Smoothin out da smoothbore ummm..... bore !! :D

[Rob M.]

Okeydoke ... This thread is for that famous Canadian N.W. Trade gun maker Walt53 and anyone else wanting their smoothbore to clean and load easier . Gonna polish that nasty ole bore ! Sure makes everything better ! Loading and cleaning is so much smoother , easier and quicker with that shiney clean bore ! Picture is just of a " D@mn ole trade gun " I made about 7 years ago . ..cause posts without pics suck , LOL ..... Let's get started ...

 

[Rob M.]

This is one nasty barrel inside , not abused but it is 100 + year old Belgium shotgun barrel , unused .... See if pics will work.....get ya a wooden rod , this one is 1/2" dia. Cut or split one end couple inches , I'd cut it , then you can add sand paper and steel wool to it .... Chuck it up in your drill .....

 

[Rob M.]

The first go ...about the speed to go .... . Ken Netting never advocated sand paper , my thing , he just uses steel wool last I heard .... The first piece of sand paper I run through the tube 4-5 times , it was dirty so another piece ...I ran it through 4-5 times , flipped it over ( not dirty ) and 4 -5 times ... The difference already is just amazing , looks like a mirror in there already ...less than 20 -25 min. of work ...next I'm going to do course to fine steel wool ..
the whole process would probably take 30-40 minutes or so ... These short barrels do go a lot quicker but its hardly a terribly long ordeal ... This d@mn VDO is probably never going to down load out here in the boonies ...maybe later ifn I go into town for a coffee break ...it ain't nothin terribly important just shows me running the apparatus through the barrel rather slowly with the drill....no biggy ...

 

[Rob M.]

After the sand paper gets the real rough stuff out then diff. grades of steel wool down to the fine stuff ...I run each one down and back being one run , so I ran each grit of steel wool about 3 runs each .....

 

[WALT53]

The first go ...about the speed to go .... . Ken Netting never advocated sand paper , my thing , he just uses steel wool last I heard .... The first piece of sand paper I run through the tube 4-5 times , it was dirty so another piece ...I ran it through 4-5 times , flipped it over ( not dirty ) and 4 -5 times ... The difference already is just amazing , looks like a mirror in there already ...less than 20 -25 min. of work ...next I'm going to do course to fine steel wool ..
the whole process would probably take 30-40 minutes or so ... These short barrels do go a lot quicker but its hardly a terribly long ordeal ... This d@mn VDO is probably never going to down load out here in the boonies ...maybe later ifn I go into town for a coffee break ...it ain't nothin terribly important just shows me running the apparatus through the barrel rather slowly with the drill....no biggy ...

That looks like what we call emery cloth what our machinists use hearto polish up after cutting or machining apiece .I wasn’t aware it came in different grits never paid attention to it I guess.

 

[Rob M.]

Like a mirror inside ....oil it ...done

 

[Rob M.]

That looks like what we call emery cloth what our machinists use hearto polish up after cutting or machining apiece .I wasn’t aware it came in different grits never paid attention to it I guess.

It is similar to Emory cloth .Its great for the first run , get the rather rough stuff out , then go to steel wool . I have an old original Civil War barrel I'm making a barrel out of for a NW gun ...I used some really rough grit first ! 160 years worth of corrosion is very stubborn but ...I'm gettin it ! Gonna be cool !

 

[WALT53]

Like a mirror inside ....oil it ...done

Thankyou Rob very informative post as always with a little BS thrown in for fun lol.

 

[Rob M.]

On coffee break ....let's see ....first one , running her with the sand paper , first couple runs , get rough stuff out ....see if VDO will load here in town .... WEEH DAWGY !!! I tink its workin !! It did !

 

[Rob M.]

Runnin the steel wool In the tube ...

 

[wiscoaster]

....grades of steel wool down to the fine stuff ..

Careful with that steel wool --- Don't even think of running it up and down the bore with a cleaning jag!! I had a hunk get pulled off the jag and it got stuck down in the breech and was a bugger to get out. Even a worm couldn't catch it and pull it. Tried compressed air but no dice. Tried shooting it out by trickling powder in through the vent hole. No dice. Finally got it out by ramming and compressing a cloth wad into the ball of steel wool and then grabbing the whole wad and pulling it out with a screw-type ball puller. Very frustrating experience.

Use a slitted dowel and a drill, like @Rob M. demonstrates above, NOT a jag to run your steel wool down the bore.

I should add this was a Pedersoli gun so that was probably a major part of my problem.

 

[Rob M.]

Careful with that steel wool --- I had a hunk get pulled off the jag and got stuck down in the breech and was a bugger to get out; even a worm wouldn't catch it and pull it. Tried compressed air but no dice. Tried shooting it out by trickling powder in through the vent hole. No dice. Finally got it out by ramming and compressing a wad into the ball of steel wool and grabbing it and pulling it out with a screw-type ball puller. Very frustrating experience.

I should add this was a Pedersoli gun so that was probably a major part of my problem.

Use a slitted dowel and a drill, like @Rob M. demostrates above, NOT a jag to run your steel wool down the bore.

Its not breeched so wouldn't matter , if it came off I'd just push the wool out ... If it was breeched and the wool came off I'd just unbreech it and push it out .... Pretty easy . I dont mess with junk .you can not unbreech

 

[wiscoaster]

.... I dont mess with junk .you can not unbreech

Ah, well, some of us don't have that option. Lucky you.

 

[rich pierce]

It’s nice and shiny! Is the bore consistent? I use adjustable reamers on bad bores.

 

[Rob M.]

Thankyou Rob very informative post as always with a little BS thrown in for fun lol.

Your welcome bud , hope it helped ya out or cleared up any " ify " spots in my suggestions of polishing your bore .... Have at it bud !

 

[Rob M.]

It’s nice and shiny! Is the bore consistent? I use adjustable reamers on bad bores.

No clue if its consistent or not ....

 

[Rob M.]

Ah, well, some of us don't have that option. Lucky you.

Ok ? I have options you dont ? Only I can buy flat faced breech barrel set up ? Is it like a white privilege thing or somethin ? It sure ain't a money thing as this barrel is $26 and the breech plug was $12 .

 

[wiscoaster]

Ok ? I have options you dont ? Only I can buy flat faced breech barrel set up ? Is it like a white privilege thing or somethin ? It sure ain't a money thing as this barrel is $26 and the breech plug was $12 .

A barrel and a breech plug wouldn't do me much good. Maybe you can assemble them along with some scraps and odds and ends into a fully functioning firearm, but I sure can't. Yes, you have options I don't. So gimme a break, pard.

 

[Rob M.]

A barrel and a breech plug wouldn't do me much good. Maybe you can assemble them along with some scraps and odds and ends into a fully functioning firearm, but I sure can't. Yes, you have options I don't. So gimme a break, pard.

Well , I'm sorry you feel that way . Lots of troubles and problems with guns that aren't flat faced breech and can't be unbreeched ... I hate that ya feel you ain't got any options ...

 

[Rob M.]

A barrel and a breech plug wouldn't do me much good. Maybe you can assemble them along with some scraps and odds and ends into a fully functioning firearm, but I sure can't. Yes, you have options I don't. So gimme a break, pard.

You ever feel like , thinking about building a NW trade gun , holler at me . I can send ya a great building manual for free via email and I can help.ya find the most inexpensive parts for it ...