Cleaning shotgun action

[nursebee]

First the confession: I've been doing poor on taking care of the shotgun I bought a few years ago. Now playing catch-up a bit...

Item in question is a Mossberg 835 12G. I am unable to see an easy way to get at the action to clean and oil it. Is this part of routine maintence or should I just ignore it?

[tecumseh]

why don't you send an e-mail to bullyeye bill he seems to know quite a bit about gun stuff.

[Michael Bush]

WD 40 or penatrating oil is usually good for getting into places that are hard to get to. But I would guess disassembly instructions are available from Mossberg. They will probably send them to you free or for the postage. If they aren't already online.

[drobbins]

manual here
google rocks smile.gif

http://www.mossberg.com/faqs.htm#sendmanual

can't beat the price

Dave

[Les Evans]

Hi,
Do not what ever you do use WD-40 on any part of your gun. You will regret it if you do.
Always use a good solvent and oil that is intended for firearms.
Shotguns are very easy to disassemble.
Here is the schematic for your model....
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/schematics/schemmfg.aspx?schemid=165&m=10&mn=Mossberg%c2%ae&model=835++
Don't ignore cleaning the action if you want it to perform they way it is meant to.

EDIT: Here is the Owners manual for your 835 as well.
http://63.149.92.163/manuals/52458_500_835_590.pdf

[ October 14, 2005, 02:16 AM: Message edited by: Les Evans ]

[Michael Bush]

>Do not what ever you do use WD-40 on any part of your gun. You will regret it if you do.
Always use a good solvent and oil that is intended for firearms.

Generally good advice simply because WD40 evaporates too quickly. (If you use it often enough that isn't a problem.) But there are two exceptions.

1) If you can't get to something at all and it needs oil then you need to get something in there somehow. I prefer some kind of penetrating oil or actual fireamrs oil of some kind if it's thin enough and sprays hard enough to get into the tight place. Some oil (even WD40) is better than no oil anytime.

2) If you go hunting in these parts (or when I lived in Wyoming) when it's -10 F or less and you use anything thicker than WD40 the reistance from the oil will actually slow the firing pin so much that the gun will not go off. I have had to degrease the entire bolt and firing pin and relube with WD40 to even get the gun to fire. That particular day I discovered this, I had five high powered rifles with me and NONE of them would fire until they were degreased and oiled with WD40.

[iddee]

Sorry, mb, but at =10, this ol' redneck ain't gonna be huntin'. smile.gif
Seriously, I use a good sewing machine oil when I don't have commercial gun oil. Any petroleum oil will gum up, so that may have been as much of the problem as the cold. Sewing machine oil is mineral oil, and I THINK, so is the gun oil.
"Maybe fgmo"??

[iddee]

You really don't need for it to spray hard, as it will travel by capillary action to even the tightest areas.
IE: Set a metal chair leg in a pan of oil for a few days and the entire leg, and if given enough time, the entire chair will be oily.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I'm with Les on this one. There are many good quality oils out there and each one of them have specific uses.

When using any oil in the action of a firearm it is suggested that any excess is wiped off. By not removing the excess, dust in the air is captured and gumming is expedited. Always, and especially for self defence firearms, use a product that is intended and manufactured for firearms. Farm machinery products have their place and can be fine in some instances, but there are no one size fits all applications that will not cause you problems.

To clean an action without removing, use an aresol 'Gun Scrubber'. Basically an aerosol solvent, followed with a very light aersol dry lube oil, always wiping off any excess.

For cold weather use, use a molybdenum based dry oil. I recomend Birchwood Casy Moly Lube dry film lubricant (aerosol) for firearms and airguns.

Another product, though harder to find, is Pro-Shot All Weather oil, but it is also recomended that it be wiped off before use.

BTW, you haven't read the PM I sent you on March 30... or don't you check your mail?

[ October 14, 2005, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: BULLSEYE BILL ]

[chemistbert]

Or do like I do. Before hunting season degrease the gun. Don't reoil or anything. Wipe it down witha silicone cloth and that's it. Nice fast action and you never have to work about oil viscosity gumming anything up.

[nursebee]

BB, to whom are you directing the PM March 30 comment to? If it was me, my mailbox is empty and I don't remember much from March.

That stuff in the manual is kind of foreign right now. I think I will sit down some am to go over it. Thanks all.

I guess the advice boils down to "READ THE MANUAL"

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>BB, to whom are you directing the PM March 30 comment to?

I resent it, I didn't want you to think I ignored your message.

>I guess the advice boils down to "READ THE MANUAL"

Always. The manufacturers go to a lot of expense to get the product information to you, and if you lose a manual they will gladly send you one. It is a world of ligigation and they will do what ever it takes to avoid being sued.

Even giving advise can lead to disaster, so we are always careful about stepping out of bounds. Yes, read the manual and follow it carefully, and when ever in doubt go back to it, or call the manufacturer's tech support.

[Les Evans]

Hi Michael,
>Generally good advice simply because WD40 evaporates too quickly. (If you use it often enough that isn't a problem.) But there are two exceptions.

I must disagree with you on this. The reason you don't want to use WD 40 is not that it evaporates quickly,its just the opposite. Also WD 40 contains water which doesn't evaporate quick enough and will cause rust and other problems to arise.

Hi Bullseye Bill,
I couldn't have explained it better. Great post.
I am a big time Firearms fan. I reload all of my ammunition myself and am currently reworking a Mauser 98 for 270 Cal.
Cleaning,shooting,reloading,ballistics and everything else in between is a religion around my house.
I see in your profile that you are into Leather work as well, I have tried my hand at this as well and find it fun to do.

Safety is the first and foremost thing when handling a Firearm.

[David Stewart]

>Also WD 40 contains water

Hmmm, don't agree with that. Designed as a degreaser/solvent to displace water and inhibit rust/corrosion. Doesn't makes sense for the product to contain it. Originally designed for the Atlas missle....smuggled home from work and the rest is history.

http://www.wd40.com/PressRoom/50th_epk_release1.html

David

[Les Evans]

Hi David,
You got me there....Water displacement.
The point of my post is that no matter what is said about WD 40 or what it is meant to do it does cause rust and on top of that it will attract dust and leaves a film that will gum things up.
As BullsEye Bill said There are many good quality oils out there and each one of them have specific uses.

[MichaelW]

WD-40 is commonly known by rock climbers to gum up cams. Cams are climbing protection that occasionally needs cleaned and lubricated. I use gun oil when necessary.

[Sundance]

An old, talented, gunsmith told me this wonderful way to clean the action of my A-5 Browning.

Remove butt stock (and all other wood) and slowly pour 4 quarts of boiling distilled water over all moving parts. Set aside. After is self dried lubricate with a high quality gun oil.

It works great!! the water heats the metal enough to dry it and clears away all grit and grime.