Bringing a nice gun to the duck blind

[Pucky Freak]

I beat the crap out of shotguns waterfowling...far more than upland hunting, so I take the utility gun for ducks and geese.

But if I HAD to take a nice shotgun duck hunting - wipe down with oil beforehand, then wipe with a clean dry cloth. After you get back to the truck wipe down with a dry cloth, then clean when you get home.

In IA you can transport a long gun in a vehicle without a case if you have a conceal carry permit... check the regs in your state to see if there’s any legal way to transport the gun out of the case...it’s basically a rust accelerator for any moisture on the gun, which can come from as little as humidity and globs of gunpowder residue inside the barrel.

 

[cwitherow]

You are all tempting me to bring it out for duck opener in a few weeks! To be clear, the gun in question is a Franchi Instinct SL, which is "nice" to me. Thank you for the advice and tips. I hadn't thought of oiling it prior to the hunt. Other than the metal, anything to protect the wood?

 

[longbow51]

You are all tempting me to bring it out for duck opener in a few weeks! To be clear, the gun in question is a Franchi Instinct SL, which is "nice" to me. Thank you for the advice and tips. I hadn't thought of oiling it prior to the hunt. Other than the metal, anything to protect the wood?

 

[S13tsilvia]

Spray the whole thing with inox, wood and all. Most of the time the wood is coated with a a waterproof outer layer from factory but a bit of oil never hurt.
Get out and make some memories !

 

[thusby]

My duck guns take a beating in comparison to my upland guns. I think you just have to go for it and damn the consequences.

 

[JLS]

Please don’t oil the stock. Use wax instead.

 

[Slightball]

My duck guns take a beating in comparison to my upland guns. I think you just have to go for it and damn the consequences.

Basically this. Take care of it but be prepared for some wear and tear. That's what makes the memories!

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I shoot a 30 year old Browning Citori.
I take it into duck camp for 10-days of hunting.
Before going out I put a coat of Johnson's paste wax on the metal and wood.
I use a Koplin gun boot in the boat...hard case for protection, waterproof and mud proof.
Lots of mud and muddy water hunting out of a boat, canoe, pirogue, and jet sled depending on water levels.


After duck season ends, back at home I take the stock off to make sure the fireing pin springs are not starting to rust.

 

[mtmiller]

Last year I had a few sweet late season hunts where I accessed the area from the uplands and only got in the water to set up decoys, so wasn’t too worried to take the Guerini. Most of my historical hunting has been out of a marsh boat in mud up to my knees. In those cases it is the Benelli in hand. Over 20 years with the M1 and I have beat the crap out of it. Still very happy with that purchase. Guerini won’t be used on those hunts.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I hunt a lot of waterfowl and uplands every year. And also put two to three thousand rounds in the air at the range during the summer (mostly breaking the targets I shoot at - skeet and trap averages are both 22.5 and clays usually about 70%). And all through the same gun: an old Browning "humpback" I rebuilt. Here's a few things I've learned over the years. Go plastic. Save the wood for show-and-tell or resale. Buy a gun case that opens down the side instead of dropping in through the top. Sliding the gun in and out of the case through the top will take a toll on the blueing, especially at the muzzle. I use 3-in-one machine oil to protect the outside of my guns. Does a great job of protecting the metal. Most "gun oils" are too light and brush off during the day afield. Throw WD-40 in the trash! Some guys use 30 wt car oil to protect the gun's exterior. Oil of any sort can be hard on stocks so I strongly recommend storing shotguns muzzle down or oil will seep into end grain at receiver and discolour and soften the wood. Storing a shotgun on its muzzle won't harm it (maybe don't do that with a rifle though). Oil in the wood is another reason to go plastic. Nothing bothers it (though I have heard some bug dope is hard on camo dip finish). If my gun gets wet I also set it up in the front seat with heater running full blast to dry it ASAP. And finally, if you use a slip-on recoil pad ALWAYS remove it and dry out after hunting in wet conditions. Moisture gets trapped underneath and wrecks the wood finish.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Back from a 10-day muddy hunt, but little rain.

Done for the season with my Citori.
So remove the stock from the receiver to clean and lubricate...
I start with the lower firing pin which typically is the dirtiest of the 2.
Hammers cocked, remove the retaining pin and the firing pin drops out easily.

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

While I do not hunt with wood guns anymore in the duck blind, how I would do it now would be a hard case and if the gun is not physically being held in my hands, it would be in the case. The clean and oil everyone is recommending would be done afterwards. I have a very nice wingmaster I scratched up too much for my liking shooting teal in the Sacramento valley. I would not recommend hunting out of concrete barrels with a wood gun. to many times raising it out of the barrel to shoulder it ended up in having scratches and dents on the stock.