lapping barrels?
I want to find out everybodys oppinion on lapping barrels. Also heard about "fire lapping" verses hand lapping. Any comments? pros and cons?
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I don't advocate fire lapping for the simple reason, you don't know when it's enough.
With hand lapping, you can feel your tight spots and you know when the barrel is done.
Cruelty was a rare thing in the war. Fireside folks who talk about war and read about it, they figure it's cruel more often than not, but it simply isn't so... You kill in war to survive, and not because of any desire to kill.
Many men avoid battle not from cowardice but from fear of cowardice, fear that when the moment of truth comes they will not have the courage to face up to it. L'Amour0 -
1, It's not fire lap, it's fire SCRAP. Best used as a last ditch effort to save a junk barrel from becoming a tomato stake.
2, Hand lapping should be done on a new barrel, BEFORE it's chambered or crowned. Lapping tends to "wallow out" the last 2 inches on both ends, and these are (normaly) cut off and discarded before any other work is done.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.0 -
As stated above "fire lapping" is really a last ditch effort to get a barrel to shoot better.
Hand lapping can be done to improve performance on a barrel that is already shooting fairly well. There are actual lapping compounds out there, but I've always used valve polishing compound on an undersized (used) bore brush wrapped with a cleaning patch. With a bore guide in place take 10-12 strokes then change the patch, reapply compound and repeat. Then make a third pass. Go slow and you should be able to feel the changes in resistance to the brush/patch. Clean thoroughly and test fire to note improvements (if any). Repeat process as felt to be necessary.
Remember this process is only for making minor improvements in grouping NOT correcting a barrel that is printing large groups.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
What C-man is discribing is more a polishing, than a lapping.
When you lap you pour a lead slug (over a rod) inside the barrel. This slug is than driven most of the way out, and charged with lapping compound. The slug never completly leaves the barrel during the lapping process. The reversal of direction at each end tends to leave a slight flair in the ends of the bore.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.0 -
Before you try somehing that may render your bore useless; try some JB Bore Paste on a sorta-tight-fitting jag wrapped with a patch.
Simply wrap the patch around the jag, dip it in almost ANY bore cleaning solution or just plain 3-in-1 oil, smear a small amount (pea-sized blob) around the outside of the patch, and run it through the bore 7-10 times without it leaving the bore (back-n-forth) slowly. Then run a wet patch to remove any debris followed by a dry patch; and inspect the bore.
It should be nice & shiny.
If not; repeat the bore paste again until you feel the rod sliding smoooothly down the bore. Clean the debris again, and VERY LIGHTLY oil a patch and run it down once. Now go shoot it.
Let us know how you do.
If you know it all; you must have been listening.<br>WEAR EAR PROTECTION!0
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