Proper shotgun maintenance

[In_Flames]

I just bought a Remington cleaning kit and I am not exactly sure if it's what I need. I sprayed the bore down with Remington Brite Bore and put a cotton bore swab through it with a rod and I'm just letting it dry now. Just not sure if this is the most efficient way and the bore swab is filthy. Should I wash it with soap and let it dry and reuse it? Or buy a new one? Do patches work better? How are bore snakes? I even saw a thread with tampax lol. Appreciate all the help!

[HondaMasterTech]

Smoothbore shotgun barrels are pretty forgving. I remove the barrel to clean it. Wet the bore with solvent and let it sit. Use a bristle brush to scrub the gunk out. I then use a brush wraped in old Tshirt material to clean it all out. When needed I take apart the action to clean and lube friction and corrosion points with silicone grease. Swabs are ok but I like to wrap a brush in cotton fabric. Disposable is nice.

[Maltese Falcon]

..so it's okay to use a wire brush on a smoothbore without rifling? I have a Winchester 1300 Marine SS.

[scott.cr]

Just clean it like a rifle barrel. You can find 12 gauge bore brushes and patches at any gun shop. It is a bit more difficult to find a 12 gauge patch jag though; I've never had any luck with that little loop thingy that you're supposed to thread the patch through.

BTW, if the barrel has a fixed choke, you'll need one of those plastic flexible patch jags so it can compress on its way through the choke.

[ponderosa]

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu9.htm

I do clean the bolt area and lube it lightly too, but there are probably 101 ways to clean any firearm.

[1BigPea]

..so it's okay to use a wire brush on a smoothbore without rifling? I have a Winchester 1300 Marine SS.

Yes that is fine.

If you shoot lead slugs through a smooth bore it's going to get quite a build up of lead. I use a copper wire brush and have to really scrub to get the lead out. If I don't scrub it good, the patches never come out clean.

[In_Flames]

Thanks for all the input! I really like the tampax method. How is WD-40? Is it less harmful from inhaling or getting on your hands? I can't stand using the Remington brite bore.

[1BigPea]

Thanks for all the input! I really like the tampax method. How is WD-40? Is it less harmful from inhaling or getting on your hands? I can't stand using the Remington brite bore.

WD-40 isn't going to clean carbon, lead, and fowling from the barrel. Look into Breakfree or even better, Slip2000 products, specifically, Carbon Killer.

[Jonathan Doe]

I just run a bore snake throught the barrel, and clean the action with a rag. A little lubrication here and there. That is it.

[Tallship]

Or you can do what we do with our range shotguns after quals: put a steel brush on a 24' mandrel, place the mandrel in a cordless drill and run it up and down the barrel, oh about 50 times.

[nick]

Or you can do what we do with our range shotguns after quals: put a steel brush on a 24' mandrel, place the mandrel in a cordless drill and run it up and down the barrel, oh about 50 times.

How often do you change barrels?

[HondaMasterTech]

Tampons are expensive.

[ponderosa]

Hahaha, yeah, I guess tampons are a costly gun cleaning component. I use Hoppes#9 patches and a brush, homemade patches generally. But if you ever ran out of patches... 101 ways...

[mecam]

Shotgun barrels are the hardest to clean to a mirror finish. I mount the push rod with a brass brush to a cordless drill.

[Tallship]

How often do you change barrels?

That's the thing, we don't change the barrels, the county has no money. I estimate that by the end of quals (1300 deputies firing four rounds apiece through eight guns) the guns are 13 to 14 gauge.