Do you shoot your O/U shotgun in the rain / during bad weather?

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IrvJr

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Hi All,

I have a Browning Cynergy over/under shotgun with a wood stock and forend. It's my only shotgun, and I really love this gun. I use it for clay sports.

I haven't really shot this gun yet during the rain (other than during a light mist). However, I am tempted to shoot regardless of the weather (rain or light snow).

Do you shoot your O/U in the rain? If so, what do you do to prep your gun before the rain and to clean and dry your gun after the rain. I am concerned about rusting up my gun or the internals of my gun.

If I were to shoot in the rain, would it be sufficient for me to remove the stock and air dry (or use a hair dryer) the action, then spray it with some CLP? What else should I do to help prevent rust?

Thanks in advance
 
Don't own or ever intend to own an o/u shotgun, but it seems you have more of a general shotgun care question. You should keep a light coat of gun oil on the inside and out of your shotgun. CLP is fine, gun oil is fine.

WD-40 I can tell you from personal experience is not fine protection for the inner workings of your shotgun. For an o/u I guess there really aren't any, but anyway Cold/wet days will turn the WD-40 into a milky mess and gum up the action in semi-autos.

As long as you have a light coat of gun oil the shotgun rain/snow will not hurt it. Take it down and clean it at first opportunity. Wipe out the water and reapply the oil. If you can't clean it right away, you want to be sure to keep it somewhere where it can air dry. Don't put it in the case and leave it.
 
If I were to shoot in the rain, would it be sufficient for me to remove the stock and air dry (or use a hair dryer) the action, then spray it with some CLP? What else should I do to help prevent rust?
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what I do and I shoot my o/u in all kinds of weather. I remove the stock, take out the choke tubes, remove the forend and dry the gun with a hair dryer. Then the metal parts get a light oil coating. Be sparing with the oil and don't use the gun oil on your stock.

I don't do anything to the gun in advance of bad weather. The key thing is to get the gun dry ASAP after shooting.
 
Rain never kept me from taking my 1930s Browning Superposed for a hunt. I use gun grease on all outside surfaces. Never had a problem with any of my guns in the rain.
 
I take Rem Oil Wipes. If my gun has been wiped down with them before going out also, the water beads up on the barrel pretty well and the gun dries by itself, mostly.

And yes, I take it down and clean it when I get home, too.

That said, my O/U is for upland hunting, and in really heavy rain and/or wind, the birds stay put, so I'm not out there. The water in a light rain doesn't get into the action or anything, unless you do something dumb.
 
I lightly oil my gun.when wet I strip down,(stock,forend barrel).I leave to air dry after rubbing off excess moisture for 3-4 hours at room temp.I never use a hairdryer,this can blow beaded water into any cracks on the gun,behind action etc.I then clean and re oil,I never spray directly onto a gun but rather spray onto a cloth and apply.I always store my guns barrel down,this ensures excess oil runs down the barrel and not into the stock.
 
Yes.
I am not a "fair weather shooter".

Johnson's Paste Wax and RIG are two old products that still work very well.

We would prep the gun, metal off the wood, and use JPW in bolt holes, and everything. Bolt itself gets a dab of RIG.
JPW used on metal and wood.

One can do the JPW on the wood only and treat metal with RIG.
 
+1 to the RemOil wipes, RemOil is good stuff.

Twenty years ago I would take my O/U out in any weather, but that was back in my competition days.

Nowadays I'm a wimp and on nasty days I just stay in.
 
Thanks Fellas. I will pick up some aerosol Rem Oil and some Rem Oil wipes and look into the JPW and RIG products.

Thanks again for the replies. I am hoping to transition from a fair weather shooter to an all weather shooter.
 
I won't a hunting gun that I'm afraid to take out in the rain. Gun oil and proper cleaning immediately when you get home should eliminate the possibility of rust.
 
I don't want to own a shotgun I can't use to hunt when hunting time can be had. That being said, I clean my guns and keep them in top shape. I wipe mine down with rem oil or clp etc before I go out in inclimate weather. I wipe them down when I get home before disassembly to get most of the water off them. Then I disassemble and clean them like any other time. If the weather has been really wet, after cleaning I put the gun beneath an old heat lamp for a few hours to help evaporate any unseen moisture. Leave the action open while in storage if you are worried about drying Wipe down the outside again with an oily rag after a week or so if you don't get to use it again.

IMHO... I have seen a lot more shotguns in cabinets with rusty finger prints from folks handling while looking at them than rust caused from use during the rain! Just don't ignore the gun and treat it well and everything will be fine.
 
I've shot clays with my Browning 425 in everything from a light drizzle to driving rain to snow. Just give it a good cleaning/oiling afterwards and make sure circulating air can get to it for a couple of days to dry everything out.
 
I've hunted in driving rain, blowing snow and sleet and even had a couple of my nice Browings under water, by accident of course. Just clean them and oil them back up good.
 
My experience with bird hunting in the rain with an O/U was that the metal was the easy part. The hard part was the wood. Mine had only an oiled finish, and I didn't wipe the water off right away when I was done, and it caused it to raise the grain. I had to take steel wool to knock it back down and then put a few coats of tung oil on it. Make sure you take care of both components.
 
Yes. My O'U is basically a range tool, but it works as well when it's moist as dry.

For hunting, I'm more inclined to my 870s.
 
Thanks guys.

Is it necessary to remove the wooden stock off the receiver after it's been in the rain?
 
My Cynergy hasn't been in a downpour yet, but it has been out in a few showers. I used Johnson's paste wax before taking it out (this had nothing to do with the rain, it's just that I put it on most of my shotguns) and the water just sort of beads on it. Wipe it down and oil it when you get home. No problems.

It's my most expensive shotgun, and I treat it nicely in that I don't bring it to the duck blind, but the gun can certainly handle a little rain when it blows through.

I've got an older Beretta O/U that has been out in a couple storms and it looks fine too.
 
I live in Oregon and if you don't shoot when it's raining here, you don't do much shooting. Just a light coat of CLP before I head out then disassemble wipe down and light coat of CLP when I get back.
 
No need to remove the stock.The vast majority of guns will stand up to the severest of weather.I take mine on tidal sea marsh it gets covered in mud and salt water and it still going strong with no rust for twelve years.At the end of the season I strip it naked.I note from a previous post a chaps stock had swollen.Even a oiled stock should not rise.You need to be putting at least 30 light coats on,spaced out at a two day period.
 
Thanks guys. Your posts have been very helpful.

I'm glad that it's not necessary to remove the stock from the receiver all of the time. i think I'll dry out my gun near a radiator instead of removing the stock all of the time.

I'm concerned about removing my wooden stock to frequently. The Inflex recoil pad looks like it is held in place by wood screws and I'm concerned about stripping away the wood that holds the screws in place if I keep removing and installing the recoil pad to get at the bolt that holds the stock onto the receiver.

I'm going to buy some Johnson Paste Wax soon and wax my stock and foreend.
 
I have a Browning 525 Sporting O/U. This is a good range/competition shotgun. I'm a little leary about getting the wood furniture wet because this can cause the stocks to expand, crack and/or warp if it absorbs enough water and is not good for the finish. If you're looking for an O/U that you don't you don't have to worry about in bad weather, Ruger makes a version of their Red Label that's stainless steel and has synthetic stock furniture.
 
I have a Ruger Red Label All-Weather 12ga... Stainless steel for all exposed metal components, black plastic stocks. This is a wonderful gun for taking out in inclement weather.
 
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