Getting shotgun bores clean

[Gil Martin]

I am amazed when examining the bores of used shotguns (and rifles, muzzleloaders and handguns) in various gun shops. It seems that many folks either do not have a cleaning kit or are too lazy to clean bores after shooting. I clean every bore after every use. Just the idle thoughts of an idle fellow. All the best...
Gil

[skeet]

As Jack said..shooters choice It cleans well and gets the plastic wad fouling out. These days the plastic is the worst offender in shotguns...esp around the screw chokes. If I have a gun with leading in the bore(unusual now days due to plastic wads) I remove the lead with Mercury. No mercury isn't hazardous unless you vaporize it and breathe it. I only have about 20 lb of it. I run it through a closed loop retort every few years to get the lead out. I have had the same amount for 40 years or so. I used to clean a lot of shotguns when I was in Md. Fabs is also right use a bore snake. They make chamber brushes but I always use a bore brush of the next larger bore and once a year wet the bore with SC and run a 1 size larger bore brush down the bore about 6 times or so using a rod chucked in a battery powered drill. The only time you need to use any bore "grease is when storing for longer periods after chemically cleaning the bore... Like if you ever use one of those foul out electric things. Only did that usually on rifled bores after some goob used Foster slugs in a rifled bore. Only takes about 10 to turn them into a smooth bore

[Adam Helmer]

skeet,

When I bought my farm in 1988, I found an old Sears bolt action, tube feed, 12 gauge shotgun in the milkhouse-it was loaded with high brass #4 loads. I discovered it was rusty inside and out so I brushed the bore and used some fine steel wool on the exterior metal. I test fired the loads it had contained and also #4 buckshot. The bore looks like the inside of the tailpipe of my old truck, but patterns well.

"Squeaky Clean" for shotgun bores may not be all that necessary like with accurate rifles. The old bolt gun remains in the barn for critters stoked with #4buckshot and slugs. I lightly oiled the old gun, but am not concerned with rust.

Adam