GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



Anybody can keep on shooting all day, but it takes a gentleman to quit when he gets enough. 



HOW TO CLEAN A MAUSER. 



Dayton, O. 

 Editor Recreation: 



In October Recreation is an article by 

 J. L. Dodson, of Bethlehem, Pa., with the 

 above title. It should be called How to 

 Ruin a Mauser, as it would be difficult to 

 devise a more certain process for destroy- 

 ing the accuracy of a gun. The emery cuts 

 away the steel, acting most rapidly on the 

 lands. As the emery is never equally dis- 

 tributed on the wiper, and, as it is impossi- 

 ble, by hand, to apply exactly the same 

 amount of friction to every part of the 

 barrel, the result is the production of ir- 

 regularities in caliber and deformities of 

 the lands. To the unaided eye the barrel 

 looks clean and bright, but the gun will 

 never shoot so well again, and a few repeti- 

 tions of the cleaning process will com- 

 pletely spoil it. I know a 38-55 rifle which 

 has been so much enlarged by a year's 

 cleaning by a process like Mr. Dodson's, 

 that the bullet now barely touches the lands, 

 and the barrel is fit only for reboring. 

 Never use anything rough, hard or gritty 

 to clean the inside of a rifle barrel. If it 

 needs polishing send it to the factory. If 

 it is leaded clean it with mercury. 



All smokeless powders leave the barrel 

 coated with a thin, tough, varnish-like 

 residue. The quantity varies somewhat 

 with the brand of powder. This residue is 

 acid, and, if not removed or neutralized 

 promptly and completely, will surely cause 

 the barrel to rust and become pitted. 



To clean a gun use a cleaning rod, 

 some soda solution, oil, gun grease, and 

 clean cloths or their equivalent. 



Cleaning rods for 30 or larger caliber 

 rifles are best made of second growth hick- 

 ory or lancewood. I prefer them with a 

 head with square end and shoulder; the 

 head about x 4 inch long and 1-16 inch less 

 in diameter than the rifle caliber. The 

 slotted wood rods break too easily. For 

 rifles smaller than 30 the rod should be 

 of brass. For home use the brass rod 

 should be in one piece, but jointed rods are 

 more convenient for field use. The latter 

 must be handled with care or they will 

 break at the joints. Brass rods are fre- 

 quently made with a separable tip and a 

 cylindrical brush to screw in its place. 

 All brass rods should be set in a wooden 

 handle, because if terminated in a ring, 

 as is generally the case with one-piece 

 rods, the rod is likely to strike and nick 

 the edge of the rifling at the muzzle. Any 

 injury to this edge makes bad shooting. 

 Iron cleaning rods ought never to be used. 



Finally, the rod should always, if possible, 

 be introduced at the breech, and never at 

 the muzzle, on account of the danger of in- 

 juring the edge of the rifling at the muzzle. 

 Bristle brushes serve a good purpose in 

 larger caliber rifles using black powder, 

 but are useless when smokeless powders 

 are used. Wire brushes should never be 

 used in rifles. 



Cotton wool, tow, jute or any soft cloth 

 may be used for wiping or oiling. I believe 

 canton flannel the best all around cleaning 

 medium. I buy bleached canton flannel, 

 because it will absorb water more readily 

 than the "unbleached. I have it thoroughly 

 washed and rinsed to remove any dressing 

 it may contain. When it is thoroughly dry 

 I cut it into squares of such size that one or 

 more, when forced into the rifle with the 

 rod, will make a snug fit. I find the fuzzy 

 side next to the barrel does best work. 

 Keep it stored in a box where it will re- 

 main free from dust. 



Soda solution, for neutralizing and 

 loosening the residue : Put one pound of 

 sodium carbonate, or washing soda, into a 

 pint bottle, then fill the bottle with rain 

 water, and label it soda solution for cleans- 

 ing gun barrels. 



Have at hand plenty of good non-drying 

 oil ; vegetable oils must not be used. I 

 prefer the best grade of machine lubricating 

 oil, such as is used for oiling engines and 

 machinery. It is a paraffin oil or a vaseline 

 that remains fluid at ordinary temperatures. 

 It never gets gummj^, and, I think, pre- 

 vents rust better than animal oils. 



Mercurial ointment is useful for applying 

 to inside of clean barrels to prevent rust. 

 Vaseline is much used for that purpose, 

 but is no better than the lubricating oil 

 mentioned above. 



To clean a gun, take the proper sized 

 cleaning rod, and after wetting one or more 

 squares of canton flannel with the soda 

 solution, and squeezing out the surplus, 

 force repeatedly throughout the length of 

 the barrel. When one square of cloth is 

 soiled take a new one. After thus swab- 

 bing the barrel wipe it dry by means of 

 the cleaning rod and dry squares of canton 

 flannel. Then swab with another square 

 saturated with oil. Repeat this until the 

 cloths come out perfectly white after being 

 used. Finish by swabbing with a clean 

 cloth and some mercurial ointment. Use 

 until every part of the inside of the barrel 

 is coated with the ointment. Be careful 

 not to get it on gold, silver, brass or cop- 

 per articles, for the mercury will combine 

 with those metals and the article will be 



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