Fire lapping a rifle barrel

Tommy87

Hi guys,

I'm wondering has anyone on here ever fire lapped a rifle barrel??
If so did it improve the accuracy?? Or any kind of improvements with barrel fouling and cleaning.

Thanks

Tommy

rowa

I was reading an article about a lad in america who does it to any ruger rifles he buys. He fires 20-25 rounds with 1200 grit paste on them and then scrubs the barrel clean. He reckons he always sees an improvement in accuracy, i don't know though , it seems a really good way to knacker a barrel in ten minutes if you get it wrong.

Tommy87

You would have to be very careful alright, I've seen a kit online, the bullets are coated with the grit already. Starting at 400 and works up to 1200. Seems like it would be worth it.

Mycroft H

Do manufactures not hand lap barrels these days?

ejg

Sounds a bit like pouring sand into your car engine to run it in...
edi

tac foley

Tommy87 wrote: »

You would have to be very careful alright, I've seen a kit online, the bullets are coated with the grit already. Starting at 400 and works up to 1200. Seems like it would be worth it.

The idea behind that one is to help fresh-out a barrel that has had a goodly number of rounds down it already.

Using such a kit on a nice shiny new barrel seems to be the equivalent of pouring glass powder into your induction manifold.

I prefer to let the shooting improve the barrel, as much as it ever will. I was told last year by the guy from Border Barrels that the first shot you ever fired from one of their barrels was the best it was ever going to get - thereafter, it's all downhill. Most target shooters of my acquaintance change out their barrels every year, as the edge gets lost, especially in the 6.5-284 cal stuff. 1200-1500 shots is IT.

However, lets just think about the quality of the steel in today's mass-produced barrels, and recent times, too.

My Krico 650SS - about 13,000 x .308Win - makes five shot clover leafs at 100m

My [former] Steyr SSG69 - 14950 x .308Win - makes ten shot groups under an inch at 100m

1911 Schmidt-Rubin - half a bazillion shots, maybe more - 1.5" all day long with milsurp GP11.

1944 Swiss K31 - another half a bazillion shots, maybe more, same deal.

1898 Carl Gustaf - no idea, but probably a great many - same deal.

My two 7x57 Mausers are about a hundred yards past their best, it's true, and I know I'm not getting the best I could out of them because I'm not allowed to have the ammunition that they were made to shoot, but both are still pure murder at the charging bloon competition.

Not one of my seven .22 has ever had rounds counted, but one is an original from 1919, and my dad's semi-auto was bought in 1930 - both are easily holding 3/4" at 50m. My 1937 Mauser shoots half inch groups all the day long, the Walther DSM is a bit of a clunker, but first it belonged to the HJ, and then to a farmer in Ontario, and then to me - and it still piles 'em in a raggedy hole at 50m - the others are out-and-out rifles, old, but quality stuff, and still do the biz.

Since most of you guys over there seem to spend serious money on your guns - Blaser, SAKO, Tikka, Mauser and so on, apart from the many custom guns you all love so much from those great Irish rifle builders and stockers, the very last thing I'd do is to try and second guess the guys who made them by shooting an abrasive bullet down their carefully made barrels.

My $0.02.

tac