how often to DEEP CLEAN your shotgun

[reynolds243]

I read Clarks stuff on deep cleaning your gun but (unless i missed it in there) did i notice how often to do it....can you actually do it to much?


i assume it is not needed if you only shot 1 shell like during turkey season but if i am trying to pattern a few chokes and shells should you do it after each day of shooting. I would say i shoot 10-12 shells each time i go out to pattern. not really sure if it would be needed after so few shells but thought id ask.

[honker22]

I do it once a year.  In between every shot, whether i am hunting or patterning, I run a bore snake thru twice.  Also, if you polish your barrel, it will make it much easier to clean for the future.

[allaboutshooting]

I read Clarks stuff on deep cleaning your gun but (unless i missed it in there) did i notice how often to do it....can you actually do it to much?


i assume it is not needed if you only shot 1 shell like during turkey season but if i am trying to pattern a few chokes and shells should you do it after each day of shooting. I would say i shoot 10-12 shells each time i go out to pattern. not really sure if it would be needed after so few shells but thought id ask.

I recommend that you "deep clean" your gun at least one time. Then just clean it with some solvent, I prefer Hoppe's #9,  and patches when the bore becomes fouled.

That will vary with ammo, gun to gun and also with the temperature when you shoot. Bores tend to become dirty more quickly in cooler weather.

Lastly, you can't deep clean it too much. When you allow some time for the chemicals in the solvent to work and then brush and swab it, you're doing just what it was designed to do.

There's really nothing abrasive in the Hoppe's #9  to remove metal or to alter the bore. It just gets it clean.

Thanks,
Clark

[reynolds243]

Great thanks! I shoot a stoeger so I won't be polishing the barrel.

[surehuntsalot]

never have done any of my shotguns

[Old Gobbler]

You need to clean your bore out with solvent quite often ,some recommend every 10 rounds - its a common practice with still/card  shooters   

[Lightnrod]

Changing to a new turkey rig Stoeger this year and haven't fired a shot out of it yet, my question is does the Stoeger have a chrome barrel and therfore doesn't need polishing?

[Gobble!]

I do it every time I get done shooting.

[reynolds243]

Changing to a new turkey rig Stoeger this year and haven't fired a shot out of it yet, my question is does the Stoeger have a chrome barrel and therfore doesn't need polishing?

yes and yes. actually you are not suppose to polish the chrome barrels, so its not they dont need them as much as you should not do it.

i personally like the chrome barrels, they are SUPER easy to clean out. I do wonder what the purpose or how the chrome effects the need to "deep clean" as i thought chrome was very non porous which would eliminate the build up per say, but i could be wrong on that part. 

[reynolds243]

Changing to a new turkey rig Stoeger this year and haven't fired a shot out of it yet, my question is does the Stoeger have a chrome barrel and therfore doesn't need polishing?

also just an FYI but i did find this on chrome lining of a barrel

The most straightforward discussion of the matter is in the Febrary, 1956 American Rifleman.

Hard chrome lining of barrels reduces wear and corrosion. It is not a cost-saving process at all, nor was it ever. Though not particularly expensive in mass-production, it is not EPA friendly and is avoided for that reason in some cases.

Many upscale shotguns have chrome-lined barrels. It has been standard practice with Beretta, Benelli, and most quality Italian O/U manufacturers including Caesar Guerini. Hard-chrome lining is considered desireable in general, and is spec'ed in by the U.S. Military, etc., etc., for many applications. Browning sometimes plates the chambers, but not the barrels: "All current Citori, Cynergy, Maxus and Silver shotguns as well as the BAR centerfire rifle have chrome-lined chambers." A BPS does not have a chrome-lined chamber or barrel.

Chrome-lined barrels are a benefit, with no negatives to the shotgunner. They last longer in rifles, due to less throat erosion-- not normally a significant factor in shotgun barrels. Hard chrome lining offers a very low coefficient of friction, picks up less jacket material in rifling, meaning it does not foul as quickly and it is also easier to clean.

Due to toxicity and EPA mandates to eliminate chromium, low-temperature chemical vapor deposition applied rhenium coatings are among the replacements that are being considered as more "earth-friendly."

[allaboutshooting]

Chrome-lined barrels certainly have all of the advantages listed previously. My old 1991 Benelli SBE has had thousands of rounds of all types of shot through it over the last 21 years and it looks as good today, maybe even better, than it did when I first took it out of the box.

What I've learned is that chrome can look very clean, even when it is not. That's really okay for most hunters because they are not looking to use their shotgun like a rifle as we turkey hunters do.

We turkey hunters are trying to squeeze all the performance out of our guns possible and get as many of the pellets in a shotshell to do exactly what we want them to do and normally that's to shoot very tight patterns.

Plastic build up in the bore, especially, can interfere with with performance of our turkey loads. A good "deep clean" of the bore and choke will remove that build up and allow the wad to function as it is designed.

Over the years I've had so many folks send me pictures of the "gunk" that they've removed using the deep cleaning process from what they thought were already clean barrels. Many of those have been from chrome-lined barrels.

Once a barrel has been deep cleaned, what I define as routine cleaning, if it's done on a regular basis, is all that's really needed but you won't hurt it by deep cleaning more often if you want.

Lastly, unlike rifles that have lands and grooves in them and crowned muzzles that can easily be damaged by cleaning rods, etc. you won't damage your shotgun barrel by cleaning it with non-abrasive solvents designed for that purpose. I do use the same care when cleaning a shotgun barrel as when cleaning a rifle barrel by safeguarding the muzzle and chamber and keeping the cleaning rod away from both of them however.

Thanks,
Clark