12-Oct-2026
Yes, and the short answer is: make it safe, dry it thoroughly before you do anything else, clean the barrels and action, add a very light film of oil, and store the gun somewhere it can stay dry. The order matters more than the products. A wet gun put away in a damp slip is how most rust starts, so the drying is the part not to rush.
This guide is for UK game shooters of every experience level, whether you have just come in from a soaking drive or a long day on the rough shoot. It is general good practice rather than a replacement for your gun’s manual, so always follow the maker’s advice for your particular gun, and if anything looks wrong, ask a gunsmith.
Make it safe, then get it out of the wet
Before anything else, check the gun is unloaded, with the chambers clear, and keep the muzzles pointing in a safe direction while you do it. That sounds obvious at the end of a long day, but tired hands and a hurry to get indoors are exactly when habits slip. Check it every time, even if you know it has not been loaded since the last drive.
Then get the gun out of the slip. A slip that has been in the rain is a damp sponge wrapped around your barrels, and leaving a wet gun inside one overnight, or in a car boot, is the most common way a good day ends with a rusty gun. Stand the gun somewhere safe indoors, open or broken, and let the slip dry separately.
If the gun has been properly soaked, take a moment to look at where the water has gone. It runs into the action, under the forend and along the rib, and those are the places that stay wet longest.
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Dry first, and do it gently
Wipe the whole gun down with a clean, soft, absorbent cloth. Start with the outside of the barrels and the action, then the stock, then dry the inside of the barrels and the chambers. Take your time around the joints, the hinge pin area, the ejectors, and the underside of the barrels, where moisture likes to hide.
Many shooters take the gun apart as far as the manual describes, which for most break-action guns means removing the forend and separating the barrels from the action. This lets the water drain and the air reach the places a cloth cannot. Only go as far as the maker’s instructions say. Stripping the lock work is a job for a gunsmith, not the kitchen table.
After wiping, leave the gun to dry naturally at room temperature in a well-aired spot. Avoid putting it close to a radiator, a fire, or a hairdryer. Fast, strong heat can mark finishes and dry out wood unevenly, and it is not needed when patience will do the job. A few hours is usually better than a few minutes.
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Clean the barrels and chambers
Once everything is dry, clean the bores. A pull-through or a rod with the right mop or patches does the job, and the aim is simply to remove fouling, wad residue, and any moisture you missed. A few passes with a clean patch will show you quickly whether the bore is clear: when the patch comes out clean and dry, you are done.
Look down each barrel against the light. You should see a bright, even surface. If you spot pitting, a dark patch that will not wipe off, or a dent, do not try to fix it yourself, and have a gunsmith take a look before the gun is used again.
If your gun has multi-choke tubes, remove them and clean them separately, and clean the threads they sit in. Tubes that are left in all season can pick up fouling and, in a bad case, become hard to remove. Follow the maker’s advice on what to put on the threads, and refit them hand-tight with the correct key if the manual says so.
If you shoot non-toxic loads such as steel, check with the gun maker that your gun is suitable and follow your shoot’s rules on cartridges. The cleaning routine afterwards is the same: dry first, then clean.
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Oil lightly, and look after the wood
With the metalwork clean and dry, apply a thin film of a gun oil made for the purpose to the metal surfaces, using a cloth rather than a spray where you can. A very light coat is what you want. Too much oil can run into the stock and the wood around the head of the stock, and softened wood is a bigger problem than a little surface rust. Wipe the excess off, then wipe the barrels over once more.
Inside the action, a tiny amount of oil on the moving parts and the hinge is usually enough. Your manual, or a gunsmith, will tell you where your gun wants it.
The stock needs a gentle approach after a wet day. Wipe it dry, let it air, and never soak it or use heat to dry it out. Walnut and checkering can handle a day in the rain, but it prefers a slow dry to a quick one. A gentle wipe with a soft cloth and, if you like, a stock wax or oil at the end of the season is better than anything dramatic.
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Storing the gun until the next shoot day
Store the gun dry, in a secure cabinet or safe, ideally in a room that does not swing between damp and warm. A gun stored in a cold garage or a damp outbuilding will always be fighting condensation, however carefully you cleaned it. If your cabinet is in a particularly damp spot, a moisture absorber placed inside is one simple extra step.
Keep the gun out of its slip while it is in the cabinet, unless the slip is breathable and fully dry, and always dry the slip before a gun goes back into it. A gun slip lined with a damp lining will undo all your work in a night.
Finally, take a short moment before the next shoot to check the gun again: a light wipe-over, a look down the barrels and a check that the chokes are fitted as you want them. Ten minutes of attention at each end of the day is worth more than an hour of repairs in the spring.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should I clean my shotgun? Many shooters give their gun a basic clean after every day out, and a more thorough clean at the end of the season. After a wet day, do not leave it for later: dry it the same evening.
How do I dry a shotgun that got soaked? Make it safe, wipe it down, take it apart as far as the manual allows, and leave it to dry at room temperature in a well-aired room. Avoid direct heat. If it was very wet, check it again the next day.
Do I need to strip the whole gun every time? No. Separating the barrels from the action and removing the forend, as your manual describes, is enough for a normal clean. Leave the lock work to a gunsmith.
What should I do if I find rust or pitting? Light surface marks can often be wiped away, but anything deeper, or any dent or bulge in a barrel, should go to a gunsmith before the gun is used again.
Ready to browse shotguns?
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Further reading: Winter gun care, Preparing for the shooting season, Shotgun fit explained and Shooting glasses
