I have a 20 GA Cordoba that I have had around 5 years. I use it for doves in Argentina. I shoot it perhaps 6,000 times a year.

We are packing tonight. We leave Saturday. As I was putting the gun in the case, I noticed something. Most of the ports are totally blocked. I got a toothpick and tried to clear the ports. Let's say it was extremely difficult and all could not be cleared.

I imagine this is the product of those dirty shells down there. Do you think this is a problem to shoot? I have never noticed it before.

Thanks.

not a real problem..... Are you talking about the ports on the barrel that face up? A paperclip works pretty good.... Or just have the birdboys clean it after the first day....

Larry

If it is the ports on the barrel then you shouldn't have a problem.

If it is in the internal workings then probably best to use the paper clip just to be sure. I've seen a couple of pressure injuries from Semi autos and they are far more dangerous than double in that respect due to the moving parts.

Enjoy the trip,
Kiri

It is the ports.

I guess what alarmed me is that I have never seen this before. I think the gun has been to Argentina 6 times. Why now?

Some of the blockage is hard as steel.

If there is still time, a drill bit that fits will get you through and you can keep them open by occasional use. No drill needed, just the bit and fingers.

Larry

I have a perrazzi MX8 skeet gun that has ported barrels. I remember there being a big build up of hard residue in that too a few years back.

I can only say that "dirtier" powders down there must play a part. It would be interesting to know if ported barrels have an impact on the rate at which gasses cool down in comparison to the end of the barrel.

K

Just saw this post.....ok so Benelli Cordoba 20 ga is an intertia operated shotgun. It does not have gas ports in the barrel for shooting mechanism to work (like a Beretta Teknys).

The porting done towards the business end of the barrel is usually done to reduce the "vertical muzzle jump". Why do it ? So you could acquire the next target/bird a bit faster (we are talking milliseconds here). Some people like ported barrels, some do not. I love ported barrels both for Sporting Clays as well as hunting.

Over time, the plastic build up from the wads gets caught up in the ports. Depending upon your shooting volume you may have to clean the ports out every couple of months.

Here is a brush made specifically for cleaning shotgun ports.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...-PORT-CLEANING-BRUSH

If the gun is camo coated then try to scrape/punch the crud out of the clogged ports. If it is not camo coated (just metal) then you can try dipping the clogged area in a solvent, hopefully it will loosen the crud out and it will come out much easily.

The gun came ported. I imagine it is for recoil reduction given the design for high volume. That is speculation on my part.

A clogged port gives me no concern in general terms. A entire barrel of first time clogged ports after perhaps 30,000 rounds of shooting concerns me. It just seems odd.

I am in Argentina. The gun has shot great. No further port issues .

One thing occurs to be. The one and only time I have been to Argentina in hot weather was JAnuary. The dirty shells and the heat may have have resulted in the clogged ports. Over time,this gunk may have hardened .

I have shot approximately 4750 times. No problems except for the odd cycling problem which was rare. Can't complain with the performance.

@larryshores

Post some pics if you get a chance.

I used to wash my semi auto shotgun in petrol
to clean off all the crud that collects on parts and port holes.

You might want to try something like Wipe Out Tactical Advantage that is specifically designed to remove carbon and powder fouling.

Although aimed at the M16 type semi auto market,
it works on other things as well.

http://sharpshootr.com/tactical%20adv.htm


I have a mate who uses the Wipe Out Foam bore cleaner to clean his shotgun barrels as it strips the plastic residue out without any scrubbing. Just make sure you lubricate and oil the gun barrels afterwards as Wipe Out takes out ALL oils from the barrel and pores of the steel.

You can also get plastic wad residue narrowing the choke around the muzzle area. How long it takes of course depends on not just how much shooting, but how much choke. I discovered that from volume shooting on the trap range. We used full chokes which no doubt contributed to the problem.

I first tried a brass cleaning brush, which didn't get it done well enough. So I took to carving it out with a slim long bladed knife. But then someone told me there's a proper tool for that.

Ports in barrels I learned to strictly avoid, also because of the trap range.

Have you ever stood on the station beside someone who was shooting one of those???

Collector:

I have no idea how to post pictures from my I phone.

I will say that we just shot doves for 3 days at Los Chanares. This was my 8th trip with them. I can't imagine a better place. Fantastic lodge. Great food. Service is very good. Shooting is amazing. No long drives to the fields . I shot as much as I thought I could take physically. For example, yesterday afternoon, I fired 1250 rounds. I got 1019 doves.

I am sitting in Estancia La Chacra right not. Going on my first of 12 duck shoots in 2 hours.

@505G
Petrol works great for gun cleaning, however I would not use it if the gun is dipped in camo. Over time the solvents just strip the coating. But for all metal parts Petrol does a fine job. Hell that is what many outfitters use in Argentina to clean the lodge guns. I am not too crazy about its smell though.

@Shack
Ports can be really loud in a duck blind too

@larryshores
Way to go, that is an awesome average alomost 82%. That is fantastic, you should be very proud of it. Head out to John Woolley for a couple of days clinic when you get a chance...he will elevate you to the next level.
I guess we will wait until you come back and share the hunting pics. Have a wonderful trip.

54 ducks for me yesterday afternoon. 6 different species.

Not bad.

Personally, I would like at least once to duck hunt in a place where it's called a "duck shoot" instead of a "duck hunt"...

..and getting to skip the more fun parts...no long boat ride with icy wind in your face that makes your eyes water and sting, no outboards that quit at 4 a.m. in the Mississippi River's main barge channel, no tripping over underwater logs, no falling in beaver runs over your head, no using paddles to break ice, no more having to go fetch a boat to retrieve a duck when no dog's handy, no getting out and walking on the ice to pull a boat, no dragging long lines of decoys til you're ready to drop, no freezing til your mouth no longer can blow a call, and no more pulling boats over levees..

If there's a better way I'm ready to try it. And leave the old style for guys who are far younger and way more physically fit.

Shack:

This is the place to go for a hunt without all those problems. I shot 84 this morning . I was rarely in water over knee deep. Blinds already built . Less than a dozen decoys.

Larry, just leave that gun at Los Chanares and I will check it out for you when I get there in 2 weeks! Ha

Enjoy the rest of your hunt!

Jason

Lots of birds there. Many improvements to the hunting areas. It was fantastic before , better now.

We are back. We had a hell of a good hunt at both Los Chanares & La Chacra. I shot about 3,800 doves and 732 ducks. I will post a report with pictures as soon as I have time.