Anybody polish the inside of their smoothie barrel?

[Eric Krewson]

I was watching Dualist's video on smoothing up a GPR barrel because second shots were impossible to load and wondered if any of you take the effort to do the same to smoothie.

My fowler is incredibly hard to load after the second shot as it is so fowled. My bore scope shows anything but a smooth barrel, it has plenty of milling marks.

 

[Cruzatte]

My Caywood doesn't seem to have that condition. The thought has crossed my mind however, that I might try that. But then there's this other voice that says "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[Artificer]

Eric,

I have polished smooth bores for various reasons. I prefer to use Flex Hones from Brownells IF you can get the appropriate size.

If you can't, then I begin with a GOOD bronze brush that fits the bore as close as possible, wrap it with Steel Wool so it is a tight fit in the bore and use JB Bore Paste. If that doesn't polish it enough, then I use Clover Leaf lapping compound to do most of the smoothing and finish with JB Bore Paste to polish. I spin the rod in my hand held electric drill and go from breech towards the muzzle so you don't flare out the muzzle.

I would go no further than this before I shot the barrel again, to see if that polished the bore enough.

If THAT is not enough, I saw split the end of a wooden dowel and put the end of an emory cloth roll in the split, then wrap it around the dowel so it is tight in the bore. Now, you ALWAYS begin from the breech end when doing this and it can be somewhat extreme compared to the above methods depending on how coarse of emory cloth you use. I normally use 220 grit as the coarsest for this work. You MUST BE CAREFUL if you have a choke bore in the front of the smoothbore barrel so you don't take out any jug choking. If done enough/too much, it will enlarge the bore size a bit as well.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...loth-rolls/metalite-cloth-rolls-prod9621.aspx

Gus

 

[Artificer]

BTW, this is DREADFULLY MESSY WORK when using the JB Bore Paste and especially the Clover Leaf Lapping Compound. You may often have to wrap more steel wool around the bronze bore brush and add more lapping compound as you go along. You must also clean the bore out well afterwards to remove all traces of the Paste or Lapping Compound. Chances are you are going to get dark gooey "stuff" on you and your bench when doing this.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

Sorry, forgot to mention what I use as the rod to hold the bronze bore brush. I haunt yard sales from time to time, where I picked up used Aluminum Shotgun Cleaning Kits with the sectionalized rods. I was after the rods without the handles, so I could screw enough rods together to go completely through longer ML barrels. I chuck the end opposite the brush in a 1/2 electric drill to spin it as I go along.

Gus

 

[Le Loup]

I was watching Dualist's video on smoothing up a GPR barrel because second shots were impossible to load and wondered if any of you take the effort to do the same to smoothie.

My fowler is incredibly hard to load after the second shot as it is so fowled. My bore scope shows anything but a smooth barrel, it has plenty of milling marks.

You should not be having loading problems due to fouling using a smoothbore, easy loading is one of the advantages over the rifle. Traditionally patched round ball was never used, only wads or wadding. That aside, you still should not be having this problem with fouling. I can only think that you are using a very tight patch ball combination, try using a thinner patch, or use a smaller size ball. OR stop using patches & start using wads as per the originals.
Keith.

 

[Rat]

I've polished my Bess's bore, when I first got her, using first fine steel wool, then scotch-brite. It was a nice bore to begin with, so didn't really need much, I used the ram-rod, which is sized perfectly for/as a jag. I have a .58 cal rifle barrel that looks like the boring reamer was started and stopped many times. So the bore is "lumpy", but the rifling grooves are good and smooth. I need to work it over, although I can't of course use a rotary motion on it, and the rifling is quite shallow, so I can't do too much. On a smoothbore of course, too much polishing would only make the bore bigger, at worst, which might lead one to think it's loading easier because of the polishing. ??

 

[spudnut]

I was watching Dualist's video on smoothing up a GPR barrel because second shots were impossible to load and wondered if any of you take the effort to do the same to smoothie.

My fowler is incredibly hard to load after the second shot as it is so fowled. My bore scope shows anything but a smooth barrel, it has plenty of milling marks.

I've chucked up a cleaning rod with as otch green pad cut to size

 

[Rat]

I agree with Le Loup, as far as the ball/patch combo may be too tight, but I wouldn't say "never" as far as patching a ball in a smoothie. What I have found, for best accuracy, and easy loading, is a small-ball-thick-patch combo, and a powder charge on the heavy side. I'm pretty sure the old timers could figure that out too...so I never say never, as far as patched ball in a smoothbore. In my Bess for instance I use a .690" ball, and denim for patch, or a "chewed .690" ball and a .023+" patch. Loads easy and is more accurate than a bare-ball in my Musket. Now, being first and foremost a hunter, being able to load three shots reasonably easy is my idea of easy loading, beyond that I'm fine with wiping the bore. To expect both accuracy and easy loading for like ten shots or more, I don't think is going to happen. ?? And...I may be totally wrong!!!

 

[Stumpkiller]

Polish it? No. But after small game season I do hit it with J-B Paste to scrub out any lead. I do get less once I started using brown paper "cups".

All of mine have been smooth from the start, though. Getz, T/C & Colerain.

 

[Huntschool]

I am going to differ from Le Loup. The opportunity to patch a round ball in a smooth bore was just as prevalent as stuffing wads down the barrel with a bare ball back in the day if not more so. Perhaps some Yankee fowler hunter might do that but smooth rifle folks in the wilderness learned/knew how to shoot like their rifled barreled brethren..... with a patch. And lets remember there were lots of smooth bore guns out there on the edge of the wilderness, including some pretty well built smooth rifles.....

I don't know of any pointed documentation that said one should only load a smooth bore with wads and bare ball..... that's from back then and now.......

A damp swab with a patch will quickly clean up a smooth barrel of BP deposits.....

As to the polishing of the bore.... The old Getz barrels came pretty well ready to go. You could, of course, run a bore brush wrapped with cotton cloth slathered with valve grinding compound (over 300 grit) up and down the bore if you were not happy with what you had. It can be a mess but it works. Just clean well after.

 

[PluggedNickel]

I used JB Bore Paste, and then finished with JB Bore Polish to polish the bores of my SASS double shotguns. You can't have ejectors on your shotguns, so polishing them up not only makes them easier to clean, but makes the spent shells slide out with ease with a flick of gun. I used Birchwood Casey's "Bore Runner" with JB on it, and my hand drill. It didn't take much polishing to have a very smooth shinny bore. I only wanted to polish not remove any metal. Worked great. I know, those SASS double guns aren't muzzle loaders, but they are smooth bore. Should work the same on musket. This it what one looks like. I just attached the mop part to a
regular shotgun cleaning rod extension and chucked it up in my DeWalt hand drill. It was a messy job, but made a big difference.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Yes, I polish the bore a bit. I just do it by hand. a tight wad of steel wool on a jag, lubed up with Solvol autosol and oil. Really shines them up, particularly if antique and neglected.

 

[Dr5x]

THE SECOND SHOTS WERE HARD TO LOAD BECAUSE OF THE RESIDUE FROM THE FIRST SHOT. A QUICK WIPE WOULD REMOVE THAT.

ACCORDING THE THE LARGE BOOK ON THE 1862 SPRINGFIELD RIFLED MUSKET, THERE WAS THE PRACTICE OF PEEING DOWN THE BARREL AND LETTINF THAT CAUSE SOME RUSTING IN ORDER TO CREATE SOME RESISTANCE CAUSING A NANOSECOND;S HESITATION BEFORE THE PROJECTILE BEGAN TO MOVE DOWN THE BARREL.

POLISHIONG THE BORE WOULD MAKE IT EVEN SLICKER AND WOULD ENCOURAGE THE BALLTO GET MOVING THEBINSTANT THE POWDER BEGAN TO BURN AND EXPAND THE PROPELLING GASES. NOT A GOOD THING.

DR5X

I was watching Dualist's video on smoothing up a GPR barrel because second shots were impossible to load and wondered if any of you take the effort to do the same to smoothie.

My fowler is incredibly hard to load after the second shot as it is so fowled. My bore scope shows anything but a smooth barrel, it has plenty of milling marks.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have shot my smoothie a good bit and it can be easier to load after a quick wipe, but, I end up pushing a lot of gunk onto the breech face which will build up over 10 or so shots and prevent the gun from going off. When I use a breech plug scraper on cleanup I can remove a least teaspoon of this crud off the breech face. I shoot a .690 ball, .024 patch and 100 gr of 1F in my gun, if I do my part I get a 2-3" group at 50 yards.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

DR5x,

I don't think peeing down the barrel was a part of the original commands for handling the musket.......But I Can imagine the looks on the opposing lines faces! (Sort of "History Bites"....the springfield boys carrying Extra Large water bottles) (Walter Mitty mind, please excuse!!)

The weight of the ball causes the slight delay to the expanding gasses. Quite enough on its own.
No, a smooth barrel is always best. Picks up less fouling and is easier to clean. No need for High polish, just enough so it shoots clean.

All best,
R.

 

[kingsax26]

have you tried shooting a bare ball with a fiber wad and os card? ive tried several combos.... involving os cards, op cards, and fiber wads...they all perform about t he same. I can shoot to about 50yards accuratley for deer hunting or about 70 yards for "minute of man" . In one gun and I shoot to 60 yards accuratley..... all in all. I ahve completley changed from ball and patch to bare ball in my smoothies. easier to load, quicker to load, i can make complete cartridges, i can still use with shot on the fly..or vice versa with ball..... if you havnt you should give it a try.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Kingsax,
I usually fire a ball with felt wads, rather than a patch. But, I did have a 20 bore and used a felt wad, then a patched .570" ball, (all I had) and it shot like a rifle to about 70yards.

 

[Rat]

Bare-ball is something I thought I'd never try, but these bare-ball guys are making me curious. But my question is, how is it faster than a patched ball, loaded from a loading block, when you still have to put something down the bore on top of the ball?

On peeing down barrels, my take on that was that it made a good solvent, and was a way to clean your barrel quickly in battle, when the rifle (or pistol) became so fouled that it was becoming impossible to load it, when water was in short supply, or there was no water. ??

 

[PluggedNickel]

Piss quenching black smithing, a lost art! God, that would have to stink!