polish inside of barrel ?

[dansig]

I was wondering what it would do to a barrel to use polishing paste to clean carbon.

I have 1000 rounds down my new 6mm BR and I wanted to clean it properly, no matter how many times I pushed the brush through and how many patches went through the barrel I always had carbon streaks on the patches.

I tried the paste, just soaked the brush in it and pushed it through the barrel 100 times, then cleaned it with patches and boreshine, and now the patches come through the barrel clean.

I do notice better reflection in the barrel like it's mirror like.

the paste is water soluble and has plastic grit that does the polishing, so I don't think it could damage the metal.. I use it on my stock to get better shine before I wax it.

is this something that is ok to do or could I damage the barrel ?

will the polished barrel change how the gun shoots... better or worse ?

I know I should ask before doing but I'm a "doer" not a "thinker"

 

[Dans40X]

Polishing to remove carbon-
100 strokes!!
Easy does it.

JB's will suffice.
Pro Shot Lead Clean Cloth cut to size pushed thru on a jag will remove carbon in a couple passes.

 

[fdshuster]

dansig: It's been my experience that squeeky clean, removing every trace of barrel fouling will then require a minimum of 5 to as many as 20 rounds fired ( a waste of barrel life, match bullets, powder & primers) before the usual sub MOA group sizes will return.

I'm interested in keeping powder, copper & carbon fouling under control, not how shiney the bore surface is.

This is also important with the first shot fired in a match. With a barrel that has been fired, but not cleaned, the first shot will always be at the exact point of aim. Means a lot when there are no sighters permitted & every shot fired counts for score.

All of the above verified, before, during and after, using my Hawkeye Borescope.

 

[bozo699]

dansig: It's been my experience that squeeky clean, removing every trace of barrel fouling will then require a minimum of 5 to as many as 20 rounds fired ( a waste of barrel life, match bullets, powder & primers) before the usual sub MOA group sizes will return.

I'm interested in keeping powder, copper & carbon fouling under control, not how shiney the bore surface is.

This is also important with the first shot fired in a match. With a barrel that has been fired, but not cleaned, the first shot will always be at the exact point of aim. Means a lot when there are no sighters permitted & every shot fired counts for score.

All of the above verified, before, during and after, using my Hawkeye Borescope.

Very good advice from a voice of experience
Wayne.

 

[dansig]

so I should only clean the barrel until most of the carbon is gone, but light streaks on the patches are better than completely clean.

great, saves me a lot of time cleaning

 

[MrMajestic]

KG Bore Polish works well. I believe its a finer grit than JB's. They have their place but like everything can be over done.

 

[fdshuster]

dansig: All I'm saying is don't get hung-up on getting your barrel clean down to the bare metal. Fire a couple of shots & it will look just like it did before those 100 (?) strokes with the JB bore polish.

I use the original JB bore paste in the blue label can, when needed, when I see the beginning of an unacceptable amount of carbon fouling. Depending on the amount of carbon I see in the bore, with my Hawkeye, it may require as little as 10 push strokes with a bronze brush or as many as 25 or 30 maximum.

And the need for the JB is usually dependant on the powder used, since carbon fouling is a by-product of the burning powder.

Varget loads get a JB treatment about every 175 to 200 rounds, but Vihta Vouri (N133, N135) are good for over 300.

I have taken any and all traces of copper & carbon out of the Krieger, Bartlein, etc. barrels, as verified with the borescope, and everytime I must then fire the before mentioned 5 to 20 fouler shots before the barrels start shooting again. For me, it's best to leave it just a little dirty. All I want to do is keep it under control.

If you've ever chronographed your loads you may have noticed that the first few shots out of a really clean barrel will have some "strange" fps numbers, then they will settle down to readings that are very close. For that reason, I will disregard the first couple of shots & they will not be included in the average.

And when firing the first shot in a match, and it does not go where it's supposed to can ruin your whole day. Was that first round flyer caused by the really clean barrel, or the wind, or a problem with the bench equipment, or ????

By the same token it's a real confidence builder when that first shot goes to the exact point-of-aim.

 

[chino1969]

Mr. schuster brings up a very excellent point. It is not necessary or desireable to get a barrel shiny clean. Keep the carbon ring down and the copper fouling to a minimum. Unfortunately the only way to determine this is with a borescope; one of the best investments a serious shooter can make.