Let’s be honest here–while you have an offseason, your shotgun more than likely does not. Also, as waterfowlers, our shotguns are arguably our most important tool, and reliability is of the utmost importance. From September to February, it’s your waterfowl gun; your turkey gun in April and May, and your ‘shoot clays as much as possible’ gun over the summer months. Over 12 months, a shotgun takes an absolute beating–no matter how well you maintain it. Take a closer look at the cover picture, for example; that Browning A5 is bound to get all sorts of dirty during conservation season.
So, while we’re being honest, how often do you actually clean it? I mean really clean it. I mean completely disassemble your shotgun, clean and oil the trigger assembly, or replace your recoil spring. I’m willing to bet the majority of hunters don’t; I know I rarely do such in-depth maintenance. I should, however, and you should too, especially after shooting cheap target loads all summer or heavy goose loads all winter.
Outside of your basic field-stripped cleaning and post-hunt wipedowns, shotguns will need parts replaced and the more intricate parts cleaned and oiled. For example, if you shoot an inertia powered shotgun, your recoil spring could be replaced or even upgraded for a better performance this season. And on the other hand, gas shotguns require much more cleaning and maintenance to consistently perform. Below are some very helpful YouTube videos to guide you through keeping your shotgun in tip-top form and ready to go those first fall flights. Also, while these videos show different shotguns, they can offer helpful insights for other makes and models. So, before early goose season opens, be sure your shotgun is in its best form–running tight, clean, and lubed!
For general cleaning and lubricating tips check out these Browning Maxus videos:
Inertia guns rely on recoil to cycle shells. As such, strong recoil springs are vital to their performance. Springs will begin to shrink after shooting several thousand rounds, so look to replace your recoil spring around 5,000 rounds. You’ll be shocked at how much shorter your used spring is compared to the replacement. This detailed video shows how to replace the recoil spring on a Benelli Super Black Eagle III: Benelli SBE 3: Detailed Disassembly of Action Spring Tube.
If you’re feeling extra inclined to do a deep clean of your shotgun by fully disassembling it, check out this video: Winchester SX3 Disassembly/Reassembly. Even if you don’t shoot an SX3, this video will teach you some helpful techniques for disassembling your shotgun!
This video shows how to remove the plug on a Beretta A400 Xtreme: Field Strip and Plug Removal.
Similarly, this video highlights how to remove the plug and access the magazine spring from a Franchi Affinity, which is very similar to how you would remove the plug from a Benelli shotgun.
I hope some of these tips and videos helped! Now, head over to your workbench and make sure your shotgun is ready for next season!
