Step-by-Step Maintenance

In the EU, manufacturers of stunning equipment are required by law to provide instructions for the safe and proper use and maintenance of the equipment; manufacturers' instructions must always be followed.

The following procedures are written principally for the Cash Special model. All references are to Figure 2, which is a diagram of the Cash Special. The broad principles apply equally to all cartridge-fired captive-bolt equipment, regardless of manufacturer or model.

	Figure 2: Penetrative, trigger-fired captive-bolt stunnerKey: Bolt (A), Stop washers (B), Flange & piston (C), Expansion chamber (D), Breech (E), Ejector (F), Hammer (G), Trigger mechanism (H), Trigger (I), Undercut (J), Recuperator Sleeves (K)

Daily Maintenance

Each time a captive-bolt stunner is used it should be cleaned to prevent corrosion and hardening of carbon deposits. It is essential that the following simple operations are carried out in order to ensure maximum bolt velocity and effective stunning:

1. Unscrew the muzzle from the barrel and remove the bolt assembly, i.e. bolt, washers and recuperator sleeves. Older models may have rubber collars or Plasticine instead of recuperator sleeves.
2. Wipe out the inside of the barrel with a soft, dry cloth and scrub with a wire brush to remove the day’s soft powder and sludge. This is best done while the barrel is still warm and before the powder solidifies.
3. Remove the washers and recuperator sleeves (or their equivalent) from the bolt and remove any carbon using a wire wheel or brush. Once cleaned, wipe the bolt over with a lightly oiled rag..
4. Clean any  powder and/or sludge from the recuperator sleeves and washers, reassemble them on the bolt in a different order to that in which they were removed, i.e. move former middle sleeves to the ends and former end sleeves to the middle. End sleeves wear the fastest, so rearranging the order minimises uneven wear. A full set of sleeves should last for approximately 4,000 shots.
5. Using the tool provided, remove any carbon deposits from the breech and tap out onto a hard surface, such as a wooden table-top.
6. Reassemble the stunner and wipe all metal parts with an oily rag. Wrap the stunner in an oily rag before locking it away in a secure cabinet.

The enlarged diameter inside the barrel at the breech block end (the undercut), must be kept from filling with powder, otherwise bolt return and stunning power will be adversely affected. Therefore, in addition to daily cleaning, the following procedure should be carried out weekly with an undercut cleaning tool which is provided with the stunner:

Weekly maintenance