Cleaning a Shotgun

Cleaning a Shotgun        

                Well goose season is right around the corner, and with that comes an important process, loved by some, and dreaded by others.  A shotgun is a tool, and like all tools they work best when well maintained and are cleaned frequently.  Since for some of us this fall may be the first time in about eight months that our shotguns have been exposed to the basement light, I figured that I would go through how I at least clean a shotgun.  I say this because though there is a basic order of events when cleaning a weapon, there are always things that each person does differently. 

                I personally own a Remington 870 3-1/2” magnum so I’ll go over the steps to cleaning a shotgun.

First push in the release pin in that is on the outside of the trigger guard.  Then slide the pump half way down the magazine (if the breach is already open then you will simply have to slide it forward).  Doing this makes it much easier to remove the barrel of the shotgun.  After this is done, unscrew the end cap of the magazine.  Then take a flathead screwdriver and stick it in the magazine, push down and rotate counter clockwise.  This should release the spring in the magazine.  Pull out the spring and plug and set them aside.  The barrel should then slide right off the rest of the weapon.  Now for the tricky part, slide the pump forward, exposing the inside of the action.  When this is done a rectangular piece will come out with the pump, set these both aside.

                For this next part I find it easiest to hang the shotgun upside down over a trashcan.  Upside down so that all the fluids run throughout the entire weapon, and over the trashcan for obvious reasons.  I then use a degreasing agent to remove all of the dirt and grime that is inside the action.  While the action is drip drying, I move on to the barrel.  I start with a wire brush made of brass.  When cleaning the barrel of the gun, you should ALWAYS use a metal that is softer than the barrel. If it isn’t, the barrel of your shotgun will be really scratched up, and possibly change the flight path of the pellets.  Run the brush in and out of the barrel a few times to loosen/remove the larger particles of grime and gun powder.  I then spray the degreaser down the barrel, this will loosen/remove the smaller particles in the barrel.  I leave the barrel to drip dry and go back to the action of the weapon. 

                The action of the weapon is now almost completely clean.  I use WD-40 with the straw to force out the rest of the dirt, then I use the degreaser to remove the WD-40 (WD-40 attracts dirt),  I re lubricate the action with 3in1 oil.  It will lubricate better for longer and it will not attract as much dirt into the weapon. This important because as the gun is fired and shells are ejected, powder is released throughout the weapon and if the WD-40 was there it would attract it like iron particles to a magnet.  The action is now finished and it’s time to move back to the barrel.

                I spray the inside of the barrel with WD-40 use a bore mop to clean the inside of the barrel.  This will remove all of the left over powder and leave the barrel “squeaky clean”.  Now clean the rectangular piece that came out with the pump should be cleaned with 3in1 oil.  The weapon may now be reassembled. 

                The hardest part is sliding the pump back into the action.  You will need to push in the two pins that are inside the chamber.  These are the pins that keep the pump attached to the weapon, however they also make it a pain in the A** to slide the pump back in. 

                The rectangular piece that came out with the pump needs to be placed back on the pins, make sure that the piece is going in the same way that it came out.  Once you finagle with the pins enough and get the pump reattached you may put the spring back in the magazine and the cap back on.  There may be excess oils on the outside of the weapon and this would be a great time to wipe them off.  The shotgun is now clean and “Ready to Rock N’ Roll”.