Which Firelapping Kit?

[nicholst55]

I recently traded into a used (original, large-frame) stainless Vaquero in .45 Colt. It suffers from undersize throats, and a significant thread choke in the barrel. The cylinder is already on the way to DougGuy for reaming, and I'm planning to spend a day firelapping the bore once it returns. I'm just wondering if anyone has used more than one brand of firelapping kit, and has a prefernece for one over another. I'm currently planning to order one from Beartooth Bullets.

Anyone?

[newton]

I did my own with dremel lapping compound and dead soft boolits. Worked just fine. I forgot where I got my info on it, but it seemed like a common practice. I think I posted it a while back, but it was somewhere over 20, maybe 30, rounds before the choke came out.

[nicholst55]

I did my own with dremel lapping compound and dead soft boolits. Worked just fine. I forgot where I got my info on it, but it seemed like a common practice. I think I posted it a while back, but it was somewhere over 20, maybe 30, rounds before the choke came out.

Stainless Rugers are known to take 100 or more rounds. As Fermin Garza says, their stainless barrels are 'harder than a *****'s heart.'

[newton]

Lol. I don't doubt it. But mine was blued.

[odfairfaxsub]

Lol a whores heart.... Why am I laughing.

[dubber123]

You can buy a kit if it is easier for you, but I just roll air cooled WW boolits between 2 pieces of steel plate with 320 grit valve grinding compound. It works awesome, and don't worry the 320 is too rough, it breaks down finer as it goes down the barrel, and they will shine like a mirror. Plan on a whole lot of shooting, Ruger barrels are tough. The last Ruger .45 I did took nearly 100 lapping rounds, and it was a blued one. It did cut 50 yard groups by more than half. Have fun.

[altheating]

I used a LBT lapping kit. Yes the Ruger stainless barrels are tough. About 100 rounds each to get both of my rifles done.

[btroj]

I just bought some Clover brand 280 and 320 grit compound. Use very soft bullets and roll them between steel plates to embed the compound in the bullets.
Use 320 unless you have a Ruger stainless revolver, that stuff is tough and I used a few with 280 grit to start things off.
i do follow the instructions in the Beartooth book.

[jmort]

I like the Beartooth Bullet kit.

[dustydog]

I used the beartooth kit and the manual that comes with it has good info in it.

[newton]

I think the dremel stuff is 400 grit. I was going to use valve stuff, but wanted that little bit of extra insurance. I think it's only like $5 too.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Doesn't seem much to matter where you get it. It's how you use it. The more you have to remove, the coarser you can start with to speed things up. I used 25 bullets with valve lapping compound from the parts store as it was in my tool box. Then I used 25 each getting progressively finer of 320, 400, and then 600 for a friends off-brand stainless .44 mag that would lead from breach to bore in 6 rounds. After my fire lapping, it never leaded again. Al Verl Smith says, you can't really over do it because the bullet is only so large.

[nicholst55]

I've got a good assortment of lapping compound, and a tube of valve lapping compound, as well. I may have to acquire some softer boolits, though. Let me walk over to the machine shop and see if I can scrounge a couple of pieces of steel plate small enough for the purpose.

[C. Latch]

I did over 150 shots on my SS ruger. It's much better but not 100% unchoked.

[dubber123]

Remember to just embed the compound, don't glob it all over. Not only does it make a mess, but it increases boolit diameter by a surprising amount, and it's easy to produce cartridges that won't chamber. Do 1 at a time until you get a system down. You are going to love the results.

[huntrick64]

I have used close to 100 rounds to clear most of the choke out of my Ruger stainless barrels. I got close enough to accomplish what I wanted and just stopped, even though there was still a little choke at the threads. I used LBT compound and their instructions. I have done about 20 revolvers and 4 or 5 .22 rifles with that same little tub of compound. I am about out though, and will get more from Veral when that happens. The blued barrels were a LOT easier to do!

[randyrat]

Yes you all are right on, I'm on about 25 rds with this SRH 44 and it is not done yet. I'm concerned about opening the throats more than what they are right now..I measured the throats at .432 and am happy with that.

Seems to me some one here used a Q tip to apply compound to the forcing cone then shot soft lubed bullets to prevent opening the throats. Does that work?

[youngmman]

I used the LBT fire lapping kit for all my revolvers

[Patrick56]

Roll bullets pressing against a single cut file and dress them up with engine valve lapping compound. Shoot ten of them and continue with another ten clean bullets, without cleaning the barrell. Press a bullet through the barrell with a cleaning rod and feel for changes in resistance. Easy and cheap!

[clum553946]

Just bought a David Tubb's kit, 25 cal, looks good, will try it next week! It's a series of 10 bullets, 5 levels. You shoot 10 bullets at each level, cleaning the bore between each level & it's done!

[butch2570]

Yes you all are right on, I'm on about 25 rds with this SRH 44 and it is not done yet. I'm concerned about opening the throats more than what they are right now..I measured the throats at .432 and am happy with that.

Seems to me some one here used a Q tip to apply compound to the forcing cone then shot soft lubed bullets to prevent opening the throats. Does that work?That's the method I read on here somewhere and tried on my 44 SBH Hunter I think about 40 rounds or so dabbing the lapping compound in the forcing cone with a Q tip and firing soft boolits, then I hand lapped that area some more with J B compound and finally some toothpaste on very tight patches. It worked for me ,cut group size some and forcing cone area leading by 80-90 %, good enough for me.. The smallest pin gauge to start in the muzzle end will slide completely through the bore now when it's clean and oiled, where it would not before.