Caring for Your Remington 870 After a Wet Hunt in the Bush

Picking your way back to the ute with a soaked Remington 870 slung over your shoulder is a familiar scene for many Australian hunters. Whether you have been chasing sambar deer in the Victorian high country, flushing rabbits along a flooded Murray River plain, or pushing through coastal scrub during a sudden downpour on the New South Wales south coast, moisture finds its way into every shotgun action eventually. The pump-action design is famously tough, yet even the 870's reputation for reliability depends on proper cleaning and lubrication once the hunt is over.

Treating your firearm to a careful dry-out, scrub, and oil session within twenty-four hours of exposure is the surest way to prevent surface corrosion, keep the action slick, and preserve its value for decades. The process is straightforward, requires only a few inexpensive tools, and rewards you with a shotgun that runs as smoothly the next time you shoulder it as it did the day you first racked the forend.

Getting the Shotgun Home Safely

Before any cleaning begins, the shotgun needs to be transported home in line with the firearm laws that apply in your state. In Queensland and the Northern Territory, the firearm must be unloaded and secured in a locked container during travel, while Victorian hunters face similar requirements under Section 74 of the Firearms Act. New South Wales shooters heading back through regional towns like Dubbo or Tamworth are reminded that the 870 must be stored in a locked, rigid compartment that is out of sight.

Once you are home in the garage or shed, point the muzzle in a safe direction, confirm the chamber and magazine tube are empty, and set the safety on. Lay out a clean towel, a small tray for parts, some lint-free patches, a nylon brush, and a bottle of quality gun oil. Many Australian hunters also keep a can of compressed air on the bench for blowing water out of hard-to-reach recesses. If you need replacement brushes, oils, or even a fresh recoil pad after a rough session in the salt-stiff air of Western Australia's south-west, you can browse the full Remington Firearms Store catalogue for genuine parts and accessories.

Field Disassembly and Water Removal

The 870 was designed to be stripped without tools, which makes post-hunt cleaning far less of a chore. Push the forend forward off the magazine tube, depress the action bar latch, and lift the barrel off the receiver. From there, the bolt group slides forward and out of the action. Keep the trigger group housed inside the receiver unless you are confident working with the sear and hammer springs.

Lay the components on the towel and tip the receiver upside down to drain any pooled water from the trigger assembly. Tap the magazine tube gently against the bench so trapped moisture falls out the loading gate end. Pay attention to the lifter, which is notorious for holding moisture against the magazine tube wall. A quick blast of compressed air helps push droplets out of the small relief holes at the receiver's lower edge.

Drying the Action and Internal Components

Resist the temptation to speed up drying with a heat gun or hair dryer on high, as Australian summers already test metal temperatures on a closed ute tray. Instead, leave the parts in a warm, dry spot with low humidity for an hour or two, or sit them near (not on) a dehumidifier. Silica gel packets tucked into your gun cabinet help on humid days in Brisbane or Townsville.

Use a soft microfiber cloth to wipe every surface you can reach, including the inside of the receiver, the magazine tube interior, and the bolt body. Drag a dry patch through the bore to draw out moisture the cloth cannot reach. If you hunt in salt-prone coastal areas such as the Coorong or around Tasmania's Derwent estuary, take an extra moment here, because salt residue continues drawing moisture long after the gun appears dry.

Deep Cleaning the Barrel and Magazine Tube

Now is the time to introduce a quality bore solvent. Run a bore brush soaked in solvent down the bore in one direction, then back it out, repeating several times before pushing clean patches through until they emerge grey-white. Inspect the muzzle and chamber with a small torch and check for any signs of pitting that may have started under failed bluing during a wet morning on a waterfowl opener.

Clean the magazine tube with a long, flexible brush wrapped in a patch, working from the loading gate end. The interior of this tube rarely gets hot enough to carbonise powder residue, but it does collect waxy lubricant, leaf litter, and the occasional muddy splash. Wipe down the lifter pivot pin and the shell latching tab with a patch moistened in solvent. If you want to compare the 870's slide-action feel with another Remington platform for next season, the bolt-action comparison breaks down which centre-fire suits different hunting styles.

Lubricating the Action and Key Contact Points

With everything clean and bone-dry, the oiling stage should be conservative rather than generous. Pump-action shotguns rely on thin films rather than wet coatings, because excess lubricant collects debris and gums up the carrier and shell latch.

Place a single drop of oil on each of the bolt locking lugs, the bolt rails, and the top of the carrier dog. Run a thin bead along the magazine tube where the action bar rides, and oil the lifter pivot. Treat the trigger group pins to a whisper of oil only, because the sear engagement points do not need lubrication and can be fouled by it. Slide the assembly back together, work the action a dozen times to spread the film, then wipe away any visible surplus on the exterior.

Checking for Rust, Wear, and Stock Condition

A slow walk around the shotgun with a torch is wise before you put it away. Look closely at the blueing around the magazine cap, the ejection port, and the trigger guard for any pinpricks of orange. Australian humidity, especially during a La Niña summer, will exploit any nick in the finish within weeks. Light surface rust can be removed with a fine scouring pad and a drop of oil, blended gently so the surrounding finish is not disturbed.

Inspect the synthetic or walnut stock for swelling if you have been hunting in prolonged rain. A damp stock can warp slightly, which then upsets your cheek weld and point of aim. Loosen the stock bolt, let everything dry another day, and recheck. For shooters who also pack a sidearm on pig-dogging trips through the bracken, the curated pistol selection gives a starting point for a second piece that holds up to similar wet-field abuse.

Storage Practices for Australian Conditions

Long-term storage is where many otherwise well-cared-for 870s begin to suffer. Keep the shotgun in a locked cabinet that meets your state's safe-keeping requirements, ideally in a climate-controlled room rather than a tin-roof shed that bakes in summer and sweats in winter. A vapour-phase corrosion inhibitor strip placed inside the action for long-term storage offers added protection.

Wherever you choose to store it, crack the action open so air can circulate through the bore. Wipe the outside of the gun down with a silicone-impregnated cloth to repel moisture and fingerprints. Run a couple of dry patches through the bore every few months, especially if you live within a few kilometres of salt water, as airborne salt keeps working long after the hunt is over.

If your pump is looking tired, parts are sluggish, or you simply want to add another legal firearm to the cabinet, the team at Remington Firearms Store ships directly to your nominated FFL dealer across Australia, and ammunition orders over the qualifying AUD threshold can be sent to your door in eligible postcodes. Drop in, set up a customer account for faster checkout, and keep the tracker running on every shipment so your next piece arrives ready for the season ahead.