Inspection, cleaning and the practical test

Basic inspection starts, as always, with unloading and checking the gun is empty. Then the unit standard's key check: the barrel is clear and dry. Open the action and look through the barrel from the breech end towards the light. You want to see clear daylight and no oil pooling. Then look over the stock for cracks, the hinge for looseness on a break-action, the action and the choke. If anything looks or feels wrong, stop and get it checked.

Basic maintenance in the unit standard means cleaning and lubricating without tools, though a cleaning kit is fine. Unload and check first, and take all cartridges out of the room. Run a bore brush on a rod through the barrel, then clean patches until they come out clean. Wipe a thin coat of light oil on the metal, and run a dry patch through the bore before you next shoot, so no oil is left in it. Then back into the safe.

Here is the line. You may clean the barrel and chambers, oil the metal lightly, wipe the stock and check the barrel is clear and dry. Anything that needs tools to take apart, a loose hinge, a cracked stock, or a dent or bulge in the barrel goes to a gunsmith or recognised expert. When in doubt, it goes to the gunsmith.

The practical assessment for unit standard 119652 is short and exact. You must hit five shots out of five from a distance of at least ten metres. The target is A5-sized wood, a falling plate or paper, and may not be larger than A4, though it may be smaller. The distance may be increased, never decreased. You fire unsupported, without resting the shotgun on anything, though two hands are of course allowed. Your assessor also watches your safe handling the whole time.

Hitting the target is only part of it. The assessor watches the whole of the first outcome: a safe muzzle direction at all times, your finger off the trigger until you are on the target, and safe loading and unloading. If a malfunction happens, they want to see you deal with it calmly and correctly. Many people lose marks for handling, not for missing.

On assessment day, Johan checks his over-and-under, walks to the line with it open, loads only when Anel calls it, mounts properly, and hits all five targets from ten metres. Then he opens the gun, unloads and shows Anel it is clear. Five from five, and safe throughout. Johan passes. His certificate comes from Ridgeview, the accredited provider; the competency certificate itself comes from SAPS.

Before you move on, do the exercise, You or a gunsmith?, and answer four quick questions on this lesson. Then, in your own time: book your practical assessment with your accredited trainer. After this comes the final quiz: ten questions on the whole course, and you need seven to pass.