Looking for tips on cleaning your shotgun at a primitive camp.

[Acohill1]

I'm headed up north next week after some snow geese and I'm taking my new pedersoli 12ga with me. Problem is I have 0 experience cleaning a BP gun at camp. I will have access to water and I'll be at my car but I'll be limited on how much fuel I have for the stove. There's a grate for the campfire I suppose I could heat water on.... what are your guys cleaning tips for multiple day hunts? What should I take with me to make the process easiest? Does using BP substitute make not cleaning okay for a few days?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Clean with plenty of water, it need not be hot or even warm. I have used a 16 gauge brush as a jag with a cotton patch over it to scrub then dry. WD 40 to displace the water then dry patch again.

 

[R Ellis]

If you shoot it clean it . Take some Windex and alcohol and wd40

 

[oldwood]

Correct size brass jag , w/ a cleaning patch , and a little 0000 , 000 , or 00 steelwool on the cleaning patch dampened with whatever ya have on hand , then dry patch w/a little wd40 on it so the dry patch doesn't hang up.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Don't worry too much about it. Wipe the bore with a damp patch, or 2 or 3, and then follow with a little WD40 or Ballistol. Snap a couple of caps before reloading in the morning if it's percussion. It's not going to turn to rust over night or in a few days and you can give it a thorough cleaning when you get home. If you get too much water or oil in it you are asking for a misfire if you don't get it all out before you reload.

 

[IanH]

Store it muzzle-down after wiping it out for the day. Even cold water cleans just fine, I clean with whatever comes out of the cold-side tap, garden hose, or water bottle. Wipe dry and dampen a few patches with WD-40 as was mentioned, then wipe as dry as you can.

I strongly discourage WD for use on any part of unmentionables, but it is fantastic at doing it's primary job of creation for displacing moisture and preventing short-term corrosion from moisture.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

The WD stands for water displacing, or so I have heard. the 40 represents the 40th try to get the formula right. Maybe an urban myth but it sounds reasonable. And it works.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Don't take wd40 with you. You may have a miss fire.
Just leave the gun alone except for rubbing your home made veg/ animal fat based grease you made around the breech end hammers down and run a few greased patches down the bores.
That way you won't get a miss fire next day if you on the next day rod a patch and pop a cap onto the patch so it catches the spittle.
Don't use wd40!

 

[Rob M.]

Same as at home ...patches in water until no more black , few dry patches , usually 3 , then I take a patch and put oil on it , push to breech and leave the rod in there ...brush the pan and area , brush dipped in water , dry with clothe same area ... Pull ramrod out , take that oil patch and rub pan and area , any metal parts you want and down length of barrel ...if frizzen feels bit " draggy " I put drop off oil on toe , work back and forth couple T mes ....done ...7-12 minutes . Periodically take off your lock and check the area out ... Easy peezy