Maintenance

Any weapon used for the humane destruction of animals should be correctly maintained, cleaned and oiled after use, even if has only discharged one shot.

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

The inside of the barrel should be thoroughly cleaned out and be free of any condensation. The outside of the gun should be cleaned and then a thin film of oil applied all over, using an oily rag. A drop of oil should be applied regularly to all moving parts, but avoid getting oil into the breech of any weapon. 

Every six months, regardless of whether or not the weapon has been used, it should be taken out, inspected and thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. A logbook should be kept in the gun cabinet and, every time a weapon is used and/or cleaned, the details should be recorded and dated (Table 4). Similarly, a logbook should be kept in the ammunition cabinet and entries made for each type of ammunition, to record when it is bought and when it is used (Table 5).

Table 4 Example of entries in a gun cabinet logbook

Table 5 Example of entries in an ammunition logbook