Cleaning a sporting shotgun

Shotgun bores are larger and easier to clean than rifle bores, but the gas systems on semi-autos and the action grooves on O/Us collect plastic wad residue and burnt powder that will eventually cause malfunctions if ignored.

Over-and-under and side-by-side

Open the action and remove the forend. Run a wet bore-mop through both barrels, then a brush, then patches. Wipe the chambers, ejectors and lump (the part that fits into the receiver). Light grease — not oil — on the hinge pin and lump faces.

Pump-action and semi-auto

Field-strip per the owner's manual. Pump magazine tubes hold years of fluff and wad — a brass brush soaked in solvent clears them out. On gas-operated semi-autos, scrub the gas piston and rings with solvent and a stiff brush; assemble dry, not oiled — gas systems run cleaner dry.

Storage

Plastic wad residue softens with humidity and turns into a sticky film. Don't store a shotgun even one season without cleaning the bore — at minimum a wet patch followed by a light-oiled patch.