Can a stainless bolt/handle be easily polished at home?

[ZANARDI]

I have a Marlin .22 Mag bolt action in stainless. The bolt and handle are roughly finished from a cosmetic standpoint. I'm sure this is a big cost saver for Marlin.

If I take steel wool, metal polish and a lot of elbow grease, can I polish this to a decent finish myself? Am I probably wasting my time? The tool marks and surface "pits" or "grain" are fairly deep. It is going to take more than just removing some surface tarnish.

Are there better products to use than steel wool and polish?

Thanks!

[gunnut69]

I use wet or dry abrasive papers as used by auto refinishers. Use fairly high numbers(finer grit = higher number) and avoid removing too much material. You don't want to loosen the fit of the bolt. Start with 320 or 400 grit and move to 600 when sanding marks are uniform. One could go as high as wanted as these type abrasives are available all the way to 2000+ grit sizes.. I usually stop at 1000 grit and finish with crocus cloth. Be sure to completely remove abrasive residue or the bolt will wear abnormally fast..