Full gun cleaning

As, a waterfowler and upland bird hunter I've been cleaning finicky auto's for more than half a century. Other than the usual cleaning, once or twice a year I give my trigger assembly a bath. I have found a ton of unburnt powder drops down into the trigger assembly after just ta few hunts, especially when shooting steel shot.
I use a small tupperware tub half full of kerosene. I then just swish the trigger around by hand for a minute. You won't believe the unburnt powder and grim that is left in the bottom of the tub when finish swishing. I them blow dry with air compressor. Next I spray with rem oil and blow dry again. It's important to leave trigger mechanism close to bone dry. If you leave too much lube in assembly, it will slow things down in cold weather and possibly malfunction. Also, any excess lube will cling to unburnt powder, causing globs of debris in assembly.
If you haven't given your assembly a bath...I suggest you try it. You will be shocked by how much crud washes out.
 
I tear down every gun I have and clean completely. Gas operated, intertia driven, and the pumps. I take the rails out on the pumps and clean annually. My pumps are as smooth as butter. Do it with all my baitcasting and spinning reels as well. Kinda fun.
 
I do a semi strip down cleaning every year after the season on my Maxus. Everything but the trigger group gets taken apart, cleaned, lubed and put back together. Every couple years I strip it down with the trigger group.
 
I rip my B. Ultra lite down at the end of the season right down to a Hills Brothers coffee can full of nuts and bolts. I’ve been using my air compressor lately to clean things up, along with some clp. About a two cocktail job.
 
It's been interesting to hear how many of you tear your guns down at least once a year. I've been hunting for 65 years and I've only semi-tore down one gun and that was a Remington 1187. That gun just wouldn't function if it was the least bit dirty. Other than that I've had various autos, pumps, O/U's and SxS's and never had the need to tear them down. Never had a malfunction except for that 1187.
 
I just do it to give me an excuse to go down to the basement with the dogs and get away from the distractions upstairs. I could probably pitch my Benelli in a creek and pick it up and use it next fall. It is interesting to see how the actions work, tho. Some smart guys out there designing stuff.
 
I'm with you Zeb, simple cleaning is all I do, compressed air and your good to go. I tell the guys at the gun club I just ad oil. If you're a browning gold owner and you're having issues try running them wet. It works for me.
 
Dakotazeb said:
It's been interesting to hear how many of you tear your guns down at least once a year. I've been hunting for 65 years and I've only semi-tore down one gun and that was a Remington 1187. That gun just wouldn't function if it was the least bit dirty. Other than that I've had various autos, pumps, O/U's and SxS's and never had the need to tear them down. Never had a malfunction except for that 1187.
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You forgot to mention there's no birds around Watertown, and there hasn't been for years.
 
Bob Peters said:
You forgot to mention there's no birds around Watertown, and there hasn't been for years.
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Doesn't mean I hunt there! Besides, I lived in Aberdeen for over 30 years and did a tremendous amount of hunting.
 
5 stand said:
I'm with you Zeb, simple cleaning is all I do, compressed air and your good to go. I tell the guys at the gun club I just ad oil. If you're a browning gold owner and you're having issues try running them wet. It works for me.
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I've shot a Gold since 2002, mainly for sporting clay's. Had some issues with extraction and found:
Exterior plunger broken; Disconnector pin broken. Both replaced - have yet to fire the gun, but assume the Gunsmith gave it a good test. A bit chilly to try the gun on the sporty course!
 
jonnyB said:
I've shot a Gold since 2002, mainly for sporting clay's. Had some issues with extraction and found:
Exterior plunger broken; Disconnector pin broken. Both replaced - have yet to fire the gun, but assume the Gunsmith gave it a good test. A bit chilly to try the gun on the sporty course!
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I bought my first one in 98 for waterfowl. Own several and use them for everything now. I've been lucky I guess, broke a firing pin on a 20 gauge and that's it. I'm sure it is a little chilly for sporting clays in Minnesota this time of year. Shot the US open at Minnesota horse and hunt in 2002.
 
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5 stand said:
I bought my first one in 98 for waterfowl. Own several and use them for everything now. I've been lucky I guess, broke a firing pin on a 20 gauge and that's it. I'm sure it is a little chilly for sporting clays in Minnesota this time of year. Shot the US open at Minnesota horse and hunt in 2002.
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Ditto on the 20 ga. firing pin...in fact the gun went off by itself, when I was in the stand, after the bolt was released! Reported this to Browning - of course no comment from them. Been a good gun considering all the shells that I've put through it.

Shooting the Open - you're way out of my league!
 
jonnyB said:
Ditto on the 20 ga. firing pin...in fact the gun went off by itself, when I was in the stand, after the bolt was released! Reported this to Browning - of course no comment from them. Been a good gun considering all the shells that I've put through it.

Shooting the Open - you're way out of my league!
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Lol. They will let anyone shoot the open, all they're interested in is your money, and bring plenty of it !!
 
jonnyB said:
Ditto on the 20 ga. firing pin...in fact the gun went off by itself, when I was in the stand, after the bolt was released! Reported this to Browning - of course no comment from them. Been a good gun considering all the shells that I've put through it.

Shooting the Open - you're way out of my league!
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The thought that came to mind was all things mechanical have the potential to malfunction, gun safety is always Paramount.
Every time you close the action on a shotgun it has the potential to go off!
 
Mgo said:
I could probably pitch my Benelli in a creek and pick it up and use it next fall.
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Haha. I'm sure I could do that too. I routinely take the barrel off and clean my shotgun all season but tearing apart the firing mechanism and the internal parts isn't something I'm comfortable doing.

I just got my Benelli back from the gunsmith after a full "deep clean." It costed me 75 bucks. I don't really feel the need to do this every single year but I thought 75 bucks for a full disassembly and cleaning seemed reasonable.
 
I deep clean my Benelli M2 multiple times a season. If it wasn’t so simple I probably wouldn’t do it. The more you clean your weapon the easier is is to keep clean. I have also had problems with misfiring and shell advancement when not cleaned. Cattail fuzz and moisture are the number one enemy
 
Dakotazeb said:
It's been interesting to hear how many of you tear your guns down at least once a year. I've been hunting for 65 years and I've only semi-tore down one gun and that was a Remington 1187. That gun just wouldn't function if it was the least bit dirty. Other than that I've had various autos, pumps, O/U's and SxS's and never had the need to tear them down. Never had a malfunction except for that 1187.
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Yup! The only gun I have ever had a problem with is a Savage 775 auto. Basically an A5 clone. There is so much in that gun that can cause a jam or a failure to eject that I stopped using it when I was in my teens. 870 never had that problem! Neither does the 686. They fire every time.

Come to think of it, that 870 Wingmaster has probably not been fully cleaned since I was a teenager 40 years ago. Shot that thing thousands of time and only the barrel has been cleaned. I hate to think how many things I have shot with that gun from squirrels to deer and now fancy slug barrel either! Just a good old chunk of lead going sideways down the bird barrel. And I can truly say that if i think back, I've only missed maybe 3 or 4 shots on a deer with it.

Course don't take shots that I think can miss and rarely over 50yds. But in comparison to my brother I'm Carlos Hathcock. We call him the Great Wounder. Every year trying to track the deer he is sure he made a good shot on. Hours an hours tracking a injured, but not fatally, deer. SMH.
 
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