The Breakdown on Cleaning a Break-Action Shotgun

If you own a shotgun, or any other firearm, it is important to keep it clean. A dirty firearm could result in injury or even death. In this intructable I will demonstrate how to clean a break-action shotgun.

Warning: Cleaning a firearm can be very dangerous. Before cleaning your break-action shotgun, make sure it is unloaded. This is easy to do with a break-action shotgun. Because break-action shotguns are loaded one at a time at the breech (the back end of the barrel) you simply need to look down the breech and see if there is a shell in there. Once you have made sure your gun is unloaded you are ready to start cleaning. Remember to always keep the muzzle (the front end of the barrel) pointed in a safe direction, either towards the sky or towards the ground.

Step 1 Obtain a shotgun cleaning kit

The first thing you need to do is obtain a cleaning kit. Kits usually come with all that you need to clean your shotgun, and can be found in your local sporting goods store. I use "Hoppe's Shotgun Cleaning Kit" which I bought from "Academy" for eight dollars. Inside the kit should be a box of patches, a bristle, a cotton mop, a bottle of solvent and a rod. You must also purchase a box of cotton swabs and a cloth rag separately. Cotton swabs and cloth rags can be found in most local grocery stores.