- Clean your firearms after every use to keep them in top condition. This will help ensure that the action functions safely and properly and the ammunition performs as it should.
- Work on a cleared table or bench. Always give cleaning your full attention. Never clean a firearm while doing something else.
- Follow these basic steps to clean your firearm.
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction, and make sure the gun is unloaded.
- Remove all ammunition from the cleaning bench.
- For the most thorough cleaning, field strip the firearm as directed in the firearm owner’s manual. Then clean each part separately.
A Cleaning Kit: Every hunter should own a complete cleaning kit. A cleaning kit should include:
- Assorted rod tips—brushes, mop tips, slotted tips, jag tips
- Bore light
- Clean cloths
- Cleaning rods
- Cotton swabs
- Dental mirror
- Gun grease
- Gun oil
- Gunsmith screwdrivers
- Patches appropriate for the caliber or gauge of the firearm
- Pipe cleaners
- Solvent
- Stand to hold the firearm securely in a horizontal position
- Toothbrush
General Cleaning Instructions
Follow the instructions in your cleaning kit.
- Use a cloth and cleaning solvent to remove dirt, gunpowder residue, skin oils, and moisture from the action and all other metal parts of the firearm.
- If possible, clean the barrel from the breech end, using a bore guide and a cleaning rod holding a bore brush or patch wetted with solvent. Pass the brush/patch all the way through the barrel. Repeat several times with fresh patches. You may need a larger brush for the chamber.
- Use a hand brush to clean the crevices where powder residue accumulates.
- Follow with a dry patch, and finish with a lightly oiled patch for the barrel. Use cloth for other parts.
- Apply a coating of gun oil to protect the firearm from rust.
- Use a flexible “pull-through” cleaning cable when cleaning firearms with lever or semi-automatic actions to prevent dirt, grime, or debris from being pushed into the action area.
- Clean your ammunition by wiping it with a cleaning cloth. If the ammunition is not clean, particles of sand or dirt can scratch the bore.
- Use cleaning solvents in a well-ventilated area and only as directed.
- If cleaning from the muzzle end, use a muzzle protector so that you don’t damage the rifling near the muzzle.
Steps for Cleaning a Firearm
Step 1: Clean barrel and metal parts with good commercial solvent.
Step 2: Bore should be cleaned through breech end where possible.
Step 3: Clean bore until dry patch comes through as clean as possible.
Step 4: Run oily patch through barrel.
Step 5: All metal parts should get light coat of oil.
Step 6: Store in horizontal position, or with muzzle pointing down.
Step 7: After storage, run a clean patch through bore before firing.
Step 8: Remove all excess grease and oil.