Gun care

greenpeter

Lads whats the best way to look after a shotgun after a damp days shooting? I bought a new beretta white onyx sporting last week & took it out on saturday decoying pigeon to get use to the gun, i cleaned the gun the minute i got home spent ages at it,came home today to discover small bits of rust on the barrels:( even tough the gun is in a dry gun slip in the safe.

Jonty

Firstly I woudn't store the shotgun in its slip. The timber will sweat and bulge. I'd use a good quality oil, not wd40. If I'm storing a firearm for a long time I use 10w40 engine oil, Just a light wipe.

J.R.

On a wet day after shooting I would wipe down the gun & try to remove as much moisture as possible.

I don't put the gun in the gun safe straight away on a wet day.
I store it in the heat of the kitchen near me for 15 - 20 minutes while having a cup of tea to allow any traces of moisture to evaporate. Then, when thoroughly dry I oil it and store it in the gun safe.

I also have some sachets of silicone in the safe to absorb moisture from the air - don't know where you'd buy them - mine came free in an Argus flatpack furniture!

IRLConor

The last time I cleaned the rifle I left a thin film of grease on the barrel. When I was shooting in the rain a few weeks ago, It wasn't me! could see the water flowing off it pretty well.

The stuff I used was "vfg Lupus silicone grease", but I suspect any good quality grease would do. It's not really silicone, it's Teflon, so water flows off it like it would off a frying pan.

EDIT: Silica gel in the safe is a good idea too.

bunny shooter

storing it in the gunslip is the problem

Heckler

I've had a 2nd hand .22 cz brno bout 3 months now. Should I be cleaning it ? Was told that if its shooting well and I clean it it could take ages (500-1000 rounds) to get it shooting the same again. I'm using club standard Lapua. When I look down the barrel I can see some residue. Is this normal or should it be clear ? Thanks.

Heckler

Vegeta

bunny shooter wrote: »

storing it in the gunslip is the problem

Yup I agree. Was this the same slip you used out in the field. i.e. did you put a wet gun into the slip take it home, dry the slip and gun and then put it back in the slip?

pullandbang

IRLConor wrote: »

Silica gel in the safe is a good idea too.

If it is Silica Gel, its no use once it becomes saturated. If its Activated Clay it can be dried out and re used.
Its available here but only in bulk http://www.discountpackaging.ie/category.aspx?SID=1&Category_ID=243

greenpeter

I was keeping it in a new gun slip that i only use for storing because i'm afraid the sharp edges on the safe would damage the timber, but i wont leave it in the slip any more. Thanks for the advice lads

shaft666

Greenpeter,
Buy yourself a decent moisture removing spray like Browning Legia and let your gun dry out naturally if it gets wet, just give it a wipe with a dry tissue to remove the worst and don't put it close to the range or fire like many I've seen! Store it out of it's slip and get one of these for your cabinet http://www.scottcountry.co.uk/products_detail.asp?productID=279 problem solved

Paul

ak51535

my uncle puts his gun in a towel after hes done cleaning it and leaves it in the hot press for 20 mins (not too long as the wood would warp) i saw the gun slip is the problem.

IRLConor

pullandbang wrote: »

If it is Silica Gel, its no use once it becomes saturated. If its Activated Clay it can be dried out and re used.
Its available here but only in bulk http://www.discountpackaging.ie/category.aspx?SID=1&Category_ID=243

In DURC we have reconditioned silica gel in the past before. I think if you're very careful about the temperature you can dry it out by heating it, but I'm not sure. One of the engineering students took our gel and sorted it out.

We rely mostly on a small heat source in the safe to drive out the moisture. I didn't think it would work, but it's quite effective.

clivej

Heckler wrote: »

I've had a 2nd hand .22 cz brno bout 3 months now. Should I be cleaning it ? Was told that if its shooting well and I clean it it could take ages (500-1000 rounds) to get it shooting the same again. I'm using club standard Lapua. When I look down the barrel I can see some residue. Is this normal or should it be clear ? Thanks.

Heckler

The way to go here is never clean the bore until you loose accuracy. Alway keep the outside dry and oiled over with a lint free rag, remember to look after the parts you can't get at now and then to
i.e take the action/barrel off the stock

clivej

You could try a low wattage lamp in the lower half of the cabinet if it's near a electrical outlet

kerryman12

I store it in the heat of the kitchen near me for 15 - 20 minutes while having a cup of tea to allow any traces of moisture to evaporate. Then, when thoroughly dry I oil it and store it in the gun safe.

I do the same.

And defo a good idea on the Gel

Jonty

I've got a remington gunsafe dehumidifier, and I'd thoroughly recommend one. Try www.shoot.ie for one.