Just purchased a new Remington 11-87 Sportsman super magnum with the thumb hole stock, for my new turkey gun. So I have been reading all the post on what would be a good chokes and what brand of shot might work best. But I have come up with some other question that I don't think I will find and answer unless I ask some one. What is polishing the barrow other then running a rag through it or is it more technical then that, something you have a gun smith do for you? Second question I have a jelly Head .660 choke and five different brands of shells to try to see if I can find a good fit for this gun. If the barrow is clean for the first shot at what point in shooting do I need to think about running a swab through the barrow again to clean, or not important? My first gun and 835 I tried some shell and picked one and went and killed turkeys. This time I would like to get it set up to the max and then go kill turkeys. Thanks
DD clean your barrel real good and check out the barrel polishing thread above. It can help with your patterns.
Good Luck and God Bless
Ray
I recommend the "deep cleaning" process for both your barrel and your choke tube. Many shooters never thoroughly clean their shotgun barrels and when a gun is used for upland hunting, waterfowl or even clays, it will still function well enough to meet their needs. Because we use a shotgun more like a rifle and because many of us pattern our guns now, it's very easy to see the difference when you shoot a clean barrel.
I advocate starting out with a deep cleaned barrel and then try your gun, choke and shotshells without cleaning between shots, until your patterns degrade. That way you'll know how your gun shoots best...with a clean barrel...a slightly dirty barrel...or a very dirty barrel. If you clean between every shot, you'll never learn if your gun shoots best with a slightly dirty barrel, for example.
When you switch shotshells or chokes, I recommend a thorough cleaning again. A thorough cleaning means using some solvent, a good brush and some patches but is not as extensive as the deep cleaning process.
There are guidelines on OG for barrel polishing if after a deep cleaning you're not satisfied with your patterns and want to see if that will help.
You can read the deep cleaning guidelines that I recommend by clicking on the banner below and then reading the article "Cleaning a Shotgun Barrel"
Thanks,
Clark