David Tubb bore polishing bullets

[farmerjohn]

New to site . Has anyone used David Tubb bore polishing bullets in their performance center ar 15-22 or any other 22 lr ? I have used them in a 25-06 and they worked great , considering using them in one of my 22's . Performance center should be here monday , can't wait .

[moosedog]

Sounds like a solution for a problem that may not exist.

[Allen 1]

Originally Posted by moosedog

Sounds like a solution for a problem that may not exist.

Not so fast young Jedi.

He has a sound argument here. Barrel polishing has many benefits actually.

Barrel condition is optimum for accuracy and ease of cleaning. A polished barrel will run cooler also. It will also decrease fouling by reducing surface pitting.

However, a better approach to barrel polishing is by using a "barrel mop" with a small amount of Flitz polish. Flitz is available at most hardware stores in either a paste or liquid. I prefer the paste.

Use an appropriate length cleaning rod extension (no T-handle) and attach the mop. Chuck the extension in a hand drill, and on low speed spin the mop through the barrel its entire length about 25 times. Do this from the breech end of course, as to not mar or nick the "crown". Do this until the mop is black. Follow this up with a clean patch or two to remove all traces of the polish.

The Flitz will remove a considerable amount of metal impurities but won't harm the bore. Flitz also lays down a layer of protection that helps resist corrosion (provides a water barrier) and carbon fouling.

Even on a new barrel you will remove alot of impurities.

I have also found that a minimal amount of velocity was noticeable using a chronograph.

This method is more cost effective and does a better job than bore polishing bullets. A tube of Flitz will last a long time and has hundreds of other uses.

This is also extremely beneficial when storing a firearm for long periods of time.

God bless us all.

[riderrick65]

Wow! Allen you are a wealth of information, luv reading your posts they are very imformative! ..... Keep up the good work.

[farmerjohn]

Thanks for the idea . It is a problem that does exist , all barrels have tooling marks that cause fouling problems and decrade accuracy . A freind told me to wrap a patch over a worn brush and use a polising compound and to push and pull cleaning rod . But I like the idea of polishing in only the directing of bullet travel . Your idea would be easier and faster . I already have the Tubb bullets .I went ahead and got them when ordering 6.5 bullets for my Savage 12 LRP , I may try them in something else as a test before trying them in the smith .

[Majorlk]

Originally Posted by Allen 1

Use an appropriate length cleaning rod extension (no T-handle) and attach the mop. Chuck the extension in a hand drill, and on low speed spin the mop through the barrel its entire length about 25 times. Do this from the breech end of course, as to not mar or nick the "crown". Do this until the mop is black. Follow this up with a clean patch or two to remove all traces of the polish.

The Flitz will remove a considerable amount of metal impurities but won't harm the bore. Flitz also lays down a layer of protection that helps resist corrosion (provides a water barrier) and carbon fouling.

Doesn't this have an adverse effect upon the sharp edges of the rifling?

[Titegroups]

I wouldn't think flitz would be coarse enough to do a much of anything for tool marks. Like polishing anything else. I think Id let the rifling guide the mop so the polishing wouldn't be cutting across the lands.

[Majorlk]

Originally Posted by Titegroups

I wouldn't think flitz would be coarse enough to do a much of anything for tool marks. Like polishing anything else. I think Id let the rifling guide the mop so the polishing wouldn't be cutting across the lands.

That's my thinking. I can't imagine barrel maker polishing across the rifling. Every article I have read about lapping a barrel does it with the rifling.

[Allen 1]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

That's my thinking. I can't imagine barrel maker polishing across the rifling. Every article I have read about lapping a barrel does it with the rifling.

That's the whole point I was making.

You don't want to remove material. The point of this post was polishing (if I read it correctly) lapping a barrel is a whole different subject.

If I misread I apologize.

[kennyb]

Originally Posted by moosedog

Sounds like a solution for a problem that may not exist.

LOL...i'm with you moosedog!

[Majorlk]

Originally Posted by Allen 1

That's the whole point I was making.

You don't want to remove material. The point of this post was polishing (if I read it correctly) lapping a barrel is a whole different subject.

If I misread I apologize.

I thought lapping WAS polishing the bore. At any rate, I can't see any manufacturer recommending putting a mop coated with anything into the barrel and spinning it across the rifling with a power drill - even at low speed.

But I've been wrong before.

[Allen 1]

To correct a few misconceptions.

True barrel lapping involves the use of a lead lap that is cast on the end of a cleaning rod by pouring molten lead in the bore. The lap is partially driven out of the bore (no more than half way) and an abrasive suspended in oil or grease is added to the lead lap. Be careful what you use for lapping compound. The desirable lapping compound is a very fine screen while Clover valve grinding compound is much more coarse and not suitable. The lap is then pulled then pushed, back and forth through the bore. Care must be taken as to not allow the lap to come out of the bore while pulling or pushing, or a new lap has to be cast. The larger abrasive particles are embedded more deeply in the lead than the small particles so there is an even bearing pressure from all the particles of grit onto the steel of the barrel. The net effect is to polish the barrel rather than scratch it, which would leave a matte finish.

Lapping the barrel adds between one and three tenths of a thousandth (.0001” - .0003”) to the bore and groove diameters of the barrel and is used by most custom barrel makers as the finishing process on the inside of the barrel. Lapping a barrel will improve the performance of almost any barrel - in some cases, startlingly so!
When the bore feels the same from end to end, the lap is removed and the bore is cleaned out with solvent to remove all the grit and oil from the first lapping job. A new lap is cast and a finer grade of abrasive is added and the job is repeated. This is repeated until the final grade of abrasive is completed.

Lapping will sand out the tooling marks left from creating the bore or the rifling. Just like sanding a piece of wood or metal, finer grades of abrasive are used to make the optimum finish. The process can be taken too far and polished too much. The barrel’s polishing lines should be parallel to the bore. This is thought to reduce the fouling to a minimum. A barrel with smooth lands and grooves will foul less than one with rough lands and grooves. The interior can be too smooth though. Makers of custom hand-lapped barrels spend a lot of time achieving the internal finish that they require. Though it may surprise some, lapping to a finer finish will result in an increase in fouling. A barrel can be too smooth.

This process can only be done to a barrel that has not been installed on a receiver. You should never lap an installed barrel except as a last resort! Reason being that a lap cuts more at the point where direction is changing resulting in washing away the throat and muzzle. The abrasive particles are sharpest when they are first being used. When the lap is pushed and/or pulled the abrasive particles will cut more at the beginning of the movement (push or pull) than they will at the end of the movement. This results in a tapered bore. On new barrels that are not chambered, this is not a big deal as the cartridges chamber will cut out the slightly larger section of the bore. The gunsmith will then cut the barrel to length thus removing the other belled bore end.

Another process of lapping that is designed for installed barrels is called fire lapping. This involves firing abrasive coated bullets down the bore in increasingly finer grits. A company called NECO sells kits to do this. If you enjoy tinkering and reloading, you can get a kit for about $80 with instructions, bullets, and abrasives. Or you can spend $130 to get pre-loaded ammo. In addition to polishing the bore, it can remove minor manufacturing errors in the rifling, and has been known to produce remarkable improvements in accuracy. Fire lapping produces a tapered bore. The bore will be larger at the chamber end than it will be at the muzzle end. This is not always bad. Often choked barrels will shoot very good groups. The drawback to fire lapping is it moves the throat forwards. It will actually erode the steel moving the lands and grooves farther away from the bullet. How much erosion is dependent on how carried away the shooter gets during the lapping process.

The OP was asking about "polishing" NOT lapping. Lapping is as you can see best left to a competent Gunsmith or experienced DIY.

What I had suggested was a "polishing" method that in no way affects the rifling since you wont remove any material. Also, since he has a new rifle there should be very minimal if any tooling marks left in the barrel.

I'm quite sure S&W goes to great lengths to assure a quality finish of its barrel bores.

You guys ask some great questions and bring up some good points. But my intention was to provide an "alternative" so that a home DIY can achieve good results at minimal cost.

I've been doing the "Flitz" polishing for many many years achieving great results. Had I done any damage to a rifles bore I would have stopped this process long ago.

I hope this has helped.

God bless us all.