Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Hey all, I have had a remington 870 20ga. shotgun for around 5 years.

I have only shot 2 slugs through it before, but have let others borrow it once or twice to go shooting with at the range..

Now, I have never cleaned this things bore out or any internals for that matter. The most cleaning I have done with it is wiping off the outside with remoil wipes to prevent rust..

Is my gun going to be ok? Are the carbon deposites going to be perminently bonded to the inside of my barrel since it has been sitting there for a while?

Thanks alot! Im just starting to get into hunting so now I know to keep my gun clean!

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

its hard to kill an 870. If it still works, it'll be fine. As a rule, clean it after firing it every time. The your assured a lifetime of reliable use. EJ

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

ditto. you could play with that thing in a mud-puddle and it would still function properly

just make sure the barrel is not obstructed[:-];)

but a good cleaning wouldn't hurt and it is a very simple gun to work on, barrel, trigger assembly, nothin to them a time proven design;)

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Well bore could be pitted, but shouldn't affect overall shooting.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Y ea that is a nice gun, but it should be cleaned regularly. I wipe mine down everytime I take it out and fully clean it bore and all once a week if it is shot. You can go over a long period of time without having to clean pump shotguns because the action is manual. If you had a semi-auto shotgun you would experience a lot of jamming and stuff like that if it is not cleaned aover a long period of time.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

SCF...

Not to steal your thunder, but a buddy of mine had Benelli Nova that he hadn't taken the trigger out and cleaned for we figured 8 years. He didn't know how to. I had one so I helped him do his. We could have sanded a small driveway with all the crap that came out of that thing. He did wipe the action and cleaned the barrel, but besides that he didn't know what to do to clean it thoroughly.

Just my two cents.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

It should be fine. No better time than now to finally clean her up though huh?

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

oh yes, i know.

I have neglected it too much, although it has probably had less than 20 rounds through it im guessing.

I got it as a gift a long while ago and was never a hunter...I am starting to get interested in hunting now so I am trying to make sure it is tip top shape!

Thanks for all your responses!

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

What does bore pitting mean? Is that just running the cleaning stuff through the barrel?

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

As is the rule with all firearms, clean it after every time you shoot, and it will last a lifetime.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Bore pitting is when the fouling starts to turn to rust and makes small pits in the barrel. Clean her up good, and you will more than likely want to use a bore brush to get the tuff stuff out. Use sone Hopps solvent in it to get a good deep clean.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

I used the same wingmaster to shoot trap 2-3 nights a week for about 8 years without cleaning it once. No hiccups, no problems, no malfunctions, and the barrel didn't pit. All in all, probably close to 100,000 rounds through it without a single cleaning.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Goodness Briman, we got a name for that. Obsessive behavior. They got doctors for that.:D 3 nights a week for 8 years.

If you seriously have 100K rounds thru it, thats extremely impressive. But I buy and sell guns all the time, I see all kinds of shotguns, new and old with pitted bores. Including wingmasters. Wondered how that happened. Also, how does someone know its not pitted without ever having a brush down the barrel? You got to clean it, to know it is not pitted.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

Pitting is when something corrosive eats a small spot or a buch of small spots in metal. It takes a long time for significant damage. For example, I was looking at some trashed 870's in the gun store which may have sat there for 20 years. None of them showed obvious pitting. The only bad damage I saw were thing their owners had done! Things like destrroyed stocks, poorly installed and removed scope mounts, etc. Neglect was the best thing some of these beautys had seen! . . .but I'm looking for a base project gun.

You may have some roughness caused by pitting, but it shouldn't affect a shotgun much. Now, if you look down the bore after your best scrub down, and it looks like the surface of the moon. . . .well, then you need a new barrel probably to pattern at all.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

No time like the present to get on a gun maintenance regime. The big deposit in shotgun barrels is plastic wad material. Need a good tight brass brush, patches/jag,and a good solvent like Hoppe's. After a thorough cleaning, I like to put a few patches down the barrel wet with Sheath (Brichwood Casey product) before storage. The inside of the magazine tube is another area that is often overlooked. You might consult with a gunsmith or some other knowledgeable person on disassembly procedures. There is also a very good DVD available in Midway (1-800-243-3220) on the Remington 870 maintenance and cleaning procedures (Product #225-913).

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

I would say that the reason that your gun did not pit is because you did shoot if so often. Pitting generally occurs from sitting without being cleaned an oiled. Being in a cold damp environment is where this will usually occur. If you have your gun cabinet or gun stored in a warm room you may never experience pitting even if left dirty and unoiled. And the conditions which the gun is used in will also effect wrether or not pitting may occur. If the gun never sees a cold rainy day you could more than likely leave it dirty and unoiled and it may never pit. Lots of variables are involved.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

The worst thing you can do to a shotgun is to take it hunting, and not clean it afterward. Sitting outside while its raining, snowing or having a wet dog hopping around near your gun wil get it wet, and the fouling will hold the moisture against the metal. The type of shooting I've mostly done is shooting a 100-200 rounds at a time, the barrel gets hot, any moisture is driven out. Wipe the gun down with a silicone cloth when I get home is pretty much all the maintenance it ever needed.

Yeah, I'd still be doing it along with another night of sporting clays now, but havinga wife and kids put a huge wet blanket on doing fun, expensive stuff more than a few nights a month. [&o]

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

My grandpa always said the proper way to clean a shotgun is to load another shell lol.

I don't anticipate any heirlooms.

RE: Shotgun...wasnt cleaned.
 

While on break I borrowed my friend's old Wingmaster which he rarely (if ever) cleans. It's been through some rough stuff, as the missing chunk of fore end and weathered stock from being dropped on ice several years ago will indicate. Now he as a Beretta semi-auto he uses, so I use his Wingmaster when I go with him. I don't know how old this gun is (the serial number is in the 800,000 range), but it's up there. I haven't had any problems with it.