Another Barrel polishing question

boscoebrea said:

What makes someone think a polished bore in an air gun would be helpful ? Curious as to the effect one thinks they gain,or is just an old witches tell.
I am not talking cleaning a bore.
Accuracy is a head game,better to polish your mind. Being a bit facetious maybe.

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Hello @boscoebrea

I am guessing that you have never done a very comprehensive comparison of a new stock factory barrel before and after polishing the bore. I have.

On my FX Crown MK II I shot several thousand rounds and kept records of all conditions and results. Then I polished the bore and basically repeated the previous tests and also recorded the results. The improvement in the accuracy was very significant to say the least. From time to time I post some targets here on the Forum that I have shot with that rifle .

I am not and cannot make a guarantee statement that every rifle will experience the same results.

ThomasT

I have polished 3 FX liners and one Snowpeak P35 barrel. Gain in speed on FX liners average for about 15 fps, comparing before and after polishing.
Same with the SPA barrel. Also accuracy improvement stated. And finally - polished barrel cleaning is way more easier than before polishing.

I just carried on the tradition from PB's to airguns with no thought whatsoever about speeds since many PB's have slower velocities and see improvements with some TLC on the bore.

I myself was after improving the distance fliers would travel away from the main group. This is a real issue with CPHP's and even on lighter weight pellets in many of my low to mid priced PCP's. To reduce the distance means to better achieve my goals of a perfect card (200/200, 20 bullseyes) and up my class in the 100y challenge.

I certainly am not trying to prod or push anybody to do what they are not comfortable with, this is my own process.

I have lapped two barrels total in my lifetime. Both airgun barrels, and in both accuracy improved after lapping. One rifle had rust in two spots that I was able to feel while cleaning via tight spots. JB Bore cleaned this up nicely. The other barrel required frequent cleaning. Patches would be black after a couple hundred rounds. I had to lap the barrel 3 times. Barrel stays much cleaner now.

I cannot comprehend the reasoning for polishing a barrel. It is like brushing your teeth with a shotgun - No more dental problems cause you blew your head off.

Sicumj said:

I have lapped two barrels total in my lifetime. Both airgun barrels, and in both accuracy improved after lapping. One rifle had rust in two spots that I was able to feel while cleaning via tight spots. JB Bore cleaned this up nicely. The other barrel required frequent cleaning. Patches would be black after a couple hundred rounds. I had to lap the barrel 3 times. Barrel stays much cleaner now.

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That kind of polishing (it's not lapping) can clean stubborn fouling, and it worked for you. I have found that such fouling usually comes out with a traditional cleaning using a bronze brush and appropriate solvent, and it's faster and easier. But, if something works, it works.

Firewalker said:

No, polishing cannot oversize a correctly sized barrel.

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I don't know what you are trying to read into my statement. If you are qualifying your statement with "a correctly sized barrel" so be it. However, one can very easily ruin a good shooting barrel with even the finest abrasives. Even the finest abrasives are removing material; for example polishing, as that is their function. The remedy for that then is the need to use an ammo correctly sized to what the bore likes.

Thank you for your experience,I suppose if all else fails it is a good reason and does work for some barrels.

I have shot over 600,000 pellets without cleaning any of my barrels, never occurred to me to do so.
Which may point out my lazy ways or good barrels?So I will clean some of my barrels.
Darn never say never,I only have one air rifle that does not "ever" shoot well, I have tried everything, but, polish the barrel.
It is a BSA gas piston GRT Lightning,I'm going to polish the barrel and see if that will help.

Triggers and 4X4s said:

I cannot comprehend the reasoning for polishing a barrel. It is like brushing your teeth with a shotgun - No more dental problems cause you blew your head off.

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It's obvious you have no clue what you are talking about. What do YOU think we are talking about?

elh0102 said:

That kind of polishing (it's not lapping) can clean stubborn fouling, and it worked for you. I have found that such fouling usually comes out with a traditional cleaning using a bronze brush and appropriate solvent, and it's faster and easier. But, if something works, it works.

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Don't disagree on dirty barrels but I'm talking new barrels. Unlike bronze brush, polish and grinding compounds remove metal. How much depends on grit and effort. This does smooth ruff metal and remove rust, both issues common for new barrels.

ive done a bit of experimenting .. smoothing a barrel is like smoothing any other metal part, and depending on barrel, some are rough cut, and some are indeed factory ground or lapped ... for those i think the benefit is minimal to do anything to them ... and airguns are 'not' like powder burners that foul a barrel with actual chemicals and burning and needing to be scrubbed .. mostly its dealing with the surface condition of the bore 'as machined' and a strategy to polish out a rough bore can help consistency quite a bit, but dont think that a brush and some cute little bore cream will do much .. do you think that would polish a rough piece of barstock iron? not much ... what it takes is a good silicone carbide grease and a good contacting tool to work it to cut it, 400g should be sufficient .. and its gonna take some work to cut it enough, so much so that the crown can lose its crispness, so a fresh crown after the work is best ... and imo, again, a quality barrel is gonna already be smooth, for those maybe a light polish with some finer grit paste like 1000 to facilitate cleaning would probably be the best strategy ...

I certainly can agree with "dizzums" air gun barrels are not anywhere near abused as powder burners barrels.

Firewalker said:

It's obvious you have no clue what you are talking about. What do YOU think we are talking about?

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I know exactly what you are talking about.

Triggers and 4X4s said:

I know exactly what you are talking about.

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Then you would not have posted such an absurd reply.

All barrels come with defects unless lapped or "polished" with suitable compounds.

A person could have a real "turd" on thier hands that becomes a precision shooter once the bore has been smoothed out.

It's actually very easy to do with the right tools and compounds.

Once again, we all need to stop thinking in absolutes.

Just because I can not comprehend something does not mean that it is complete balderdash.

Some barrels do benefit, some do not.

YOU CAN wreck a perfectly good barrel by going at it all willy nilly with abrasive compounds, while properly and judiciously applied, those same compounds can can smooth a small imperfection in an otherwise good bore with great results.

As with all things in life, your mileage may vary......

Chuck-in-Ohio said:

Once again, we all need to stop thinking in absolutes.

Just because I can not comprehend something does not mean that it is complete balderdash.

Some barrels do benefit, some do not.

YOU CAN wreck a perfectly good barrel by going at it all willy nilly with abrasive compounds, while properly and judiciously applied, those same compounds can can smooth a small imperfection in an otherwise good bore with great results.

As with all things in life, your mileage may vary......

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If one doesn't have the experience my suggestion is do not mess with it, unless you are desperate to buy a new barrel. The use of abrasives, especially coarse ones will land you in a world of hurt really fast. A 'tight' spot that is .0003" can feel like an inch to someone that isn't use to it. It takes a little patience with a moderately fine grit, 800 to 1000, to work it out and minimize the final polish.

Chuck-in-Ohio said:

Once again, we all need to stop thinking in absolutes.

Just because I can not comprehend something does not mean that it is complete balderdash.

Some barrels do benefit, some do not.

YOU CAN wreck a perfectly good barrel by going at it all willy nilly with abrasive compounds, while properly and judiciously applied, those same compounds can can smooth a small imperfection in an otherwise good bore with great results.

As with all things in life, your mileage may vary......

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Sans "willy-nilly", there is no way a person could wreck a barrel or making it worse by polishing it with patches.

Fire-lapping with course abrasives? Yes, you could overdo it but you have a much better chance of scoring the barrel with a cleaning rod and ruining the barrel than any amount of "pull-pull" patch lapping would do.

DaveT1 said:

I've read numerous posts concerning barrel polishing. It seems the general rule is to start with JB's bore cleaning compound, followed by something something like JB's Bore Brite; with cleaning the barrel between polishing compounds. What I've read is mostly in reference to new barrels. Does the same two step polishing technique apply to barrels that have many rounds through them? My FX Dreamline .22 barrel has had over 20,000 rounds through it.

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your trigger is probably wore out !

FWIW, my experience tracks more closely with Firewalker. When it comes to the relatively modest goal of polishing with something like J-B (~1000 grit) on felts or patches, I cannot fathom the hours and hours of scrubbing it would take to actually open the bore by even a ten-thousandth or two. Granted, a poor technique like running a rod in and out of the muzzle with no guide, repeatedly raking the rod against the rifling near the muzzle...something like that would be a recipe for disappointment. But for the most part, anyone with the slightest awareness and care is not going to ruin their barrel. Having simply researched it enough to find and read a thread like this one, you’re probably not the one who needs to hear dire warnings.

nervoustrig said:

FWIW, my experience tracks more closely with Firewalker. When it comes to the relatively modest goal of polishing with something like J-B (~1000 grit) on felts or patches, I cannot fathom the hours and hours of scrubbing it would take to actually open the bore by even a ten-thousandth or two. Granted, a poor technique like running a rod in and out of the muzzle with no guide, repeatedly raking the rod against the rifling near the muzzle...something like that would be a recipe for disappointment. But for the most part, anyone with the slightest awareness and care is not going to ruin their barrel. Having simply researched it enough to find and read a thread like this one, you’re probably not the one who needs to hear dire warnings.

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That would be the Willy Nillying I was thinking of. Barking up the leade and crown through careless rodding.