Chapter XII: The Care of the Gun

Nothing so surely betrays the village would-be-sport, the city bum on a rampage, the country ne’er do well loafing about the fields, as an old, rusty gun. Whatever the gunner’s knowledge of shooting, be he novice or expert, he can at least have his hunting arm in good condition. Many a man, who must, perforce, wear standing collars all week and two on Sundays, prefers old clothes in the woods, though to my mind this is a mistake, for clean and beautiful game like quail and deer deserve other things in keeping. But whatever excuse the sportsman may find for an unkempt appearance, he can have none for an ill kept gun.

An old gun that has seen long and strenuous service yet is free of rust, with well oiled stock and locks ringing only the clearer for the mellowing of time, is one of the proper sources of a sportsman’s pride. Moreover the man who takes care of his gun will learn to shoot it, because the brains and application that lead to one result will compass the other. Sporting writers have a fondness for comparing the work of a rank beginner and his new gun with some old rusty firelock in the hands of a veteran, the natural inference from this being that it requires a corroded, powder-burnt old piece to kill game. All this is merely second-hand wit that has been passed along as being too funny to lose.

Shooting is a great sport, one of the finest in the world, and should not be disgraced by the use of poor tools. Bicycles and their sprucely dressed riders were a picturesque feature of our country roads at one time, but the machine rapidly lost favor when the country boy, tying a shoestring about the bottoms of his blue overalls, began taking the place of the red sweater and golf stocking brigade. Dress baseball players in the clothing of a greasy machinist and even that game would be killed in a few years.

The man, and emphatically the woman, who will not dress smartly afield has no business there; they are a disgrace to the game they pursue and a blot on the glowing autumn foliage. Secure as handsome an outfit as can be afforded, therefore, including the gun, and then take care of the weapon, such care that it will become only handsomer with age and use. This chapter is strictly for the tyro, with intent to instruct him in the due care of his arm. Lecturing the older hand, who knows how but will not, is, in the words of the lamented Peter Cartwright, “no better than preaching psalms to a dead horse.”

In the first place remember that a gun is bought to be used, and is not to be considered too fine to withstand any sort of weather that the shooter himself is willing to hazard. I can recall an old Dutchman who stopped to wipe the rain drops from his new Greener gun until his dog, becoming impatient, flushed the bevy it was standing. Then the German threw his gun down in the mud to whip the dog. Your most costly gun ought to stand up under the hardest use if it is cared for at the proper time, and that time is always at the end of the day’s work. Neither should there be one gun for actual service and another to rest in the cabinet and look pretty.

A gentleman’s clothes always look well. The business man shaves as regularly as he eats breakfast. The hardest campaign doesn’t prevent a West Pointer from creasing his trousers every time he has a chance to pull them off, and the sportsman should never allow his gun to go over night with burnt powder in it. No matter how tired he may be, the gun must be cleaned before he can sleep with any sort of an easy conscience.

The process is simple, and five minutes will do the trick perfectly. The ordinary proceeding is to run two or three flannel or canton flannel rags through the barrels, followed by some description of a scratch brush to loosen the lead; then another clean rag, and lastly the oiler. If too much oil has been left in the barrels run a dry rag through them in the morning before beginning to shoot. Having finished the inside, go over the outside with an oiled rag, removing all traces of moisture, even that which may have been left by the fingers in handling the arm. The whole process should require little more time than pulling off and putting on the shoes. When the practice of cleaning the arm every night while it is in use becomes habitual it will no longer be considered irksome, neither will the piece pit or rust even when shot over salt water.

When forced to tramp through the rain, or should the barrels become wet in other ways, and you are not in a position to clean the gun at once, shoot the water out. Occasionally refuge may be taken in some house where there are no facilities for cleaning the gun, and in that case fire a couple of shells through the barrels before entering, and again at night just before retiring if the gun cannot be cleaned in some other way.

Prevention is better than cure, but if rust has been allowed to form in the tubes, never rest until it comes out. Like the farmer’s crops, rust grows while you sleep, unless you kill it. Several firms are making rust removers as well as rust preventatives, and some of these will be found to facilitate the removal of the deposits. A good wire scratch brush and plenty of rubbing will always be found effective unless the pits are of long standing and very deep. It might then be necessary to take the arm to a gunsmith, but I always do this with reluctance, since he is liable to run a cutting tool through the barrels, thus altering the pattern.

The following implements should always be carried on shooting trips: a good strong, jointed rod, preferably of brass, a four or six row wire scratch brush or some contrivance that will take its place and a felt oiler together with a bottle of oil. Never put oil into the barrels until you are sure every bit of moisture has been removed. Otherwise the oil will collect in spots, leaving the water to work its will with the steel. With the first series of dry rags rub so briskly as to produce considerable friction; when the barrels begin to heat you can be sure that they are dry inside.

Where rust forms persistently, as it will in some climates, it is desirable to use heavier oils than ordinary sperm or petroleum products. This applies especially where the weapon may be set aside for some time; then I have never found anything better than heavy black machine oil of a kind almost similar to that used in lubricating automobiles. I have never known one of my guns to rust when thoroughly coated with this black oil after being well cleaned, for it absolutely prevents the air from coming in contact with the polished steel. My own practice at the close of the season is to wipe out and oil the arm as usual, then set it away for a couple of days. If at the expiration of that time no rust can be observed I coat with the heavy oil and set the weapon away perhaps for weeks, perfectly assured that it will be found in splendid shape months later. This sort of oil should always be rubbed out before shooting the gun, and is therefore not desirable where the arm is in daily use.

Pouring boiling water through a tube until it becomes too hot to hold in the naked hand is an effective manner of killing rust. Occasionally pits are formed too deep for the scratch brush to reach the bottom of them, and then boiling water will be found the simplest means of checking further mischief. The heat of the barrels will evaporate all the water, but follow up with some energetic swabbing with dry rags and then oil.

The locks and action mechanism will not require overhauling very often unless the piece has been badly exposed, as by dropping into water. In that case take the gun to pieces at the first opportunity. Having no knowledge of mechanics, especially gun mechanics, or lacking proper tools, go to a gunsmith rather than risk marring a fine action. Once a year you should go through the piece from end to end by way of making sure that no rust has formed anywhere. Some of our guns, at least those with the box-locks, are difficult for an amateur to take to pieces. By way of obviating this difficulty many English arms are being built with hand-detachable locks both in the box and side plate. This manner of lock fastening is no doubt a positive advantage in shooting over salt water, as the locks could be cleaned and oiled as regularly as the barrels without any possibility of marring screw heads or disarranging other parts.

Finding that rust has formed on springs or other portions of the action mechanism, do not be tempted to use a file in removing; a spring might thus be weakened or some other vital part. A little emery polish can do no harm if carefully wiped off before oiling. Should this not fully remove the deposits send the arm to a gunsmith or back to the factory. Remember that as a rule the ordinary gunner does more harm than good when he begins tinkering with the locks of his gun.

Be careful that your scratch brush is not made of steel sufficiently hard to cut the polish out of the barrels; the ordinary saucer-shaped little brush will do this with regularity and certainty. However, the four or eight row brushes are made of softer metal which I have not found to do any harm. The Lefever Gun Cleaner is an excellent tool. It has pliable steel plates, armed with soft steel teeth, and so bent as to contract and expand with the variations in the bore, keeping the teeth bearing evenly throughout. The brass covered rubber bulbs will do this also just as effectively.

If your stock is oil finished and not varnished a filling oil should be rubbed into it occasionally. By hard rubbing with an oiled rag the wood can be kept in as good shape as when it left the factory, or even improved in appearance. Dents and scratches can thus be rubbed out if not too deep, and with the polishing the grain and curl of the wood become more apparent.

Barrels of modern compressed steel do not dent easily, but if you are so unfortunate as to strike them with sufficient force to mar them they had best go back to the factory. No ordinary shooter or jackleg gunsmith should attempt to hammer dents out of a pair of barrels.

Take care of your gun in crossing wire fences or the result will be a certain marring of the fore-end. There is a great temptation to press down a wire in crossing such fences with the gun and nine pieces in ten where they have seen much service in a cattle country show the effect of it. A rebounding wire is very apt to catch the stock, too, cutting into it so deeply as to be past remedy.

Open and close the arm carefully, without any sudden jerks or extreme force. I have known more than one cocking hook to be broken clean off by the shooter yanking open his gun under excitement. Modern guns are made pretty strong, but they shouldn’t be expected to stand as much rough usage as a jack-screw. Snapping the locks with the shell chambers empty is a bad habit. It is like striking a heavy fist blow into the empty air and any boxer can tell you how that feels. Put spent shells into the arm should you desire to practice snapping and aiming.

Procure a good heavy sole leather case in which to carry your gun when traveling. Possibly the weapon will have to be submitted to the tender mercies of a baggage master at odd times, and goodness knows what he will do to it. He may hang it on the side of the car and allow it to fall or drop on an iron bound trunk; maybe the trunk will do the dropping with the gun beneath it. Under such circumstances the stock might be cracked or the barrels bent. Traveling in a wagon with the arm lying at the bottom and bumping over a rough road is not much better, but it is safer than for a half dozen men to crowd into one wagon, holding their naked guns in hand with the invariable result of striking the barrels roughly together. Horseback work is especially hard upon the gun which should be encased in a heavy scabbard, preferably one lined with sheepskin possessing a dense fleece.

Occasionally even a careful gunner will drop his weapon upon the ground. When this happens always look through the barrels to be sure that no dirt or other deposit has found its way into them. I have known several barrels to be burst by having a very small amount of dirt in the muzzle; even soft snow may do the same thing. Should there be anything in the barrel clean it out carefully. In one instance that fell under my observation the shooter removed a bit of earth with a stick, and the next charge tore the barrel off. Do not permit any boy or other irresponsible person to fool with your gun, and do not loan it to your best friend--give him another one.

I can only repeat: make the nightly cleaning of your piece an invariable habit, not to be omitted under any circumstances. No more think of going to bed with your gun dirty than sleeping with your wet boots on. If you make any excuse and fail of your duty to the faithful piece just once, the thing will grow upon you, and shortly the arm will be in such condition as to be considered not worth cleaning. Remove lead with elbow grease and a scratch brush, depending mostly upon the elbow.