Gunsmithing: Shotguns. Patrick Sweeney

shotgun works hard, and I use a high pressure grease to lubricate it.

      Always check to be sure a shotgun is unloaded before you work on it.

       Make sure it isn't loaded! This electrical box took a hit from a 16 gauge ⅞ oz load at two feel. Startling? You bet!

      To disassemble the action you will need either drift punches that fit the pins holding your shotgun together, or correctly-fitting screwdrivers. Shotguns, especially imported doubles, have some of the narrowest screw head slots you will ever see. Within a week of starting out as a gunsmith, I had ground a set a screwdrivers to use when working on Browning A-5s. The slots were so narrow that none of the ones I had on hand would even come close to fitting. Once I ground them, I placed them in the Browning A-5 parts drawer, so they wouldn't get used for any other shotgun.

      On pumps and autos, you will need a large screwdriver or socket wrench set to take the buttstock off. In order to feed the shells out of the magazine tube, pumps and autos have “shell stops” that feed one round at a time. (At least that's the plan.) On Remingtons these stops are staked into their slot in the receiver. To tighten existing stops or replace broken one you will have to re-stake. While you can build your own tool, it is inexpensive enough to simply buy one. In the sections concerning pumps and autos I'll show you how to check your shell stops. If you need them tightened, order the staking tool from Brownells.

      A hidden shell can be very dangerous. If this shotgun had been brought in because the shell stops weren't working properly, a live round might still be in the magazine tube.

      Cleaning the receiver takes brushes, solvent and lubricating oil. A parts cleaning tank is useful but not an absolute must. You can do as well in the laundry room sink with Brownells d'Solve, brushes and a heat gun or hair dryer to remove moisture.

      You should have a dedicated bench on which to work, partly for comfort and partly for security. Cleaning your shotgun at the kitchen table may be a wonderful memory of your childhood, but is not likely to fly today. Besides being a mess, the solvents and lubricants you will use could harm the finish of cabinets and tables. Besides, they taste terrible. And a kitchen table is designed for comfortable eating, not comfortable working. Yes, the countertop is designed for comfortable working, but is even more likely to get you into domestic trouble than using the table will.

       Do not trust that a shotgun is unloaded until you have checked personally. Stick a finger or thumb into both the chamber and magazine tube just to be sure. If you don't feel the follower on the magazine tube, it and a shell may be stuck farther up. Remember that electrical box I shot!

      Your bench should be large enough to work on with the disassembled shotgun on the bench. It should have a vise large enough to clamp the shotgun in place. You must have padding for your vise. The jaws are designed to hold flat pieces of steel immobile. If you squeeze the receiver of a shotgun, you can bend or dent it enough to keep it from working. You'll need light to work by. A fluorescent fixture over the bench gives you a lot of light. As an addition, a desktop light with a flexible arm allows you to put a spot of light into the inner recesses of a receiver. For security, a bench with drawers or doors that can be locked will keep prying hands and mouths from your solvents and lubricants. You want to store your cleaning supplies separately from the shotguns themselves.

      A common cleaning procedure is scrubbing spots of rust off a gun. Rust in and of itself is not an indication of neglect. I once spent a Sunday shooting in a match that featured 4 inches of rain. By the time I got home there was rust forming, even with an oiling after the day's shooting.

      Hose some oil onto the rusted area.

      Don't be bashful, the oil provides protection for the steel from the particles of rust when you start scrubbing.

      Use 0000 steel wool to scrub the rust. The lifted rust will float in the oil and not scratch the surface.

      Once scrubbed, wipe with a paper towel.

      The surface is now clean. Repeat over all affected areas.

      This doable not only has a knarfed screw, but someone tried to remove the sideplate by prying its edge. The screw can be repaired, but the mar on the frame is forever.

      If you are going to properly clean your shotgun, at home or at the range, you need a cleaning cradle.

      A good sturdy bench with a cleaning that helps in keeping the parts collected.

      Whether your shotgun is a century old, or was made yesterday, the cleaning methods remain the same.

      Cleaning the shotgun bore, and maintaining the stocks are the same regardless of what type of action you have. Whether you are cleaning the bore of your Purdey after shooting some sporting clays, your Remington 1100 after an afternoon of bowling pin shooting, or your nephew's singleshot after saving the world from squirrels, the tools and methods are the same. Wood on a shotgun gets treated according to the finish it has, not the action it is attached to. First, I will cover bore cleaning, then the various action types, then wood maintenance.

      Cleaning The Bore

      Cleaning the bore is the easiest part of cleaning, it is the same for all shotguns, regardless of their action type. At first glance down many shotgun bores, you would think they were clean. After all, the bore is shiny, right? Too bad plastic and newly-burnished lead are shiny too. Bore cleaning involves the bore being in one of two conditions: either the bore was clean and you are simply cleaning as a precaution, or it has been fired. An example of the first case would be taking your clean shotgun out for hunting, and not firing a shot. Yes, the bore was clean, but while you had it out, moisture could condense in the bore, dust, leaves, twigs and insects could have landed there and lint from the gun case probably collected near the muzzle. To clean those out all you need is your cleaning rod and a swab or patches. Run a dry patch down the bore, followed by a patch damp with synthetic lubricant. Check the rest of the shotgun over to make sure you haven't dented or nicked it, wipe the steel with an oily cloth, the wood with a dry cloth, and put your shotgun away. Then, try to figure out why you didn't get any shots, and make corrections