It is opening morning, the sun is just coming up and you are all settled in your stand. The biggest buck you have ever seen walks out in front of you and stands broadside. You raise your rifle, take off the safety and squeeze the trigger. You hear click when it should have gone bang. You try to cycle the gun to put in a fresh round, the action is sticking and it won’t fully close. What is going on? You have used the gun a hundred times before with no issues, why now? And that trophy buck just walks away.

With a dirty gun this is the story you could be telling. Cleaning and maintaining your firearm is one of the most tedious and important tasks to ensure a properly functioning firearm. Each firearm has different steps and methods for cleaning so start by consulting your owner’s manual.

The first step is to gather your supplies. You will need;

Solvent

A good quality gun oil

Brass bore brush

Lint free patches

Patch holder

Cleaning rod

Lint free rag

Before starting to clean – Make sure that your firearm is unloaded and deemed safe and that there is no ammunition around.

You will want to start with the solvent, take a patch, patch holder and cleaning rod, soak the patch in solvent, but not so much that it is dripping. Run the patch though the bore, and let it sit for about 5 minutes so it can start to work.

If at all possible, you want to work from the breach to the muzzle. Not only do you not want to push dirt into the action of your firearm, you also do not want to damage the crown of the muzzle.

Once the solvent has had time to soften the dirt, use the brush to loosen and scrub the bore clean. Then switch to a clean patch. After 5 runs through the barrel change your patch, if it is still coming out dirty, start with the solvent again and repeat until it comes out clean.

Once you have a clean bore its time to start on the rest of the firearm. Most cleaning kits come with plastic picks and brushes. Use these to clean any openings, making sure to get any dirt, fouling, or foreign debris out of the firearm. Once you are satisfied that the firearm is clean, take your clean lint free rag and wipe down the outside of the firearm. Once you have a light coat of oil, make sure to not touch any of the metal parts, the acid in our perspiration can cause the metal to rust.

If you are cleaning your firearm to store for a longer period of time oil the bore well and put a heavier coat of oil on the outside. Be sure to re-clean your firearm before using it, a buildup of oil in the bore can cause problems when firing later.

Also as a note, do not use WD-40 or penetrating oils to clean your firearm. They can also seep into the primers of ammunition and deactivate them.

If all of this work doesn’t appeal to you, bring your firearm to us at Oley’s and we can put your firearm in our Ultrasonic cleaner, we have the only one for hundreds of miles around. The ultrasonic vibrations ensure that dirt is removed from even the smallest cracks and crevices. After it is cleaned, it is placed back it the ultrasonic, but this time in a special gun lube, leaving you with the cleanest firearm you have ever seen ready to be stored away until you are ready to use it again. Whatever method of cleaning you choose make sure your gun is ready to go when you are ready to make the shot of a lifetime