Bore polishing to help with fouling: it worked!

[zneufeld]

Took my Lyman Great Plains .54 flintlock out to the range today for the first time after following duelist1954's instructions for polishing the bore with Scotch Brite (link here).

I had the same problem that Mike had, which was the rifle was extremely difficult to load after just 2 or 3 shots because of fouling. With mine, there was a spot about 8 inches down the bore that practically required a jackhammer to pass with a reasonably tight load (.015 patch and .53 RB).

I did what Mike did, and cut 7 or 8 patches from a Stotch Brite pad and ran them down the bore 10 times each with an undersized jag (.36 cal).

Today, I got to 10 shots without noticing any difficulty loading, and went all the way to 13 before I cleaned. I probably could have kept going, but I needed a break anyway.

Success! Thanks, Mike!

Now all I need is the time and place to do a proper sight-in. I have no idea where I'm hitting at 50 yards, but our local range doesn't allow BP on the shorter ranges.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Took my Lyman Great Plains .54 flintlock out to the range today for the first time after following duelist1954's instructions for polishing the bore with Scotch Brite (link here).

I had the same problem that Mike had, which was the rifle was extremely difficult to load after just 2 or 3 shots because of fouling. With mine, there was a spot about 8 inches down the bore that practically required a jackhammer to pass with a reasonably tight load (.015 patch and .53 RB).

I did what Mike did, and cut 7 or 8 patches from a Stotch Brite pad and ran them down the bore 10 times each with an undersized jag (.36 cal).

Today, I got to 10 shots without noticing any difficulty loading, and went all the way to 13 before I cleaned. I probably could have kept going, but I needed a break anyway.

Success! Thanks, Mike!

Now all I need is the time and place to do a proper sight-in. I have no idea where I'm hitting at 50 yards, but our local range doesn't allow BP on the shorter ranges.

Use the right patch lube, keep oil out of the bore, and you don't need to clean tween shots.

 

[zneufeld]

Use the right patch lube, keep oil out of the bore, and you don't need to clean tween shots.

It will definitely be a project to find the best lube and patch. But before I polished this bore, I would challenge anyone to load it after 3 shots, no matter the lube. Just a rough bore, I guess. I remember someone else on here had a similar problem with a GPR awhile back.

 

[R.J.Bruce]

A well polished crown, a tight patch/ball combination, a good non-petroleum, non-beeswax, non-synthetic lube (animal-based), and a polished bore should lead to indefinite multiple shots in a row without the need to swab/clean the bore. Regardless of whether the barrel has square bottom, or round bottom grooves.

You might want to give the Lee Shavers Barrel Break-in method of bore polishing a try. Idaholewis swears by it, and treats every one of his barrels, new & used, by this process.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I've been flamed in the past for suggesting the same thing.
I wonder how many rifles just get propped up the corner and never used again due to this because that's better than taking something abrasive to the bore!

 

[smoothshooter]

A well polished crown, a tight patch/ball combination, a good non-petroleum, non-beeswax, non-synthetic lube (animal-based), and a polished bore should lead to indefinite multiple shots in a row without the need to swab/clean the bore. Regardless of whether the barrel has square bottom, or round bottom grooves.

You might want to give the Lee Shavers Barrel Break-in method of bore polishing a try. Idaholewis swears by it, and treats every one of his barrels, new & used, by this process.

What is the Lee Shavers Method?

 

[old iron]

https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/threads/lee-shaver’s-barrel-break-in.33040/

 

[Celt5494]

Took my Lyman Great Plains .54 flintlock out to the range today for the first time after following duelist1954's instructions for polishing the bore with Scotch Brite (link here).

I had the same problem that Mike had, which was the rifle was extremely difficult to load after just 2 or 3 shots because of fouling. With mine, there was a spot about 8 inches down the bore that practically required a jackhammer to pass with a reasonably tight load (.015 patch and .53 RB).

I did what Mike did, and cut 7 or 8 patches from a Stotch Brite pad and ran them down the bore 10 times each with an undersized jag (.36 cal).

Today, I got to 10 shots without noticing any difficulty loading, and went all the way to 13 before I cleaned. I probably could have kept going, but I needed a break anyway.

Success! Thanks, Mike!

Now all I need is the time and place to do a proper sight-in. I have no idea where I'm hitting at 50 yards, but our local range doesn't allow BP on the shorter ranges.

Thank you for posting this. While I do not tend to have much fouling issues, I do like the idea of making sure all of that fouling gets removed along with easily smoothing any micro-burrs left anywhere in the rifle. Also good information to pass along to others who might be having those same issues.

 

[GriscomRun]

An interesting topic. As teens when getting interested in hunting and good rifles we read and talked a lot. I recall articles written in the famous outdoor magazines about barrels of all sorts - that being famous makers and such. And discussions about barrel lapping. Especially having to do with accurate barrels and match shooters. Don't hear much of that anymore and I presume the modern makers are doing a better mfg. job. Also don't hear anything about rifle marksmanship. Point is that I clean a new barrel as maybe you do. Then lap it with JB. Clean again. Then use scotch write in my MZ. Clean again. Add a barricade patch. My thinking is that any barrel mfg. process leaves some level of sharpness to the lands and that includes the rough spots. So it makes sense to me to smooth and polish the barrel.

 

[bigted]

This subject has always been a argument in the making.

I have had bad shooting rifles and as Brit's refers to ... those guns had me turning my back on muzzleloaders and practically give em away. Then buy nother and wind up doin the same thing.

One day I decided that there had to be a cure and no idea why these factory built rifles should not shoot accurately.

First BP rifle was a shooter. It was a CVA Kentucky rifle with the two piece stock. I butchered it together, heat browned the barrel and furniture, tried to polish what brass there was and proceded to shoot several pounds of powder and a bunch of home cast .440 balls. Friend had a snazzy 20 gauge double barrel and we swapped.

One time I took a Lyman GPR kit and took lotza time and care building/assembling it. Dang thing spit bits of cloth out just a smoldering and shot patterns not groups.

Lamenting ... I decided that I was going mess with that barrel and try to coax some accuracy outta it.

Took some old Clover valve grinding soup and with a very tight patch, began stroking back n forth with full strokes. Back then you could get a three can set of compound ... course, medium and fine. I began with the medium and probably stroked it in and out at least 50 times. Cleaning it thoroughly with diesel, drying it and cleaning it with hot boiling soapy water, I began stroking with another tight patch soaked in the fine compound. Probably 100 full strokes later I again cleaned her up. Took ... I think it was bore butter ... and before it cooled off, swabbed another tight patch soaked in the bore butter and kept swabbing till the barrel cooled.

Imagine my delight later that day when she would shoot into a nice tight GROUP at 75 yards time after time. No more torn patchs . I was very happy with the results and voiced my progress only to be boo hoo'd for my efforts by the "pro's" of the day for "bubba'ing my rifle.

However my efforts worked so well that I ignored the ribbing and repeated the process with my TC renegade 54. MAN she turned the corner. Began shooting like a rifle should. I have "rescued" several barrels thusely and the "pro's" be danged. Worked fine

That my friend is my 2 cents on this subject.

 

[TerryK]

I would also be lapping the barrel with some compound after the scotch brite. I have JB paste and knife strop lapping compound. I generally start with knife compound, then finish with JB. Works for me.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I put my just cleaned first build up with Rem Oil in the bore to protect it. I got it out a few months later and the bore looked like a red potato farm, the gun shot pitifully even after I cleaned most of the rust out of the bore.

Being a nice Rice Barrel that was now of little use to me I decided to fix it or completely ruin it. I scrubbed the barrel with a square of green Scotch bright pad soaked in Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner, after about 25 strokes I actually saw metal on my patch. I though, Oh No, I have done it now. A check with my bore scope showed that I had really cleaned up the barrel, probably too much, the edges of the lands were now slightly rounded over.

This rifle had never been a good shooter, 2 1/2" groups at 50 yard with more occasional fliers than any other gun I owned.

Off to the range, my expectations were low, I had removed a lot of metal from the barrel.

Well, what a surprise, the group at 50 yards was dang nice, I pulled the shot to the left then settled down for the next two, what a difference a little scrubbing makes.

The bull is a 2" one.

 

[pooch156]

I put my just cleaned first build up with Rem Oil in the bore to protect it. I got it out a few months later and the bore looked like a red potato farm, the gun shot pitifully even after I cleaned most of the rust out of the bore.

Being a nice Rice Barrel that was now of little use to me I decided to fix it or completely ruin it. I scrubbed the barrel with a square of green Scotch bright pad soaked in Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner, after about 25 strokes I actually saw metal on my patch. I though, Oh No, I have done it now. A check with my bore scope showed that I had really cleaned up the barrel, probably too much, the edges of the lands were now slightly rounded over.

This rifle had never been a good shooter, 2 1/2" groups at 50 yard with more occasional fliers than any other gun I owned.

Off to the range, my expectations were low, I had removed a lot of metal from the barrel.

Well, what a surprise, the group at 50 yards was dang nice, I pulled the shot to the left then settled down for the next two, what a difference a little scrubbing makes.

The bull is a 2" one.

An old friend told me to use chrome polish on a patch. About 100 strokes and changing the patch 4 times. Did the trick!

 

[FlinterNick]

I would also be lapping the barrel with some compound after the scotch brite. I have JB paste and knife strop lapping compound. I generally start with knife compound, then finish with JB. Works for me.

I’ve done this before with ‘yellow’ and ‘green’ knife compound or strope compound, it really cleans between the lands pretty well for calibers 45-62. For the smaller calibers not so much, I do it on my smoothies often wit grits as high up as 1500.

 

[FlinterNick]

I clean mine with brillo pads (steel wool that is soaped) it really gets the tough fouling out. I then dry with a long bore snake and lightly oil then grease with marine grease to prevent rust.

 

[AwwNaww]

I used 0000 steel wool wrapped around an undersized brush on a lyman gpr. This was followed with JB. The result was a very nice improvement both in accuracy and lack of fowling. It scared me at the time to do this but Lyman actually recommended it. The rifle still shoots as well as some much "finer" made guns.

 

[eggwelder]

So what can be done with a badly pitted rough bore that still kinda groups? Will a lapping help that? it can foul up pretty badly. Not scared of ruining it more than it is

 

[Eric Krewson]

I tried the real aggressive cleaning on a badly pitted bore, it got to be much worse of a shooter after I really went after the bore with a variety of scrubbing products, it was a TC with shallow rifling. I ended up sending it off to Bobby Hoyt for a rebore.

It was a former friend's rifle, really a mess, it looked like this before I started on it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

So what can be done with a badly pitted rough bore that still kinda groups? Will a lapping help that? it can foul up pretty badly. Not scared of ruining it more than it is

For badly pitted bores I make a lead lap, Then use a hacksaw blade to cut the groves on the lap deeper. (the lap is a "mirror image of the bore). Then use a valve grinding compound such as Clover to lap the bore. Some times I repeat the process,The groves in the barrel are usually more pitted than the lands so you need to lap the groves not the lands. Then finish with a buffing compound. Always use a bore protector and a "throw away" ramrod for lapping. I have been able to restore many barrels that looked to be trash when I started.

 

[SDSmlf]

There are many ways to polish of clean up a bore. Here is a @duelist1954 video showing the process he used on a difficult to load GPR.



I have used a similar method with Scotch-Brite for some time, but Mike explains his very well. I started doing it after speaking to Don Getz (Getz Barrel) years ago before he passed, and he recommended using the green (600 grit) Scotch-Brite for smoothing up barrels that were cutting patches. Said it wouldn’t hurt the barrel.