Follow these simple steps to keep your duck gun
operating smoothly
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It's one of the biggest frustrations in waterfowl hunting. A flight of ducks or geese comes in. A hunter fires one shot from his gas-operated autoloader, and the empty hull doesn't eject, or the second shot fails to feed into the chamber. The birds fly away while the hunter utters a few unmentionables. Then he digs into his shell bag for a can of lubricant, which he sprays liberally into the receiver, hoping to get it cycling shells again before the next flight shows up. This picture makes Jay Conners cringe. Conners spent 10 years as the customer ser-vice manager for the Beretta firearms company, and during this time he fielded numerous phone calls from waterfowlers who were having problems with their gas-operated shot guns. "Spraying lubricant into the receiver is one of the worst things you can do in this situation," Conners says. "It might provide some immediate lubricative effect, but soon the lubricant will mix with the carbon that's built up inside the gun, and it'll make this situation worse instead of better." |
Instead, Conners recommends preventive maintenance to keep this problem from occurring in the first place. "Gas-operated autoloading shotguns are very reliable if they're cared for properly," Conners states. "The technology is proven, and with anybody's brand you've got to keep a gas-operated gun clean to have it function reliably." When a gas-operated shotgun is fired, escaping gases power a piston assembly that ejects the spent shell and feeds a new one from the magazine. The problem is that these gases are dirty, and carbon builds up on the piston and adjoining shaft. These carbon deposits restrict gas flow and increase friction on the piston mechanism. Ultimately, this can reduce its force to the point where the action won't operate. This is why keeping the piston assembly free of carbon is so important. "It's basically a circulation problem, like your arteries clogging up with cholesterol," Conners explains. So, regular and thorough cleaning is a must. Conners instructs, "Take your fore-stock off the shotgun to expose the piston |
"Remove the piston and soak it overnight in mineral spirits; any carbon buildup will be easy to remove the next morning. Clean the inside of the piston housing with mineral spirits and a soft brush. Then clean the shaft and operating rod with a wire brush and a rag (but no lubricant). If you don't clean this shaft, it'll get a heavy carbon buildup. You want to keep it shiny silver."
Conners continues, "Next, remove the trigger assembly from the receiver; make sure the safety is on when you do this. Then apply a thin coating of lubricant to the inside of the trigger housing and other exposed parts. I recommend either of two lubricants: Beretta's Olio or Militec." (Olio is available from Beretta USA, while free samples of Militec are available through this Web site: www.militec-1.com)
Conners concludes, "Waterfowl hunters can take their guns apart at night, clean them, and reassemble them the next morning. They won't have 10 minutes invested in the whole process. This is a small price to pay for knowing you'll get that second and third shot when a flight of birds comes in."
-Wade Bourne
www.ducks.org