In order to ensure that your firearms continue to function properly and shoot accurately, it is important that you appropriately clean them. Fortunately, guns that are properly cleaned and maintained will work reliably for many years. Keep reading to learn how to clean a gun using a Sage & Braker gun cleaning kit. While dirt, carbon, and lead/copper fouling will not damage your firearm by themselves, they can adversely affect the accuracy and reliability of your firearm. However, salt and water are the two worst enemies of firearms, so it is essential that you keep your firearms dry and clean them as soon as possible if they are ever exposed to salt.

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In order to ensure that your firearms continue to function properly and shoot accurately, it is important that you appropriately clean them. Fortunately, guns that are properly cleaned and maintained will work reliably for many years. Keep reading to learn how to clean a gun using a Sage & Braker gun cleaning kit. While dirt, carbon, and lead/copper fouling will not damage your firearm by themselves, they can adversely affect the accuracy and reliability of your firearm. However, salt and water are the two worst enemies of firearms, so it is essential that you keep your firearms dry and clean them as soon as possible if they are ever exposed to salt.

When you are preparing to clean a gun, the first thing you’ll need is a well-stocked gun cleaning kit. Sage & Braker makes good quality bore cleaning kits and an all-in- one liquid Cleaning, Lubricate, and Protect (CLP). Together, they are the foundation of a gun cleaning kit. In addition to these items, you might want to add a toothbrush, a multi- tool, and a rag (you can use an old cotton t-shirt in a pinch) to your gun cleaning kit.

Once you’ve got your gun cleaning kit assembled, the next step in actually cleaning your gun is to make sure it is unloaded. Don’t get careless or complacent here: lots of people get shot by firearms they thought were unloaded each year.

For most routine cleaning sessions, you should only disassemble your firearm to the extent recommended in the owner’s manual. On a rifle, this usually means removing the bolt. For a shotgun, this may involve removing the barrel.

Next, spray some CLP down the barrel from both ends and let it soak for a few minutes. Do the same with the bolt face. The dirtier your firearm is, the longer you should let it sit and soak. 2-3 minutes or so will work on lightly used gun. However, if you’ve got a firearm that is extremely dirty, you might want to let it sit for 30 minutes or more.

While you’re letting the CLP soak in the barrel, spray some CLP on your rag and wipe down all the easy to reach metal surfaces on your firearm like the outside of the barrel, the receiver, the bolt tracks, the inside of the chamber, and the trigger assembly. You can use the toothbrush to clean all the hard to reach parts on your firearm or those that are a little bit dirtier.

Next, use the appropriately sized bore cleaning kit from your gun cleaning kit to clean the bore from chamber to muzzle. Simply insert the weight into the bore and lower it until it reaches the end of the barrel. Then, pull the rope through the barrel. Depending on how dirty your firearm is, you may need to repeat this several times. Fortunately, Sage & Braker bore cleaning kits combine the cleaning steps that normally were completed separately by patches and brushes into a single step.

After you’re done cleaning the bore of your firearm, clean the bolt face with a toothbrush to remove any fouling. Once that is complete, you are nearly done with cleaning your gun. Reassemble your firearm and then give it one last wipe down before putting it away.

Depending on the type of firearm you’re dealing with and how long it will be in storage, you may want to add some extra CLP. Be careful though: a little goes a long way here and you do not want to have a build-up of lubrication that obstructs the barrel or attracts dirt or dust.

When you reassemble your firearm and put it away, try not to touch any metal with your bare skin. Not only do fingerprints just look bad on a gun, but the salts naturally present in the oils on your skin can actually cause your gun to rust over a long enough time period. 

Finally, store your firearm in a secure, cool, dry place and replace everything in your gun cleaning kit.

Raised in a machine shop and coming from a long line of mechanical engineers, Fred Bohm spent much of his days as a youth tinkering with gadgets and chasing upland game in the east coast. The strong pull of the mountains brought him west where vast amounts of public land quenched his wanderlust and gave him the perfect setting to build Sage & Braker. Setting roots in Denver, Fred and his growing family now spend their days in the woods chasing wild game and building the highest quality gun cleaning products to preserve the legacy of your firearms. You can reach him at fred@sageandbraker.com

For more information about Sage & Braker’s fine cleaning products for your shotgun visit them at https://sageandbraker.com/

Fred Bohm

Fred Bohm is the owner of Sage & Braker fine gun cleaning products. Visit Sage & Braker at https://sageandbraker.com.