JB Bore Polish - Advice Needed

[K22]

I've been told that JB bore polish is an aluminum oxide based polish and thus the "black" color observed when passing patches through the bore is not a precise indicator of the amount of fouling present because it the reaction against steel. Is that so?

Also, what's you're opinion of this product and when is it appropriate to use it.

 

[LHSmith]

Yes, that is true. I prefer Iosso to JB. Iosso is more of a liquid paste and therefore easier to apply.

 

[GerryM]

fine steel grit mixed with oil is usually turns {your taking metal out}
I'm not sure what the fines or grit is in JB I know it breaks down as you it.
It does a very good job of removing fouling Carbon and copper.
It takes a while you can see the results in a bore scope. just remember to flush it out with some kid of solvent and when your finished.

 

[msinc]

There are two different JB Bore products...one is the cleaner and the active ingredient is nothing more than chalk. It is the fastest way to get copper fouling out of a bore. Maybe my bores don't foul as bad as the rest of the worlds, but it has never taken me more than 20 or 30 strokes of a tight fitting patch to get the bore perfectly whistle clean, white bare steel...so says my borescope.
I have tried many products, only to find that just about all of them do zero. The bore cleaner version of JB will not polish or otherwise smooth out or remove imperfections in the bore. It does not remove any metal, or at least it doesn't remove enough that you can see it with a scope.
The other is JB Bore Bright, which is a polish. It has a kind of dark reddish tint to it. It will definitely polish the bore, but I am not so sure a mirror like finish in the bore is what you want.
You almost need both of them if you do want to polish the bore, because you really want to get any existing copper or other fouling completely out before you do the polish. If copper remains and you polish it for some reason you can have some trouble getting it out even with the bore cleaner.
My thoughts on the concept of polishing a bore is that if it really gets to the point where your bore is so rough that you need to polish it then you need a better barrel.

 

[shoot4fun]

I do not use either JB product every time but JB bore cleaner is great for removing the carbon ring and does a good job of cutting thru stubborn copper fouling. I have tried almost every brand and type of bore cleaner over the last 40 years. They range from a "big waste of money" to "works OK" to "wish I hadn't put that in my barrel" to "this is the one" (said that more than once). JB is old school and it works.

 

[watercam]

I use JB cleaner and polish about every 500 rounds max.. The amount of barrel steel lost isn't much and it sure makes for a smooth bore!

 

[BoydAllen]

Ask a barrel maker what would happen if he lapped his barrels so that they were smooth. You do not want to polish a CF barrel, particularly in the front 2/3 of the bore.

 

[watercam]

More friction no doubt. Instead of 'polish' how about 'less rough'. By the time I get to 2000+ rounds in a Palma barrel it is starting to need all the help it can get if it's going to make it to 3000+. Had one that started firecracking within it's first 500 rounds (very surprised to say the least) and it was a battle to keep it competitive. At 2000 I did my one and only set back to eliminate the offending moonscape just ahead of the chamber. Worked. In the half dozen .308 barrels I have or have had that was the only one that gave me a problem with that low a round count. What can you do, keep shooting.

 

[Joe Salt]

Boyd My buddy uses JB every time he clean and he kicks our butts. But when he is done he uses Lock-ease. I use JB about every 60 rounds then clean it out with Kroil, then use a bore scope to make sure its clean. I also use Flitz once in a while to polish the bore and do the same thing clean it out with Kroil. Its a good Idea to use a bore scope after every cleaning. I've leaned a lot by using a bore scope, so if I'm in a shoot off right after my relay and want to use the some rifle, I know what I have to do to make sure I have it clean.

Joe Salt

 

[LoganDon]

Great thread. I just got my old 280 back from my brother and in 20 years I don't think he cleaned it once. Tried everything, then tried JB and after lots of grunting, way more than 20 strokes, the bore is finally clean.

How do you get the last couple of inches of the bore (muzzle) clean??

 

[DukeDuke]

I clean the muzzle, holding the nylon brush by hand with JB on it.

 

[David 0306]

The Bore tech Chameleon Gel works well and let's you know when it's clean.