Fire lapping experiance results.

[DIRT Farmer]

When you live in John Deere country, you have more than likely tried to improve the county road departments work.

[rhbrink]

There is a product called "FLITZ" it's a chrome polish better auto stores might carry it. Places like Brownell's and Midway carry it. It's a paste and doesn't feel gritty but sure will polish up a old cruddy knife blade, some target shooters use it to clean heavy fouling out of barrels that have been shot a lot. I haven't used it in a barrel yet but it might be what you are looking for.

[sawbuck]

Just called Newman tools and found out that Loc Tite Corp has bought them out , called my local bearing house and ordered a 1# er of 400 that will be here some time but it will come in freight free since I'm in no hurry. ATB

[barrabruce]

I see the benchrest boffins at my club using something like bore paste or polish.
Rubbing it on there .22lr eley match, looked like some sort of waxy grease.

Only a buck a bang that stuff!!!!

I presume there were tuning things up for an up and coming shoot.

They don't talk much and are pretty full on.

Mind you they are all the best!! Auuurrrrggghhh.... But they seldom win.....the wind the mirage...me scope come loose....


How would that go as a firelapping compound???

I know it is ....but for wonky 'ol rough stuff bores!!!!

I found some rouge that appeared to be made of clay.
Very fine gets into your fingerprint grooves

I put a few down the bore with a light load on plain cast.

Came up mirror looking.

I will have to verify next time at the range if I have done something stupid or not...but it appears to push a patch through more slipperier than it was and I appeared to have less fouling build up in the bad areas.

I only had time to quickly bang away a few test offerings groups ..looks promising.

I'll shoot some factory and some of my std cast loads of known performance to verify.

Barra

[barrabruce]

If anyone has decided to keep following this.

I cut a nose of a bullet and being just a tad over bore diameter slightly had to gently with hand whack the cleaning rod to get her going from the muzzle.
It went loose in from the front tighter section and slipped down with out force (read nearly dropped) to the chamber tight section.
I think maybe me bore is uneven a tad.

I then took the riding section sized to about 1 thou over groove and whacked it in the muzzle with a soft hammer and drift. pushed it out and filed off the land marks deep and wide.
I replaced the slug in the muzzle and it took little tinny taps with the soft hammer to get it though the bore.
There was a few places where it seemed tighter and looser but not by much. Pretty consistent through the whole length.

They weren't in the recognised tighter sections of the bore. pretty good to me.



Fouling has reduced to a easy wipe out clean.

Tests 100yrds
Factory grouped pretty well as usual. took only 4 rounds 1st fouler about 1" above and the rest @ 1" group.
Slight fouling.(so Iv'e done no harm as far as I can tell)

Plain cast 2 types of alloy shot @1" with me favorite load (usual on a good day) and a bit bigger with the harder alloy.bit of fouling but nothing much.easy clean out with a wet swab.

PP shot ****e as usual but starting to splatter in smaller circles.

Fouling with a bran filler after 20 shots about as good as the jacketed stuff and cast.
Slight fouling after 20 shots....
No worries.No hastles
Wet swab over the tighter spots a couple of times and its done.

Fouling with out a filler for 5 shots left the bore clean as well.
Same it appears!!!

I can still recognise the same places of build up from the tighter spots ...but it is significantly less than it was ever before.

Talking about you can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear!!!!!

Well it still makes a nice purse all the same.

I may after re-reading and figuring out all the advice on this thread ..may in some point in time do a little hand lapping in the front tight section..but it may shoot in.

Can't complain...

Twernt no match barrell or nothing fancy but it has come up a bit of a gem.(to me anyway)

Still could shoot a rabbit in the head at 100yds if'n I get the chance.

Just godda get this PP thing sorted

Errgh how do you just do the bore diameter???
Just some stuff on the nose section and wipe between shots???

Any way this has been fun and a good time wasting project for me.

Has cost me dearly but it keeps me off the streets...well at my age I should be home thinking and doing proper stuff around the house.

Thanks one and all who have contribute to this thread.
Cheers
Bruce

[sawbuck]

Been following w/ great interest
Have 1893 bbl that was/is real tight and fire lapped w/ 27 rounds . Cast an rolled between two plates of hot rolled w/ lapping compound. Got fearful of overdoin a good thing and hand lapped the rest . Very happy w/ results
thanks Bruce

[rhbrink]

Been following too glad to see it has started to work for you. Can't help much on the paperpatch thing just keep working at it maybe it'll come around. See that you are of the same opinion on "benchrest" shooters that I am. Bunch of whinners plum full of them selves always got a excuse as to why they did't win. Point blank stool shooters in my opinion.

[303Guy]

Hi Barra and the rest of you - I've been away getting divorced and huntin' fer a new woman. Bagged one or two! I don't recommend divorce - it hurts! (Came about from my well behaved and doing well son decided to try drugs at a party and got hooked!)

So, Barra, my suggestion would be to leave that tighter muzzle end as is. By all means loosen up the chamber end tight spot. Fire-lapping seems to do that automatically. Even then, I'd think not do too much to it. My theory is that as long as there is enough chamber pressure to obturate the boolit once it is past the tighter area there should be no problem. The tighter muzzle will simply behave as a tapered bore should and compensate for the fall off of pressure as the boolit approaches the muzzle. Just my thoughts.

[DIRT Farmer]

303 guy hate to hear about the family problems, they still hurt a long time after. Careful about snagging a full time woman, look for on who cooks good and likes to shoot and shop for guns. I diden't find one who likes the gun part but mostly tolarates them.

The crops are finished and I can use my longer range again, Just finishing things up and back to thepart time job and shooting. That blasted 303 2 grouve I will find a load that works or maby find a new barrel or mayby find another gun to play with. Intersting all of that sounds good.

[6.5 mike]

Barra, just keep working with your pp'ed loads, they should "lap" out the rest of the tight spots over time, I'm doing the same thing with a sav 99 in 303 sav. Just takes time.
303 Guy, wondered where you had been. Done the divorce thing 3 times, ain't nothing but a thing. Stay single for awhile, much easier, LOL.

[barrabruce]

303 guy sorry to here about your sad news.
I hope that you and the x don't use the kid /s as tools for getting at each other
Errgghhh ... grew up in a broken family. Only seen me parents .... brother and sister married several times each.
Me I'm the black sheep of the family..only married once and still going.
Nuff preach'n non gun stuff.


Well I did do a couple of more rounds for fire lapping.
The barrel doesn't foul much if any at all now.
Can't tell a difference for what ever I use.
With or without filler.
Iv'e used up all me powder but got some slower stuff adi 2208 to try.

I was doing it wrong ..so I think I have figured out.

I was using darcon filler with the ultra low loads.

I think that the plastic residue was stopping the lapping of the first chamber end of the barrel.
Duhhh..just cleaning it out for the next shot.

But that may be of some use if you have a "section" that you would like to lap out. or maybe an option.
Food for thought there maybe.

I don't think this needs any more honing.

My PP has gotten better with less first rnd flyer and more like groups. 2" at 100yrds or so.

No I haven't achieved MOA or noth'n yet.

I'm going to run half patches again to see if I can get more uniform groups.
But its not the barrell that is making it shoot off.
due to fouling build up or not up to scratch
I'm sure about sure of this now as I can be.

One less factor to whinge about.

Hell If I wanted minute of nats nuts way out yonder straight up I woudda bought me a tacticool super dooper earsplitten louden boomer benchrest gun for a start.

Barra

Still plodding along and slowy learning.

[303Guy]

Thanks guys. Me an the ex are actually still friendly. The new Miss 303Guy hates guns! Holy **** - I sure know how to pick em! (I am allowed to keep the guns in the garage - I haven't moved in yet).

I still havent fired my 'new' two-groove! 2" at 100yds is encouraging. AR2208 should be a better powder. I'm playing with AR2209. That's Varget and 4350 to the rest of the world (Same stuff from the same factory).

[DIRT Farmer]

Well 303 guy I have to ask, was beer involved?
Buy a small farm out of you savings on your cast shooting and keep things there.

[303Guy]

... was beer involved?

No but she has banned me from it!

[NVScouter]

I fire lap any barrel that wont shoot 2 or 3 different loads after I get it. I start slow and use 3 jacketed bullets 1500 laopping compound and two steel plates to rub them between. I fire one, run a patch, fire one, run a patch, fire one, run 3 patches and then shoot some fodder off. Then I clean and try it again.

I personaly feel that fire lapping only laps about 4-6" of barrel before its not doing much anymore. It does some and can even shine up dark bores a bit so some is going the distance. I tried lead boolits but I think they are too soft to hold the compound.

If you have whole barrel issues I'd hand lap it. But fire lapping is a decent start.

I usualy touch up my crown while I'm at it since it only takes a minue.

I have brought dozens of gun from the dead this way. My Gandfathers old 30-30 had a rusted/pitted bore and I put over 30 lapping rounds through it one day then hand lapped it and its a shooter again. I did about the same to a Big-5 8mm Mauser that a friend brought over since it was cracking cases the bore was so funky.

[waksupi]

When lapping a barrel, I like to fire a few shots, running a patch through after each shot. Then I get a tight fitting patch lubed with Ed's Red, and push it through slowly. If the barrel is clean, it will squeak as it goes, until it hits rough bore again. Keep repeating, until it squeaks all the way!.

[DIRT Farmer]

Egads 303 guy I don't have anything aginst guns in the garage plus one or two in the barn and shop, well I keep beer in the garage and shop to. Never know when an emergency will turn up.

Interesting on fire lapping, I tried the trick but did not notice a change at the muzzle end. I was hoping for a choke effect but was wondering if I would end up with the throat area bigger than the case neck would allow bullet size to fit the throat.

[Lee]

Egad man! No ghuns! No beer! What in all of the name that is holy is there left????

[303Guy]

Not a lot Lee. Well, there is the garden to take care of.

NVScouter, I machine up a brass fire-lapping bullet with guide bands and a abrasive groove that seats inside the neck. This will take out rust scale all the way to the muzzle and clean it out pits as well as remove the sharp edges of same pits. Check out my Pig Gun Project thread. That old 303 became an 8mm after the layer of scale was removed! The bore resembles the inside of an old water pipe but believe it or not the damn thing shoots PPCBoos quite well. It's not a tack driver mind you.

[goofyoldfart]

303Guy: sorry to heat about your bad luck the second time around. I had the same problem and stopped the **** of having a missus, after the 2nd one. you right handed or left handed? be ambidextrous and have double the fun. saves money for shooting or for the farm that dirtfarmer was talking about.

BarraBruce: you talk funny man. I love it. it's strange though, I can understand you very easily. Sounds like you're on the right track mon.