Gents;

This topic has probably been discussed before, but please enlighten me on the most effective way of cleaning screw-in chokes on my Beretta Silver Pigeon. The gunk seems to be oblivious to any amount of Hoppe's, WD40 or any other cleaner applied to it.

Also, the gun is pretty new (500 rounds or so). I have noticed that the action is picking up what looks like "heat stains" on the engraving just below the barrel hinges. It transpires as a dark grey shading where the most heat is generated. How (if possible) can this be removed without damage to the finish?

I would like pretty common cleaning aids in your solutions to the above - I live in South Africa (Johannesburg) and we sometimes battle to get our grubby little paws on the specialised stuff that you guys pick from the shelves at your nearest gunshop.

Thanx guys

For the chokes, try some brake cleaner or carburator cleaner. The stuff in a spray can. Use it out-of-doors, as it is nasty stuff, hard on the body. A good brushing is still indicated, however.

The best "purpose" cleaner I have used is Butch's. It still requires elbow grease (i.e. cleaning with a brush or jag with patch).

Can't help with the stains, sorry. FWIW, Dutch.

Ditto on the carburator cleaner....If that doesnt do it, you need steel wool.

Here's how I clean mine (if they get really dirty, which I try not to let happen). Some of you may not want to read this.

Take a pocket knife and scrape the plastic wad fouling out. I dont worry about damaging the choke, because 1) these (most new ones) will withstand steel shot which would cause more damage than running a pocket knife over them and 2) shotguns aren't precision instruments like rifles, and bore imperfections aren't going to hurt the pattern like they would a rifle.

So I scrape out most of it, then give it a good judicious scrubbing with a bore brush. On the bore brush I use a ISO-BORE or something like that, which is a paste. Then spray on stuff and then scrubb and then that about gets it.

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Are you sure you just aren't wearing the blueing off by carrying/laying the gun across your arm? Almost all my friends who shoot a lot of skeet have worn the blueing off the bottom of thier guns, and it resembles basically what you're saying with the discoloration.

Crazy, you're right, I didn't want to read that. Probably works fine, though! Dutch.

Break Free bore cleaner,,works on plastic fouling like brake fluid on a new paint job,,does good for lifting
the lead fouling out of my .45's as well.Leave it sit for an hour or so,,,then come back to it.And thier lube's are second to none,,slippery as snot,You pay big bucks for the clp version,mil.spec.,,1/2 price for the pcl,,,have yet to see a difference between them.Shake well before using!!!!!!!Have fun!!!!!Clay.

Brownell's makes an excellent plastic remover for bores and for chokes. See www.brownells.com .

Would gasoline work the same?