hunting without takin' it down, just mopping the barrel. Toward the end, it started jamming. When I stripped it down, it had this black goo, tar like stuff built up in the gas piston area. Now, I strip it after every hunt.
My hunting is normally in salt marsh or on the bay for waterfowl. The salty environment does not reward laziness with the gun cleaning kit.
Scoupe
Member
Clean a shotgun barrel?
Seriously, I cean the carbon off my 1100s gas systems every few hundred rounds. My competition (O/U)gun goes thousands of rounds without cleaning the (sub gauge tubes). If I notice I'm really hitting the targets hards, I brush the plastic out of the muzzles a bit. Stuff gets wiped down, fingerprints removed, carbon wiped off, but I don't clean barrels but about once a season.
Seriously, I cean the carbon off my 1100s gas systems every few hundred rounds. My competition (O/U)gun goes thousands of rounds without cleaning the (sub gauge tubes). If I notice I'm really hitting the targets hards, I brush the plastic out of the muzzles a bit. Stuff gets wiped down, fingerprints removed, carbon wiped off, but I don't clean barrels but about once a season.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
You don't have to brush your teeth either.
But you probably should.
rc
I don't clean my barrels often. However after each session I clean the old hinge lube out of my o/u and replace it with clean grease. I will also clean any built up carbon off the working parts of my semi. The barrels and choke tubes might be cleaned a couple times a year.
Shotguns will probably be a bit more forgiving of plastic or lead fouling, since the stuff they fire tends to squeeze down easily (otherwise a choke wouldn't work). Still, a shotgun can accumulate an absolutely incredible amount of crud. I've spent a week cleaning an old used slug barrel I recently acquired, and patches still come out pitch black.
inSight-NEO
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I guess it all depends on how often you shoot and the quality of ammo you use.
For me, I tend to clean the barrel after every firing session (and run a boresnake through the gun every 30 rounds or so). But, then again, I only shoot (the shotgun) every 2 or 3 months. If shot it every week, I wouldnt feel too bad about waiting a few weeks or so. Even then, I would probably go ahead with a very quick cleaning after each session and certainly keep it oiled if nothing else, just to remove the larger "chunks" of deposits within the bore and keep it somewhat protected in the interim. A more "thorough" routine would happen roughly every 500-800 rounds or so, followed up with a "detailed" cleaning every year (for my HD shotgun anyway).
For me, I tend to clean the barrel after every firing session (and run a boresnake through the gun every 30 rounds or so). But, then again, I only shoot (the shotgun) every 2 or 3 months. If shot it every week, I wouldnt feel too bad about waiting a few weeks or so. Even then, I would probably go ahead with a very quick cleaning after each session and certainly keep it oiled if nothing else, just to remove the larger "chunks" of deposits within the bore and keep it somewhat protected in the interim. A more "thorough" routine would happen roughly every 500-800 rounds or so, followed up with a "detailed" cleaning every year (for my HD shotgun anyway).
MCgunner
Member
I would add, the environment in which it is used. You don't even have to fire the gun for the bore to pit using it for waterfowl on the bay or in the salt marsh. Don't take a minute to mop the bore with some Corrosion X and wipe it down, even if you don't shoot it if you take it out in that environment. I also pull the choke out and re-grease the threads once in a while, couple of times a season. Seized threads would suck.
inSight-NEO
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I failed to mention this point. Agreed.
Homerboy
Member
I clean my guns whether I fired 1 round or 100. I recently noticed dirt in my 870 barrel. Barrel was cleaned after everytime I shot it, and has maybe 300 rounds through it total. Using a borelight really opened my eyes. Let it soak in Hoppes overnight and worked at it with a tornado brush. Bore brush shows me a mirror shine on that barrel now. I spend nearly an hour on pistols and a bit more on my revolver. My guns all look new. Whenever I browse gunbroker for used guns, I am repulsed by some of the guns I see. No reason to neglect a gun.
Clean it once a week if you want to.
Clean it once a week if you want to.
JWF III
Member
Dam, I'd go broke if I did that.
With modern chrome lined barrels, you don't have to be quite so dilligent. But the more you take care of them the more value they'll have down the road. I'll clean my "nicer" guns after each trip to the field. But my hunting (waterfowl) guns get cleaned after the season. And this is a fully disassembled, soak for a couple days, cleaning. I will clean them during the season under special circumstances. IE salt marsh hunt, they get cleaned when I get home from the trip.
Been doing this for years. The exterior finish is a bit rough, but the interior is like new, and they function better than a brand new gun. But these guns are tools that won't get sold. So I'm not too anal with their looks. Only their functions.
Wyman
Just use some common sense. If you shoot 100 rounds a week and its summer or you live in a southern state that has little humidity and no rain then run a mop down the barrel once a month. If you shoot in a rainy climate then clean every time it gets wet. Look down the barrel for accumulation of fouling, both plastic and powder, and clean when you feel its too dirty.
Wipe down the exterior with an oily cloth or silicon impregnated gun cloth to prevent rusting from finger prints after every use.
Wipe down the exterior with an oily cloth or silicon impregnated gun cloth to prevent rusting from finger prints after every use.
tactikel
Member
+1 on Chromed barrels being incredibly tolerant of crud. My loads with green dot leave lots of residue, using any Clays powder show way less buildup. It really only takes 5 min to clean the bores of a double gun, less if you use one of those Hoppes boresnakes!
Virginian
Member
I don't shoot O/Us, just 1100s and 870s, but otherwise that sounds just like me, unless I get caught in the rain or snow. And, after I clean them, they always beam mirror bright. Modern components - at least the ones I shoot - are non-corrosive, and I will get plastic build up in the chamber before I get any in the barrel in my experience. But, no build up from either in a year.
Scoupe
Member
PJR said:
Absolutely. While I may be lax on the barrels, hinges get constant attention. Wiped off after every outing. Clean grease each time out.
interlock
Member
i find gun oil left on the plastic fouling then scubbed with a bristle brush is good.
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My hunting is normally in salt marsh or on the bay for waterfowl. The salty environment does not reward laziness with the gun cleaning kit.
i agree with this, my hunting is coastal and salty water is not good for guns
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My hunting is normally in salt marsh or on the bay for waterfowl. The salty environment does not reward laziness with the gun cleaning kit.
i agree with this, my hunting is coastal and salty water is not good for guns
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