Bore Polishing and Throat Maint. Bullets?

[mrb302]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the board but I recognize a few screen names from other forums...

I found the Tubb Final Finish Bore Polishing System and the Tubb Final Finish TMS Throat Maintenance System in the 2005 Midway USA catlog, page 388.

These are "polishing compound impregnated bullets". With the bore system you get 75 bullets with 5 progressively finer compounds and with the throat system you get 75, 5 progressively finer compunds.

I'm not familiar with these systems, but if I'm reading it right, you load these into your cartridge and fire them in order?

Anyone ever tried this, and if so what results did you get?

Thanks,

MB

 

[Jim K]

The process is called "fire lapping". I have never used it myself but some who have say it does work. Like any other lapping, it really speeds up the smoothing out of the barrel that would occur normally in several hundred rounds. So you can look at it two ways - it produces a smooth barrel quicker, or it wears out the barrel faster. Both statements are absolutely true.

Jim

 

[swifter]

Tubb's rep is awesome. I have not used his product.

I have, however, blasted grit down some rifle & handgun bores and will not do it again to any firearm I value even slightly. If its that bad, the money is better spent on a new barrel, IMHO.

Tom

 

[mrb302]

Well, I getting a general picture here of the overall feeling about this product.

My bore is in good shape, I was just wondering if these products would help the accuracy of the rifle.

Keep 'em coming, good responses!

 

[WHITEY338]

If you want to lap a barrel I believe the best way is to do it by hand with some JB's. After all, I don't think Shilen, Douglas, or Pac-Nor fire lap their select match barrels, why should you?

 

[1911Tuner]

Fire Lapping

Although I haven't had any experience with fire lapping, I've heard several reports that indicate that it's pretty rough on the leade, and erodes it quickly...which increases the amount of freebore, and hence the amount of "jump" that the bullet has to make before entering the rifling. Generally not conducive to top accuracy in a rifle, and would tend to bring velocities down with a given powder charge too.

In my way of thinking, it's a lazy man's way of lapping the bore, which I feel is best done with a soft lead plug and plenty of elbow grease.

Just FYI

 

[Jim Watson]

No way I'd put that stuff in my Krieger, but my next purchase will likely be a Savage which is said to really benefit. I read an account of one guy going through the whole series of grits and finding his throat advanced right at the .025" claimed by Tubb. Most writeups on the Savage board say it does not improve accuracy but it makes the barrel smoother and easier to clean, and longer between cleanings.

 

[jeepmor]

lapping compromise with rubbing compound

I've been reading a lot on this subject lately and see fire lapping and plug lapping taking place. I started looking into this subject because my Taurus PT145 would foul badly with copper.

I did some digging and found a site where a guy scanned in something from about a 70s hunting magazine. I can't refind it now, or I'd post. I will if I cross it again. The recommendation was pretty simple and I have to admit I improvised on the compound to the conservative side.

The procedure was to pull the barrel out, clean if needed, and pour boiling water through it to remove all greases, waxes and solvent residues. I then used my patch plug and TWO cleaning patches with a little rubbing compound on them. I used a medium cut Merguiars compound I had in my car cleaning stuff. (this is the conservative part, I see the firelapping kits use grits ranging from 400 to 1200 grit, this was finer than 1200, but not by much)

I then proceeded to run these patches TWO soaked with the compound through the boil cleaned barrel twice each, then used new patches and repeated this procedure 6 times or so. The advice of the article was that you will always produce a dirty swab, but it will get noticeably cleaner, and they did. Effectively, you will always remove material, so you have to stop sometime or your just wearing out your barrel.

The results are a shiny barrel that I can see every little tool mark and slight deviation from the machining process I never noticed before, polished nicely. And, after a shooting session of 35 rounds (i forgot my earplugs, had to stop, usually put 100 rounds per session) it was fouled quite a bit less.

The cleaning session only took me about half an hour for the whole pistol where I was taking 4 times that before and wearing out Outer's bore brushes scrubbing that copper out, even using a copper defouling foam.

I realize it's probably not as precise as the firelapping, and it did not shoot noticeably different. But I did not have sandbags either, just plinking all freehand. But it was easier to clean, way easier. Mission accomplished.

 

[Jim K]

I know a USMC match shooter who used to clean his M14 with Gleem toothpaste. It polished the barrel and removed the copper wash. Gleem is off the market now, which is irritating because I liked it for a really odd purpose - cleaning teeth! Maybe Pepsodent?

(No, I don't know the "grit" of Gleem.)

Jim