barrel polishing

[Andrewjames]

lots of videos coming out about barrel polishing, before i dive, in i wanted some guidance as ill be working on a cheap xs78 barrel and then maybe a lothar walther barrel from my old axsor gemini...



i have a cleaning rod coming which has the swivel handle, but im unsure about compounds / pastes.

this chap is using 2500-3000 grit wet and dry, before going through again with some sort of paste which i cant make out what hes using.

i am curious on other techniques from experienced members who have had successful results polishing their barrels.

thanks all, have a good night.

[Pelletpinger]

lots of videos coming out about barrel polishing, before i dive, in i wanted some guidance as ill be working on a cheap xs78 barrel and then maybe a lothar walther barrel from my old axsor gemini...



i have a cleaning rod coming which has the swivel handle, but im unsure about compounds / pastes.

this chap is using 2500-3000 grit wet and dry, before going through again with some sort of paste which i cant make out what hes using.

i am curious on other techniques from experienced members who have had successful results polishing their barrels.

thanks all, have a good night.

I wouldn’t follow the advice of someone who cuts sandpaper with scissors for starters let alone shoving it in the muzzle!!

[Andrewjames]

I wouldn’t follow the advice of someone who cuts sandpaper with scissors for starters let alone shoving it in the muzzle!!

to be fair its not 60 grit sand paper hes shoving down there,

however i am interested in other techniques from experienced airgunners here on the forum.

[PCPShooter]

Lots of good ways to wreck a perfectly good barrel most likely

[Andrewjames]

the barrel i am working on isnt shooting very well, its more like a last resort..

i have been using the pull through to clean, quality pellets, removed moderator and changed the breech orings but i am still getting consistently inconsistent results.

this is tested over chronograph and also within the sweet sport of the powercurve of the air rifle.

if anyone has more ideas on what else i can look at with regards to this issue i am having before polishing then i am all ears

[Andrewjames]

i have also checked the gun over completely by breaking it down and rebuilding, hammer spring seems to be in check aswell.

and also checked the barrel adapter is holding the barrel properly, i went as far as to bed it in with a gasket sealant.

and for anyone wondering, the gemini is a two shot shuttle system so not really a magazine as such, atleast not like the eight shot variant with the rubber oring that can cause issues with accuracy.

i dont want to get off topic, just wanted some solid information from those who have had successful results from polishing their rifled barrels.

[Born Again]

I've polished barrels on several rifles, with good results. I used kitchen roll wrapped around a barrel cleaning mop on a rotating coupling, and ultra fine diamond honing paste intended to polish the ends of fibre optic cables. I polish from the breech end using a back and forth motion, trying to polish the breech end more than the muzzle end, so as not to remove any choke, although in reality the amount of material I removed was so small it probably wouldn't make any difference.

During the process the feel of the "plug" going up and down the barrel gets noticeably smoother.

[Andrewjames]

I've polished barrels on several rifles, with good results. I used kitchen roll wrapped around a barrel cleaning mop on a rotating coupling, and ultra fine diamond honing paste intended to polish the ends of fibre optic cables. I polish from the breech end using a back and forth motion, trying to polish the breech end more than the muzzle end, so as not to remove any choke, although in reality the amount of material I removed was so small it probably wouldn't make any difference.

During the process the feel of the "plug" going up and down the barrel gets noticeably smoother.

Thankyou, in terms of ultra fine, what grade would that be do you know?

some grits are so fine that as you say, the amount of material to come off would be minimal..

[Andrewjames]

I was looking to get an endoscope with the side attachment for a mirror so i could check the rifling before and after i do any polishing, however there doesnt appear to be one that would fit down a .177 barrel (that has the mirror attachment)?

the side attachment for the mirror seems absolutely essential and if i cant find one out there for sale, ill be forced to make something on the lathe maybe.

[Andrewjames]

another video on polishing, this time with trimite, wet or dry polishing abrasive paper..

skip to 5:15

[pothunter]

Don't do it unless there is a definite tight spot in the barrel other than the choke, or if it is corroded to hell.

If you are determined to go down this path use something like JB bore paste on a tight fitting patch with a proper one piece rod with a jag and tight fitting patch.

Before messing about with the bore make sure that you have a clean and evenly cut crown.

[simona]

I've polished several of my target rifles barrels with solvol autosol. I used it on jags of cleaning cloth on a pull through followed by lots of clean cloths before cleaning out the bore with normal cleaning oil.

I see it as a deep clean more than anything else, though I guess it will reduce the sharpness of edges within the barrel. None of the barrels have responded negatively to this type of treatment and have been used successfully in competition.

I do this with the barrels out of the rifle to make sure nothing gets down the transfer port.

[evert]

Theres really no other way to do this than with fine abrasive paste on a lead plug. Focus on tight spots, and dont open up the muzzle.
Other methods like brushes and soft patches or emery paper will round off the rifling lands. The lead plug follows the rifling profile.

[thisisdonald]

Have you done the crown fluff test? Get a q-tip or cotton bud and fluff the end of it up a little... twiddle it about on the muzzle and with a bright light and magnifying glass, see if your crown grabs any fibres.. if it does, youd be better polishing the crown

[Pelletpinger]

lots of videos coming out about barrel polishing, before i dive, in i wanted some guidance as ill be working on a cheap xs78 barrel and then maybe a lothar walther barrel from my old axsor gemini...



i have a cleaning rod coming which has the swivel handle, but im unsure about compounds / pastes.

this chap is using 2500-3000 grit wet and dry, before going through again with some sort of paste which i cant make out what hes using.

i am curious on other techniques from experienced members who have had successful results polishing their barrels.

thanks all, have a good night.

I wouldn’t follow the advice of someone who cuts sandpaper with scissors for starters let alone shoving it in the muzzle!!

to be fair its not 60 grit sand paper hes shoving down there,

however i am interested in other techniques from experienced airgunners here on the forum.

Well it’s pretty accepted you don’t shove things in the end of your rifle! work from breech to muzzle which avoids crown damage so the barrel needs to be off the rifle.
There is a barrel guru on the forums called BigAl, he’s worked on one of mine, I had an HW 100 that would only shoot Bisley Magnums, nothing else. First thing he did was to rod a pellet through the barrel which identified a tight spot about 3inches up and a tight choke. He said the reason it would only shoot Biz Mags was because they were made of harder lead than others with a thicker skirt, the thinner JSB’s skirts were “ripping” slightly and couldn’t cope with the deep rifling on exit giving poor accuracy.
He used a technique with 4mm Ali rods and cigarette filters and pastes inc autosol. It’s hard to explain but he put a filter covered in paste in the barrel and a rod in each end and worked the barrel up and down with the filter being put under pressure between the two rods.
Transformed my barrel and it shot pellets that previously shot gunned.