How often do you clean your trap gun?

I guess that would be the best thing due to the high number of rounds shot at a time. Not like hunting where you may only shoot a couple shots a day. I'm gonna get into competitive trap, starting this sunday at my gun club actually, and was curious about cleaning methods. I take very good care of my guns, but when it comes to a hunting shotgun, I'll only clean it (barrels) after several hunting trips depending on number of shots fired, sometimes not until the end of the season. but as I just said, I guess with the high amount of lead going through the barrels of a trap gun, they need to be cleaned more frequently.
 
The answer is it depends. For an o/u, I wipe down the outside of the barrels after every outing and clean and replace the grease on the hinge pins and friction points between the reciever and forend iron. The inside of the barrels might get swabbed every few weeks or more frequently if I was out in really bad weather. Three or four times a year I give everything a more detailed cleaning including taking the ejectors out to clean accumulated grit and grease, clean the choke tubes and threads and give the barrels a thorough brushing.

Lead doesn't accumlate inside the barrels. Plastic from the wads can build up in the forcing cone area but I've seen guns not cleaned for many thousands of rounds that patterned just as well as when pristine.

The semi-autos get cleaned more often. About a thousand rounds or so. On my Beretta the only thing that regularly gets attention is the magazine cap spindle where carbon can build up and make the gas system a little sluggish.
 
Well I shoot a minimum of 5rds. of trap everytime i drag out the shotgun ... I try to clean it either everytime after a day of shooting ... If not, then definitely after the second outing ... so let';s say every 100-250rds. However I shoot an auto and a pump on occasion ... So i try to remove fouling out of the chamber as often as possible... Hope this helps the opinion... :D
 
All guns.... the exterior blued surfaces get a wipe-down with a lightly-oiled cloth (G-96 or Cleanzoil ) every time they're put away. O/U's - hinge pin grease cleaned off and renewed every couple of weeks - I use STOS ... it's clear in colour and not as messy to use as Beretta's black stuff, Kreighoff's blue or Shooter's Choice red grease ... all of which seems to accidentally get all over other things. Other than that, a reasonably good cleaning, barrels, ejectors etc. once every quarter ... unless the gun has been deluged in rain/snow ... then a major drying and light cleaning before it's put away.

Beretta auto-loaders ... about every 2500 rounds, with special attention given to the forend nut. (Picked up a copy of a Beretta 391 Disassembly Manual by
Seamus O'Caiside [Jim Casada] a couple of yesrs back. Worth it's weight in gold.)

I don't make a big deal out of cleaning the interior of the barrels after every use, but I do try to keep an eye on (and may "spot clean" and lightly lube chambers to avoid any problems - especially in humid weather. If I'm shooting a lot, I'll also chase after plastic build-up in the chokes on a fairly regular basis with Ed's Red. I do find patterns to be affected by build-up)
 
I run a wand through the barrels after every outing, and wipe the barrels down. I'll clean and lubricate, usually during the winter months, but you will eventually get a feeling for when it needs it.
Beretta Boy, I also use STOS, and like it. From whom is it still available? On line? I haven't seen it around. Thanks
 
I finally settled on a wand too, though a bore snake also does a good job. I have wand with a brush on the end then a wooly body. It seems to keep the barrel clean, but chokes I clean after every hundred shells or so and I get quite a bit of residue off them, including strings of plastic sometimes. I have a bottle of Ed's red and hang the chokes in it overnight using wires I've fashioned into hooks. The next day I run a bore brush through them then put a patch on and run it through and repeat until they are clean. I haven't gone to the point of patterning to find out, but it seems logical that any built up in the chokes might eventually affect the pattern. The wand doesn't seem to do the job well enough for this one thing, at least it doesn't in my gun. Cleaning and lubing hinge pins and cleaning extractors and so on I generally do monthly depending on a number of things. I really pay attention to cleaning and lubing if it rains. Nothing sadder than a gun that has been left in a case when wet.:(
 
hogiron:

I get STOS direct from Ponsness-Warren, the shotshell press manufacturers. Usually 3 or 4 little jars at a time, together with whatever else I might need for spare press parts, maintenance, etc.

Used to see it at Vandalia ... but Sparta is just too long a trip now.
 
Only when things get stuck or the weather turns to sh2222222T! Everuthing one every shotgun gets a thorough wetting of Break-Free. All of them get a further Break-Free treatment if there is grudge or a sign of corrosion of any type. Otherwise, nothing gets cleanned ever! They get a spraay of B-F and that's it.
Regards,
Henry

BTW, The DT10L gets a going over by Mario (Beretta IT) every year I am in Europe. He buffs and checks the gun!
 
I'm with Clay and Beretta. I wipe down the outside after every shoot and clean and replace the grease on the hinge pins just about every shoot but the detail cleaning only happens every few months. I'd rather shoot....
 
beretta boy said:
hogiron:

I get STOS direct from Ponsness-Warren, the shotshell press manufacturers. Usually 3 or 4 little jars at a time, together with whatever else I might need for spare press parts, maintenance, etc.

Used to see it at Vandalia ... but Sparta is just too long a trip now.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Now I remember where I got it from in the first place. A jar came with the P-W loader. I bought a few jars at the spring grand in Phoenix years ago, and haven't seen any since.
Thanks again.
 
I shoot about 15,000 targets per year. I clean the gun when it rains and a couple of times a year. Some guns have a problem with plastic build up, which would necessitate cleaning more often.
 
I shoot a Model 12 Win. for singles and handicap it gets cleaned on a need to basis and a Rem 3200 for doubles and sporting clays same for it Both guns have many tens of thousands of rounds through each and neither have let me down they do get a complete tear down every winter .
 
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