Quick Shotgun Cleaning

One time, many years ago, I had just gotten done setting a major league spread of diver decoys.  I looked at my blocks with admiration and wondered how I could have done such a nice job while still being half asleep?  The weather was an ideal windy and rainy mix, and I was sure the ducks would pour in.  With everything being nearly perfect, I walked up to my coffin blind, picked up my shotgun, and prepared to climb in.  The first problem of the day came from my morning clumsiness, and that I stuck the muzzle into the mud.

I broke off some sticks, a few long stems of stiff marsh grass, and got the majority of the dirt out of the bore. But there was this one clump that left behind a lot of sandy residue.  As we shooters know, we never pull a trigger with even the slightest of barrel obstructions.  And true to form, the ducks barreled in and my four buddies shot limits very quickly while I watched.    

There are a number of instances when a quick slip up can jeopardize your hunt, and the most common culprit is mud in a barrel.  Whether it’s marsh mud gathered while retrieving dogs, ducks or decoys, upland dirt while putting an ecollar on your dog or the like, there is a very quick way to clean your bore so you can get on with the shooting.  And it’s so simple to use that you can run a quick swab through your bore on a rainy day to reduce rust.  Accidents happen and a packable cleaning kit will keep you in the hunt.

Materials:

• Vise
• A power drill and a 1/8 inch high speed steel bit for drilling through metal
• 40 inches of flexible wire, the kind used for hanging pictures
• A snap swivel from your tackle box
• A split ring from your tackle box
• A bristle brush appropriate to your shotgun bore
• Cotton patches to match your bristle brush
• One- or two-ounce can of solvent/lubricant.

Steps:

1. Place the tip of the threaded base of the bristle brush firmly in the vise.
2. Drill a hole through the middle of the base.  The hole should be centered, and ideally towards the end of the base.
3. Add a fisherman’s split ring through the hole, the kind used for attaching treble hooks to a plug or stickbait.  The split ring is the reason that the hole should be towards the end.
4. Unfurl the flexible wire.  Picture wire is multi-strand which makes it easy to twist and tie.  Other options are a fisherman’s flexible wire.  Make sure that the wire is on the thick side.  You’ll ultimately be pulling on the end, and thin-diameter gardening wire can cut your hand while pulling.  
5. Tie one end of the wire to the snap swivel with any fixed knot.  I use a three-turn cinch knot.  

How to Use:

1. Create an opening through the clumped dirt with a reed or stick.
2. Unfurl the wire and drop the snap swivel through the muzzle of your shotgun.  Pay out the wire until the snap is at the breech.
3. Attach the bristle brush to the snap.
4. Wrap a patch around the bristle brush and spray with the solvent/lubricant. Whatever product you choose, make sure it’s a cleaner and lubricant. Go with a small spray can.
5. Pull the brush through the barrel.
6. You’re done with the cleaning now get on with the huntin’.

Storage:
One of the best parts of the cleaning kit is that it is compact and can all fit into a small waterproof, plastic bag.  Wrap the hanging wire around your hand and tie off with a twist tie on opposite ends, the kind you’d use on a garbage bag.  Carry the bag in your hunting vest, your duck-hunting jacket or in your kit bag.  Total cost is under $15.  Note: With the advent of bore snakes, product developers made it easy for rifle and pistol shooters.  Toss one in your kit bag and you’ll never regret it.