How to Clean and Store a Shotgun

To keep your shotgun in good condition, there's work to be done after hunting season's over.

By Larry D. Hodge

Opening weekend of dove season finds many hunters taking their shotguns out of storage for the first time since the end of duck, goose or turkey season. What they see when they look at their guns is not always a pretty sight. Rust or green goo may adorn a shotgun that was improperly cared for before being stored.

The time to prepare your shotgun for the next hunting season is before you put it away at the end of the last season. Avoid problems by carefully cleaning the gun before putting it away and by keeping the gun in the right kind of environment between uses.

One of the sad facts of life is that even stainless steel will rust eventually if not cared for. Guns with traditional blued metal parts can literally rust overnight if stored damp, especially after being exposed to saltwater or air. The first step in gun care is to get rid of all moisture. This requires disassembling the gun before cleaning it. Wiping the wood and metal parts of a fully assembled gun with a silicone-treated cloth is quick and easy, but it doesn't get the job done down deep. Even if you don't get rained on in the duck blind, moisture can be trapped between wood and metal parts.

READ FULL ARTICLE FROM TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE'S MAGAZINE...