Pattern Improvement Recommendations

[SumToy]

What choke you have now?   What shell you have?  How have you cleaned the gun?  Most guns just need a good shell and choke.   Very few need alot of money spent on them.   Most time it is just to make someone money 

Not trying to high jack the post, but about cleaning do you recommend cleaning between each and every shot on the range, or just running a snake between shots, or just cleaning every three to four shots, etc? What has worked best for your shop as far as cleaning in trying to get a gun to shoot?

Second question - Beyond how often to clean, what do you find is the best product to clean a gun with between shot/shots?

Final question - And does the barrel need to be perfectly dry (any residue - oil, etc.) or just clean in your experience to throw its best pattern?

We clean it good with denatured alcohol to get all the oil and crud out to start.

Then we just run a brush down it after every shot if you testing that way you keep everything the same.   

Then it is more of what the gun likes as to when you clean but If you make it shoot clean you can keep it clean.   You know hoe clean is but not how dirty to dirty is. 

[dzsmith]

You'll be cleaning a lot with a non chrome lined barrel like the OPs 870. Denatured alcohol is your friend like William said. You can buy it by the gallon at a hardware store , and it's much more economical than a solvent . Personally I shoot 3 times between cleanings. That's just what I do. Second shot is always the best pattern typically . Don't know why , but that's my 870. I do still use solvent on final cleanings . But I always follow up with alcohol to cut out any remaining oils from the solvent .

[Jstocks]

If I got to baby one this much....especially a 20 gauge....I would not keep it.