Hearsedriver
Member
I was wondering if it would be OK to apply Mothers Mag Polish to a cotton mop to clean and polish a bore. I thought I had better ask here before trying it. Thanks
Mothers Mag Polish to clean/polish bore ?
- Thread starter Hearsedriver
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Damn Yankee
Member
I can't tell if it is good or bad but i do polish the bore on a 686 once in awhile and some awful looking black comes out on the patch.
sureshotbob
Member
I'm going to say it might be too agressive. Get yourself some JB Bore Paste . It break's down after several passes and is made for cleaning out lead and copper.
cgt4570
Member
I've used Flitz on very rough antique bores. No noticed harm yet and definite improvement.
1 old 0311
Member
I have, and used Flitz, Mothers, and SemiChrome. SemiChrome is the best for bores because it has a little more 'grit' that helps polish the bore. I use Mothers for the exterior finishes and it works great but it is a bit too mild (non gritty) for a bore. Sure it WOULD work but it will take a lot longer.
Put a 'dab' of SemiChrome on a clean patch and run it back and forth 8-10 times. Switch to a wet Hoppey's, or CLP, patch with 4-5 passes, then go to dry patches. Spend 40-50 minutes with this and the bore will look like a mirror, well CLOSE anyway. When it is time for cleaning after shooting, it only takes minutes. Some also say it tightens groups up but I do it on my range guns for ease of cleaning.
Don't forger the cylinder. Won't take as much, 1/6th the number your barrel gets, but it really helps.
Put a 'dab' of SemiChrome on a clean patch and run it back and forth 8-10 times. Switch to a wet Hoppey's, or CLP, patch with 4-5 passes, then go to dry patches. Spend 40-50 minutes with this and the bore will look like a mirror, well CLOSE anyway. When it is time for cleaning after shooting, it only takes minutes. Some also say it tightens groups up but I do it on my range guns for ease of cleaning.
Don't forger the cylinder. Won't take as much, 1/6th the number your barrel gets, but it really helps.
jepp2
Member
I use Flitz and Mothers for lots of my polishing needs. But for my gun bores, I stick with JB Bore cleaner and Bore bright.
I just think they are formulated for cleaning rifled barrels and should do a better job. Clean your barrel as normal, then try some JB Bore cleaner on it. You will not believe how much gunk it will clean out.
I just think they are formulated for cleaning rifled barrels and should do a better job. Clean your barrel as normal, then try some JB Bore cleaner on it. You will not believe how much gunk it will clean out.
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Unless you are planning to use this gun in SERIOUS competition in the NEAR future, I would polish the bore with bullets and clean it with a good bronze bore brush. I have never seen a reason to polish a bore with anything else.
For any leading that a bore brush won't remove, get yourself a Lewis Lead Remover - none better (IMHO).
Chief38
For any leading that a bore brush won't remove, get yourself a Lewis Lead Remover - none better (IMHO).
Chief38
rodell
Member
That black is probably the oxide that forms. It will do the same thing on the outside of a stainless gun.
BlackTalonJHP
Member
I have used Iosso GunBright in the past
geneboy
Member
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
s&wbest
Member
I just purchased a charter arms used 357 mag pug target revolver. I couldn't pass up the price in the $299 range for a 4 " kit gun. I found some nicks or marks in the cylinder chambers that I was able to polish out using a flitz like paste on a patch over a 22 mop in a variable speed drill.
After cleaning the barrel with bore cleaner and shining a light down the barrel it was rough but not from wear. It looked like the manufacturing was poor and the lans were not a mirror finish like some of my S&W guns. I am deciding if polishing it now would be wearing down the bore prematurely or if it would be better to just shoot it and polish as I clean the lead and copper that collects on the rough surface. I have no target plans but would like the gun to shoot as well as possible. The cylinders look great after polishing but are not as critical in specs as barrel and rifling sharpness. Would I gain any accuracy or should I just put up with flaws in a less expensive pistol?
After cleaning the barrel with bore cleaner and shining a light down the barrel it was rough but not from wear. It looked like the manufacturing was poor and the lans were not a mirror finish like some of my S&W guns. I am deciding if polishing it now would be wearing down the bore prematurely or if it would be better to just shoot it and polish as I clean the lead and copper that collects on the rough surface. I have no target plans but would like the gun to shoot as well as possible. The cylinders look great after polishing but are not as critical in specs as barrel and rifling sharpness. Would I gain any accuracy or should I just put up with flaws in a less expensive pistol?
S&Wbest-what you're looking to do is lapping the barrel. This is done by creating a lead slug to fit the barrel. This is then coated with an abrasive and driven back and forth in the barrel to remove the burrs and produce a more uniform surface finish. This is neither easy nor fun and may wear out several laps (lead slugs). Read up on bore lapping.
Short of that, working on the bore with JB on a patch and a close fitting brass jag might help.
Short of that, working on the bore with JB on a patch and a close fitting brass jag might help.
nawilson
US Veteran
They're your guns, so do as you want, but... more guns are damaged from too much "cleaning" than from too little.
tomcatt51
Member
This isn't and isn't going to be a "match gun" in terms of accuracy. I would base my decision on how much the barrel accumulted lead or copper and how much it annoyed me.
I'm going to set off a firestorm here and suggest firelapping the barrel if you want to smooth it out. The most accurate revolvers I have have been firelapped. The barrels also stay clean the best.
Beartooth Bullets sells a "Technical Guide" that goes into firelapping in considerable detail. It's "Book" in "Miscellaneous"
Beartooth Bullets Secure Online Shopping
The "Technical Guide" is a good read even if you don't want to firelap.
I've got my flameproof undies on...
BigBill
Absent Comrade
I hope your not rounding the square edge on the rifling?
Bearbait in NM
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I am not a big fan pf any kind of abrasives in my barrels, unless I am using them to fix a specific identified problem. And I have done quite a few pistols and rifles.
Tom's mention of the Beartooth lapping kit and process is really great for cutting restrictions or rough spots. The downside is that it will lap from the cylinder throat forward. Barrel, forcing cone, and throats. I once did a rifle to clean up a rough barrel, and found after doing the work I could now chamber some really heavy weight bullets. Just dumb luck that I did not wreck my throat. With a revolver it is 5:1, 6:1 or more depending on the number of cylinder holes, but it is worth noting.
Unless you use a bob like WR posted, you are more likely to round and polish very indiscriminately if you use a mop or even a patched jag. You'll get the land surfaces, the land edges, the center of the grooves, but probably not the inside corner of the land groove junction. The old round peg in a square hole. The bob will form more closely to the entire profile, and cut/polish more evenly and completely. It's kinda common for this inside corner to be a little rough, and gather fouling and lead. It's more difficult to clean this up without overdoing other areas.
I have flitz, JB and the Beartooth style kit that was marketed by Wheeler Engineering, with the Beartooth slugs. I never clean with any of them. I consider any abrasives to be a tool to fix a specific problem. You'd have to apply an awful lot of elbow grease with mag polish to wreck things, but if you use it every time you shoot and clean, well.........
Craig
Tom's mention of the Beartooth lapping kit and process is really great for cutting restrictions or rough spots. The downside is that it will lap from the cylinder throat forward. Barrel, forcing cone, and throats. I once did a rifle to clean up a rough barrel, and found after doing the work I could now chamber some really heavy weight bullets. Just dumb luck that I did not wreck my throat. With a revolver it is 5:1, 6:1 or more depending on the number of cylinder holes, but it is worth noting.
Unless you use a bob like WR posted, you are more likely to round and polish very indiscriminately if you use a mop or even a patched jag. You'll get the land surfaces, the land edges, the center of the grooves, but probably not the inside corner of the land groove junction. The old round peg in a square hole. The bob will form more closely to the entire profile, and cut/polish more evenly and completely. It's kinda common for this inside corner to be a little rough, and gather fouling and lead. It's more difficult to clean this up without overdoing other areas.
I have flitz, JB and the Beartooth style kit that was marketed by Wheeler Engineering, with the Beartooth slugs. I never clean with any of them. I consider any abrasives to be a tool to fix a specific problem. You'd have to apply an awful lot of elbow grease with mag polish to wreck things, but if you use it every time you shoot and clean, well.........
Craig
Nothing wrong, but a waste of GOOD polish for the outside of a gun , to be wasted on the bore...use bore cleaner, as noted above, J_B is about the best...the "polishes" will come out black as they are just removing the oxidation...
'Mothers' is about the "least" aggressive of the lot mentioned above........
'Mothers' is about the "least" aggressive of the lot mentioned above........
