Care of Guns During and After Firing.
Always while firing keep the bore as clean as possible. If there is time to swab out between shots, do so. During continued firing a bucket of water should be kept near the gun, and the sponge on the rammers staff kept wet while swabbing. Watch the recoil indicator and occasionally push it ahead so as to be sure you are getting a correct reading. Be sure that the gun returns fully into battery after each shot. Keep the ammunition, and especially the rotating bands, free from dust and dirt.
The rotating band should be greased very lightly with cosmis just before inserting the projectile into the breech. In continued firing, oil the slides frequently. Keep the fuze setter clean and be careful that no dirt gets down around the stop pin. Examine the breech recess frequently and wipe out all dirt and brass filing that may accumulate. The gun should be cleaned thoroughly immediately after firing. Make a solution of one pound of sal soda in one gallon of boiling water. Remove the breechblock and carrier, and let one man clean and oil it thoroughly while the rest of the gun is being cleaned. Remove the sponge from the rammer staff, and over the brass rammer, fit a piece of folded burlap. Fold this burlap as many times as you can and still force it through the bore. Soak the burlap in the sal soda solution and swab the bore out thoroughly. Be careful to remove all copper filing, and the bore should be as bright as a piece of glass when finished. After cleaning it is best though not absolutely necessary to swab out with clean water. Then dry thoroughly with a dry swab, and grease every exposed surface. In cleaning the breechblock and firing mechanism always dismantle it completely. Clean and oil the slides, fuze setters and all parts of the carriage. Decap the empty cartridge cases and wash them out thoroughly with the sal soda solution. There is a decapping set with every battery. Rinse out in clean water and set them in the sun to dry.