Author Topic: Burnishing the bore (Read 1542 times)

DaveH · « **on:** February 13, 2005, 03:43:55 AM »

Here is a link that decribes how to burnish the bore of a shotgun. Its pretty easy to do and it improved the pattern on my NEF 20 ga that was shooting low.

One thing to remember is this CAN NOT be done to chrome lined barrels

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.shotgun-bore-polishing.html

MSP Ret · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2005, 04:11:23 AM »

Thanks Dave, it sounds very simple and since I have everything I need right here I'll try it....<><.... :grin:

Woodbutcher · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2005, 04:44:27 AM »

Thank you Dave. Gonna drill out an empty hull for a guide and have at it.
Woodbutcher

DaveH · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2005, 09:11:15 AM »

Ok I finally got to really shoot my 20 ga today after my goose hunt. Man Its a time consuming job but it did really pay off for this gun. It had been shooting a little low from point of aim to point of impact. and there was some holes in the pattern. Since I burnished the barrel I'm getting alott more consisted pattern from this gun. I'm very pleased with this project. I think the next gun to do will be my Charles Daly. It has always shot good but the bore had never been really bright. The 20 ga I did is now not only bright its like a mirror. I can point it toward the TV and actually watch the TV off the reflextion off the bore. Now is that bright or what ?

buckslayer · « **Reply #4 on:** February 15, 2005, 09:15:15 AM »

i wonder if you could use a bore mop w/ some jb bore bright on it???

DaveH · « **Reply #5 on:** February 15, 2005, 12:09:49 PM »

Buckslayer I think using the 0000 steelwool is fine enough this bore is like a mirror. I don't think the JB bore bright would be nessisary. I'm not sure how abbrassive JB's is but the point of burnishing the bore is to get ride of the marks left by abbrassive polish and to fill in the pores of the metal.

RedRyder21 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2005, 12:36:08 PM »

After burnishing the bore, How many shots does it take until you burnish it again.

Oh, and by the way I just bought a Pardner single shot. My question is can it take both 2 3/4 shells and 3 inch shells? It is marked with a 3 inch chamber. I know it could fire both, but I want to double check first.

Markus · « **Reply #7 on:** February 15, 2005, 02:43:49 PM »

It'l take both. Enjoy the new gun.

Brett · « **Reply #8 on:** February 15, 2005, 03:57:52 PM »

Quote from: RedRyder21

After burnishing the bore, How many shots does it take until you burnish it again.

Unless you're shooting rock salt out of it I would think burnishing only needs to be done once. :eek:

JRSR126 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 15, 2005, 10:06:01 PM »

One thing that happened to me was it spun out the screwed in choke whenever I got to close to it with the tool. I has put on a I/C choke and wanted to go right thru it. However, I had to just mark the tool and kept a way from it. If the drill had been reversible, it should have allowed me to polish thru the choke.

I only did it about 5 minutes and the bore looked 100% better. I am charging up my portable drill and try it in reverse and polish thru the choke later today. I would think maybe you would want to polish it both clockwise and counter clockwise. A friend told me also to be careful to make sure each part of the barrel gets the same amount of work. He says there is a tendency for the middle to get allot more work than the ends. I ended up using my finger as a guide as the rod would vibrate and hit the barrel. Another thing I was concerned about was the barrel got hot to the touch although I don't think it was hot enough to hurt the temper of the steel. Just need to watch and control how hot the barrel gets. I did take the barrel off the gun when I did the polishing. I think the shotgun shell guide that another suggested would be good.

Overall, very good home maintenance technique. May save me $70 on a barrel polishing/forcing cone work. Will try out on the range on Thursday.

DaveH · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2005, 12:15:32 PM »

JRSR126,
When I first started burnishing my barrel I would take a break and look down the barrell and think man this is really working and after about 20 minutes I was ready to quit but I didn't I kept working it and after about 50 minutes of working the tool back and forth through the bore man what a differents it made. I can't describe how biright this thing is now to be honest I didn't think a bore could be mirror like but this one is. As I worked the barrell every fifteen minutes or so I'd give it a shot of rusty duck on the steelwool. And yes your right as you work the tool down and back up the middle of the barrell gets about twice as much work as the ends do.(Very good point) so you have to pay attention to the ends as you work the barrel.
I hope everyone that tried this simple project had the sucess I did.

Brett · « **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2005, 08:38:30 AM »

I was about to go out and get some steel wool and a dowel when a thought occurred to me. :idea: Can the same thing be accomplished in less than half the time by using JB bore paste or Flitz on an old bore mop?
What do you think? :?:

lik2hunt · « **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2005, 01:59:36 AM »

Ok I'm interested now. I'd like for my 24" turkey barrel to tighten up a little pattern-wise. So what size dowel did everyone use and how much "nicking" did it take to get it to hold onto the steel wool? How tight is the steel wool fitting in the barrel?
Looks like a great plan and I want to do it. Have got 4 shotgun barrels to do it to though. Better dedicate a morning or afternoon to the project I guess. I would think that getting the barrel horizontal in some sort of cleaning vise would attribute to the finnessing of the dowel and wool thru the barrel. Anyone go this route for theirs?
As far as the Flitz or JB ideas, I don't think they would work for this..........defeat the purpose I believe. Dry steel wool with metal powder working in it will spread and fill in the pores of the metal in much the same way that sanding wood fills the pores of the wood. The Flitz or JB is wet and wouldn't accomplish the same goal. Just my opinion tho.

hellacatcher · « **Reply #13 on:** March 22, 2005, 10:04:41 AM »

It works belive me I was a doupting Thomas. I used a 1/2 dowel could have probley used a smaller one I nicked it a little but what I saw I don't think you would even have to do that. The steel wool winds up on it real easy. Stared out with my 110 volt drill sone switched to my battery powered it's liter. I took the barrel off and held it up right with one end resting on a concrete floor. After a hour it was so shinney dang near think you could shave by it if you could open it up. Not only did it tighten the pattern, it streighen up the point of impact witch is what I wanted.

MtJerry · « **Reply #14 on:** March 22, 2005, 10:10:32 AM »

YOU GUYS ARE KILLIN' ME!!!!

I have several NEF projects on the bench and now you give me this!!!

I have a used topper 12ga. that I bought (actually my wife bought for me :grin: ) that really needs this done. POA is much lower than it should be ...

In all seriousness ... thank you for the good information!!

Markus · « **Reply #15 on:** March 22, 2005, 01:22:25 PM »

I bet you meant to say POI (point of impact) POA (point of aim) to low would be a sighting issue. The common problem that burnishing is supposed to help raise poi relative to poa.

MtJerry · « **Reply #16 on:** March 22, 2005, 01:24:23 PM »

Quote from: Markus

I bet you meant to say POI (point of impact) POA (point of aim) to low would be a sighting issue. The common problem that burnishing is supposed to help raise poi relative to poa.

Yeah ... that's what I mean

DaveH · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2005, 12:46:30 PM »

YOU the MAN Markus !!!!!