hand polishing shotgun barrel for rebluing ?

[SJB]

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on hand polishing barrels and then sending them out for professional rebluing ? I don't have a lathe or buffer machine so this would all be done by hand using various grades of abrasive paper from 120 to 220 and finally 400 with barrel mounted in a vise.I have a 21" 20ga. barrel that needs rebluing but I can't afford (justify) spending $85 to &100 plus shipping to have it done.  Most refinish places offer a much reduced rate on bluing pre-polished parts . Barrel is from a Beretta folding shotgun that I cut down so that when it folds up the muzzle is even with the buttstock, plus I had it drilled and tapped for Williams firesights. Stock and receiver are in excellent shape but barrel not so much.Plus I have a Tracker 11 that I have cut to 20" and would rather a mirror polish than the factory matte finish.My only knowledge on doing this comes from a 2min. video by Midway on YouTube. Any thoughts or cautions on trying this? Thanks.

[quickdtoo]

H&R charges $20 plus shipping for refinishing a barrel to a better than factory finish, $30 for frames, pretty hard to beat that.

Tim

[SJB]

wow! those prices are unbeatable. thanks

[theratdog]

i use some fine emery. clamp barrel in vise use carb cleaner to degrease .heat the barrel up to hot to touch use burchwood casey's bluing .i have done a lot of rifles this way including parts.works real good.

[microbc]

Hi quickdtoo,
I called H&R today and was told the cost of bluing an H&R barrel was around $120.00.
How would one go about getting the pricing you mentioned?
I have a 12GA Topper built in 1985 that I would love to have re-blued.
Thanks,
Art

[quickdtoo]

Call and ask for Lisa Walters, she's the best H&R rep to talk to, the $120 is prolly for a Remington or Marlin  firearm. 

Tim

[cwlongshot]

i use some fine emery. clamp barrel in vise use carb cleaner to degrease .heat the barrel up to hot to touch use burchwood casey's bluing .i have done a lot of rifles this way including parts.works real good.

I too have done a couple muzzle loader and old lever barrels with "Plumbrown". Works very well and looks like a nice change on a older firearm. But it's brown not blue.

The polish MAKES the bluing. Spend time on polishing the nicer you do the better the bluing job will come out!

CW

[STUMPJMPR]

I normally start with 220 then go to 400.  Only start with as coarse of grit as it takes to remove the blemishes.  I did one recently that took 60 grit.    You can rust blue it at home with very little in the cost of set up.  I just got finished rust bluing a muzzle loader and a shotgun.