first you need to swap the gun down removing any excess oil. then let it sit out for a few days. i use a water based cover sent also. i spray it on the gun when it is sitting out

wow you guys want him/her to mess their rifle up! lol.....i never smell it on my gun....but im a clean gun fanatic and clean everything untul my patches are clean enough to blow my nose with....in the off season i leave a light coat of oil in everything..but when im packing for a trip it gets recleaned and no oil left then the night before i pull her out and redry it all with just dry patches...i heard oil in the bore can effect where your first shot hits so i make sure its dry....good luck.....i never smell anything in my guns...the only one i use hoppes on it my 22 actions because it takes powder off really good....i do love that smell!

Soark Salt Water bath?All that will do is make it blend in better with the brown foilage LOL.
Ruger Redhawk

Maybe a good deer urine soak will do the trick.Them bucks will be followin' with their little tongues hanging out.

woods

Hops #9 is just one part of the whole hunting experience. At the start of the season, I let my golden retriever have a slight snif then watch her go nuts. She knows its grouse hunting time. Once she sees any rifle at all, she flips out even more.
To me, it smells like hunting season, like a fir tree smells like Christmas.

I' ve been using wd-40 for over 25 years not one, I repeat NOT ONE problem. What ever you use is going to leave some smell, like Skeeter said if the deer can smell your gun then they have already smelled you.

Have you ever heard of Nyo oil? It is hard to find, but it does not freeze or gum up. It is natural whale oil and has no scent to speak of.

I oil my hunting gun once a year, just using Hoppe' s 9 on the action (I only use about a box of ammo per year.) However, I use my target rifle a lot more. I clean and oil it a lot.