Need help with rough barrel

[vrh]

Hello everyone.
I've got a new to me CVA Frontier rifle. The barrel seems to be rough. While cleaning it, the cloth patch will get tight on the jag (up stroke) and I really have to pull hard on the ramrod to free it from the barrel.
Once the barrel is clean and I put a oil patch down the barrel, it doesn't seem to be as tight coming out.
Used my bore light and I think that the bore is rough from the machining tool. Don't see any rust areas,.
So...how do I smooth this barrel up ?

[mooman76]

Lap it or shoot it or both.

[Jniedbalski]

I took a lead bullet and used my cleaning rod scrued it to it then took some fine valve grinding compound and went up and down the bore. When it got loose just put another new bullet on it. I used the lee real bullet smashed in a vice a little so it was a tight fit first going down the bore first time . It smothed out my very rough bore in my stanless in-line barrel and it shoots better. I have read that you can mess up a barrel doing this if you don’t know what your doing but mine came out great and shoots better

[Jniedbalski]

I took a lead bullet and used my cleaning rod scrued it to it then took some fine valve grinding compound and went up and down the bore. When it got loose just put another new bullet on it. I used the lee real bullet smashed in a vice a little so it was a tight fit first going down the bore first time . It smothed out my very rough bore in my stanless in-line barrel and it shoots better. I have read that you can mess up a barrel doing this if you don’t know what your doing but mine came out great and shoots better

[vagrantviking]

The lapping is one idea but I would try some chore-boy copper scrubber or maybe even fine steel wool first to see if there is any rust or other buildup.
Maybe you can get a cheap eBay inspection camera to better know what you are dealing with.

If it's machine marks or similar then the lapping as described is worth a try. I used a lot of steel wool in a rusted up Renegade and got a lot of improvement. Found a good deal on a replacement barrel before shooting it much though. Might team it to a 20ga someday.

[country gent]

Not to be smart or cute but could the patch be loading up on the jag on the upstroke? pushing in its being stretched out on the jag on the up stroke its being pulled down into the jag.

If possible borrow a bore scope and look into the bore this will show a lot. Lapping may smooth it out but also remember you cant lap a bore smaller , only bigger. I would recommend a fine lapping compound in the 320-600 grit range, and be very carefull with its use even. A better idea might be a tight fitted wrap patch and jag and JB bore cleaner, carefully scrub bore with stiff rod and rod guide rotating the jag patch every 10-15 strokes. a little oil on the patch when rotating renews and helps keep the polishing even. Only remove from bore when rotating. After this polish cleaning process bore will need reseasoned. Coat it with bullet lube (SPG emmerts or other black powder lube) and let set this also is a good way to preserve a clean bore.

[725]

Good ideas offered here. Good thought about the patch backing back up on itself. That'll feel tight for sure. Valve grinding compound for heavy corrosion. Flitz for final polishing. Long even strokes as you lap it. Take your time. Firelapping with a Flitz impregnated patch. If all else fails to work, Bob Hoyt for a new caliber out of that barrel. Good luck.

[Squeeze]

I'm with the patch bunching theory. in my .32s If I use too big of a patch, it will always bind on the upstroke. A patch 1 1/4 or smaller is fine (for .32) worth checking as a first step before more substantial tinkering.

[indian joe]

Hello everyone.
I've got a new to me CVA Frontier rifle. The barrel seems to be rough. While cleaning it, the cloth patch will get tight on the jag (up stroke) and I really have to pull hard on the ramrod to free it from the barrel.
Once the barrel is clean and I put a oil patch down the barrel, it doesn't seem to be as tight coming out.
Used my bore light and I think that the bore is rough from the machining tool. Don't see any rust areas,.
So...how do I smooth this barrel up ?

Shoot it!! 250 patch ball loads will sort things out

[Toymaker]

Someone showed me this trick to check for a rough bore and it's worked every time for me. You need a caliber specific brass brush. Get one where the wire is run through the attachment, not pinched into it. Wrap a patch COUNTER-CLOCKWISE on the brush. Slowly run it down the bore feeling for a rough spot. If you feel something, mark the cleaning rod with a magic marker. When you bottom out twist the cleaning rod CLOCKWISE one full turn. Then twist it CLOCKWISE again as you slowly pull the brush out feeling for a rough spot. If you feel something, mark the cleaning rod with a magic marker. If the marks line up you've likely got a rough spot and you know where to pay special attention when you lap. Careful with steel wool as it can snag leaving threads in the bore.

I'm betting on the patch binding up on itself on the up stroke. I've found square patches do that a lot whereas round patches are less likely. Try a smaller patch, down to one that just covers the jag as it goes down the bore. Also try twisting the cleaning rod CLOCKWISE a couple of times when the jag is bottomed out before pulling it back upl

[pworley1]

Do you feel that spot when you load a patched ball? If not then the cleaning patch is just loading up on it's self.

[Eddie2002]

I've located a rough spot in a bore by just slowly running a jag down the barrel and feeling where it drags. I picked up a CVA Frontier last year and it had a couple rough spots from machining. It only took about 20 shots to smooth them out.

[DIRT Farmer]

Get a 3M scrubbing pad and a small jag. wet the pad, cut off a small square and polish the bore. Protect the muzzle.

[OverMax]

Maybe a wooded dole with a split end and spun slowly up & down with some wet Crocus Cloth attached may help smooth-en the rifling?

[tomme boy]

When a barrel maker hand laps a barrel, he has to cut off about 2-3" of each end as the ends wear out more than the rest of the barrel. Keep that in mind as you ruin your barrel running that bullet up and down the barrel with that valve lapping compound on it.

[Good Cheer]

Truth, greatest wear will take place at the points of greatest resistance met by the lapping tool.
That's why fire lapping works so well in revolvers. In muzzleloaders it will try to work in reverse to the outcome you would prefer. In other words, the muzzle gets more wear.
The final lapping to achieve a uniform bore can become quite tedious, depending upon how much metal you need to remove, the rifling pattern, all that jazz and all depending upon what you are working with.
I tackled a project quite a while ago to smooth up a .58 and a whole lot of metal had to be removed. I still have to lap in the area nearest the breech to get it to "feel like" to rest of the bore.
Overall improvement is going to be the end result but getting there is, well, you may as well call it a labor of love and be happy.