Importance of Gun Cleaning

Before I get too far into this post on gun cleaning that is more geared toward the newbie, I want to cover a few things.  First, if you have your gun by you and are reading this with the intent of following along and actually cleaning your gun, STOP.  Make sure it's unloaded, as in no bullets in the chamber, before proceeding in this whole gun cleaning thing.  Despite just about everyone telling people to do this, there are still accidents and deaths usually by someone assuming their gun is not loaded.  Always check!  Always!

Probably the most memorable reason that will log into your brain about the importance of gun cleaning is that a dirty, clogged barrel due to all the residue from the firing process can KILL you.  If the barrel becomes obstructed, the bullet will not fire out of the barrel as designed.  It's gotta go somewhere.  The path of least resistance is often going to be backwards at you...or I might should say in you.  Got it?  Keep that in mind next time you think about skimping on your gun cleaning.

I'm convinced that if you ask 10 different people how to clean a gun, you're going to get 12 to 15 different answers.  It seems that just about everybody has their own best way to clean a gun...their personal gun cleaning preferences.  Some of these methods are harmful to your gun.  So if you've bought yourself a new gun, make sure to talk with your dealer about gun cleaning.  Most good dealers are there to help out after the sale.  As a newbie, don't be embarrassed about asking.  Typically, manufacturers include a section on their recommendations for gun cleaning in the owner's manual they give you with the gun.  Take the time to read the manual and follow their recommendations regarding frequency and other aspects of gun cleaning.

Gun Cleaning Supplies

My gun cleaning supply list is pretty simple.  Sure, you can purchase gun cleaning kits and all sorts of other things.  That's okay if you're into that.  For me, I just like to keep it simple and effective.  My gun cleaning supplies are:

• Quality rag
• Rem Oil (spray with Teflon lubricant)
• Bore snake (sort of a large nylon rope with bristles toward one end and a cord for pulling through the barrel)

That's it.

Gun Cleaning How To

I've posted a Youtube video below that will show you how to clean the barrel of a shotgun.  Follow your manufacturers directions and disassemble your gun for proper cleaning.  I spray a bit of lubricant on the rag to wipe off the barrels.  I also spray a very small amount of Rem oil in the barrel.  The tendency of most newbies is to use too much.  Don't.  It's not necessary in gun cleaning particularly if you're following a regular schedule and not waiting too long between the time you do your gun cleaning.  Feed the bore snake into the barrel and pull it back and forth to create the friction that removes all the residue.  I do this part probably more than necessary.  It's just that once I get the bore snake fed into the barrel, I want to be thorough.  The only way I know how to do that is to simply run it back and forth without completely removing it until I'm done.

When finished, I wipe the outside barrel (metal) down.  I don't like my barrel oily, so I don't use that much, just enough to clean and lubricate it.  The manufacturer of most of my guns advises the use of wood oil on the wood rather than this kind of oil.

Okay, you can check out this video to actually see a pretty good picture of what you do.

Proper Maintenance of a Benelli 12g 28" Shotgun : Cleaning a Benelli 12g 28" Shotgun with a Barrel Runner

Hopefully, this will at least get you started in the right direction on gun cleaning.