A shotgun or rifle is something designed to be handed down through generations, servicing your gun is a vital part of preserving its condition and longevity. At The Sporting Lodge we have everything you need to maintain your gun throughout its life and below is a quick guide on what you will need and how to do it.
- Ensure the firearm is unloaded of any cartridges or ammunition.
- Some rifles and shotguns will require a partial take down, including removing the barrel, if possible, where there are any small parts, pop them in an empty cup or container to keep them from getting lost.
- Using a brush or cleaning cloth remove any loose particles that may be found in the action, bolt, receiver, frame and chamber. For field guns with widespread mud and debris, use a cleaner / degreaser spray like the Liqui Moly rapid cleaner.
- Moving on to the barrel you’ll want to apply some bore cleaner such as Beretta Bore cleaning spray using some of The Sporting Lodge cleaning patches and using a cleaning rod, with jag or brush, to run through the barrel. A good way to tell how clean your firearm is getting, is to monitor the amount of debris or residue that comes off, as you swipe your patch through it. For plastic wad fouling, repeated applications of bore cleaner and scrubbing with a bronze brush may be needed. If using a brush tip, run it completely through the barrel before reversing, to make sure it doesn’t get stuck. Follow up your bore cleaner soaked patch with several dry ones to make sure you’ve left your barrel clean and dry.
- Apply Lubrication where needed to the moving parts. There are a number of products for this such as Beretta gun oil or spray and Clenzoil field and range solution.
- Wipe down all components once everything is cleaned with a dry cloth, this removes residue and oils / moisture from fingerprints, once all wiped down you can use a wax treated gun cloth to help polish and protect your firearm.
- In terms of maintaining your wooden gun stock, clean the surface and apply the CCL Gunstock Conditioning oil and polish. Or if your stock needs a little bit more attention, you can apply the CCL Traditional Gun Stock Lacquer Remover. Wipe down before you apply the CCL Walnut Gunstock Stain, let it dry and then apply the gunstock oil or CCL Gun Stock Wax and polish up with a clean cloth.
At The Sporting Lodge we have a wide selection of firearms maintenance. From Beretta shotgun cleaner and rifle kits, Beretta gun oil and cleaning products, CCL fine English stock stains, gun lacquer removers, Liquid Moly grease, oils, cleaners, Clenzoil sprays, patch kit and James Purdey & Sons gun oil spray as well as GML cleaning mats and The Sporting Lodge cleaning patches. Shop the range here.