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Cleaning Your Shotgun


boilerp

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Hi All,

I am new to the site and figured some of you could help me with this question. I just purchased a benelli vinci max-4 camo and was wondering the best way to clean the gun after shooting it. I know it came with some oil in the case, but where should i use that oil, on the inside of the barrel, just the moving parts, or the outside? Also, should i avoid using a brush down the barrel and just solvent and clothes? Just wanted to make sure i was taking care of the gun so it lasts a while.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Bill

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I clean the ouside of mine with a damp cloth. Do not put slovent on the outside cammo finish. I light coat of regular gun oil is ok on the metal exterior. Slovents are for the interior black and silver metal parts. you can use a brush on those interior parts but no need for a brush inside the barrell unless you have a riffled barrell. A regular solent patch to be followed by a clean one to be followed by a gun oiled one to be followed be another clean one is what I do. Of course, you clean the slovents inside the internal parts to be followed by gun oil also. Make sure internal parts are lubricated including rail. Just assemble when completed and voila, you're ready to go again.:cool:

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I’m glad someone asks this question since I’ve experienced problems (stoppages) due to ignorance of proper maintenance, and not following cleaning instructions in the owner’s manual that came with my Montefeltro.

 

Some of the “old timers” who operate pumps and semi-automatics have the misconception that a gun with an oiled bolt attracted debris in the field, and it is better to run the gun “dry” (i.e., no oil on the sliding parts). That’s not how you want to treat your Benelli.

 

My problem was not applying a light coat of oil to the bolt rails after thoroughly cleaning the gun. Doing this is absolutely essential and prevents wear and stoppages. A dry bolt rail results in friction preventing the bolt from sliding freely.

 

I rarely use solvent. I think solvent is mostly necessary if you leave the gun dirty for a period of time, and modern ammo does not leave much debris. If you do encounter some stubborn build-up, solvent will take care of this, and the solvent will not damage the metal parts of your gun.

 

Here is what I do (and that is after receiving advice from some knowledgeable people on this forum who helped me after I asked about the same question you propose):

 

1. You must first thoroughly dry your gun. Never use solvent or oil on a moist metal surface.

 

2. If you have any power residue on a metal part (e.g., receiver, bolt, barrel, etc.) that you cannot wipe off with the rag you use to dry the gun, apply solvent and then use a dry cloth/patch to remove the built-up residue and any residual solvent.

 

3. When the gun is free of all dirty-residue and solvent (if you used this), apply a light oil coating to at least the bolt rails and other moving parts. A light oil coating applied to any of the metal parts (receiver, bolt, barrel… inside or outside, etc.) won’t cause a problem as long as the metal part is completely dry and moisture-free.

 

4. You should minimize any contact of oil or solvent on non-metal parts of your gun. Oil or solvent will ruin the wood or composite parts of your gun.

 

I have probably forgotten to mention something, so additional comments from members here are very welcome.

 

Hope this is helpful,

--Spike

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I use a bore snake exclusively for the bore.

 

Working parts and uncoated externals get doused with CLP and then wiped down until there are no drips, but the parts are still shiny with a film of the protectant.

 

If heavily soiled or if the gun has been exposed to wet weather, the trigger group and bolt group are removed, flushed out with hot water followed by pressurized air, then treated as described above.

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Thanks for the advice! What brand of cleaning kits are you using? I bought a Hoppes universal kit for my ar15 and the rods and brushes are cheap. The rods bend easy and the metal bristles on the brush get warped easy. Are there any QUALITY kits out there?

 

I like the OTIS kits thought they aren't cheap. That said, you don't need a kit. Buy what you need ala carte and start with a high quality rod, patches, lube, etc. Personally, not a big fan of CLPs. CLP works, but I'm not under any requirement to have an all-in-one mediocre solution when I can buy bore cleaners, carbon cutters and lubes, etc that are optimized for a specific function rather than a "Jack of all trades" CLP and thus work better or at least faster.

 

Like all gun sites that have cleaning threads, there is no universally accepted way to best clean, lube or store a firearm so you aren't going to discover a consensus here or anywhere else. That said, it's hard to F-up if you're paying attention. You Tube has thousands of cleaning videos for all types of weapons. Check a few of them out and decide what approach you're most comfortable with. The Otis videos adhere to generally accepted cleaning tenets and are useful even if using other cleaning gear. Brownell's website has videos too.

Edited by BigHat
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I just took a trip over to the local gun shop. I actually saw the Otis kits.... $49.99! .... I also saw a bottle of CLP was $14.99 ... cleaning a gun aint cheap!!!! Im gunna do a little shopping around on eBay and see what I can get a deal on. My hoppes kit will work fine in the meantime. Thanks for the advice.

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I read somewhere on the internet that tampons were good for cleaning shotguns. :eek:

It makes sense since tampons are absorbent, disposable, and do not leave any debris.

 

If you do decide going with tampons, consider the following points:

 

1. How will you get them? …Steal ‘em from your GF or wife? ... Order them on eBay? ...Probably not from your local store though.

 

2. How do you explain the box of tampons in your shell bag to your hunting buddies?

 

And, make absolutely certain that you know the symptoms of “Toxic Shot Syndrome” and understand what to do if encountering this when using tampons to clean your gun. Your first call should be to a gunsmith who can advise the best course of action.

 

--Spike

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It makes sense since tampons are absorbent, disposable, and do not leave any debris.

 

If you do decide going with tampons, consider the following points:

 

1. How will you get them? …Steal ‘em from your GF or wife? ... Order them on eBay? ...Probably not from your local store though.

 

2. How do you explain the box of tampons in your shell bag to your hunting buddies?

 

And, make absolutely certain that you know the symptoms of “Toxic Shot Syndrome” and understand what to do if encountering this when using tampons to clean your gun. Your first call should be to a gunsmith who can advise the best course of action.

 

--Spike

 

Or you could walk in the store and buy tampons and not think too much about it. and if anyone sees them and asks say, "they're for my shotgun."

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Congrats on your new Benelli. One thing for sure you will rarely need to run a brass brush down the bore since Benelli' chrome lines the bore. Just about any bore solvent or oil ( Hoppe's #9) on a patch will make that bore sparkle in a couple of strokes. Remember always run a dry patch before you shoot to insure that you don,t have a oily chamber. An oily chamber will not allow the obturating brass to grip the chamber wall, thus causing excessive pressure against the bolt and will cause premature wear. For cleaning rods I like using Dewey rods on my centerfire and have the attachments to add the larger shotgun and muzzleloader brushes. Dewey make premium coated rods with ball bearing handles. Real sweet rods. On the rails I brush them out with a old toothbrush and final swab with q-tips to get any unburnt powder out. Benelli Synthetic oil is good on the rails and bolt carrier. Depending on how much you shoot maybe once a year or if the gun is submerged in water,it is a good practice to remove the buttstock and clean and lube the recoil spring, plunger and tube. I haven't seen the Vinci owner's manual so I dont know if it is well described. Enjoy your new Benelli

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