barrel polishing and break-in

[savage308]

i just picked up an ultra varmint fluted 223 used at a gun show and my hawk eye bore scope shows some small pitting midway down the barrel. what steps should i take to try to repair the bore?

[quickdtoo]

Welcome to GBO! I wouldn't worry about it unless it doesn't shoot good, my dad used to buy old milsurp rifles that had terrible pitting in the bores, but they all shot plenty good enough for him. Just clean it good and shoot it, then you'll know whether you need to take any steps to clean up the bore, the Hawkeye should tell you what to do if it's a problem. Polishing with a mild abrasive like Flitz or JB probably won't do much for the pitting, but it will smooth the rest of the bore. I wouldn't do anythng much more aggressive, the shallow rifling in H&Rs could be damaged more by the treatment than you'll gain. One member used Tubb's bullets in his and it likely ruined the barrel, it shot a lot worse afterwards.

Tim

[coyotejoe]

Yep, I have a friend who had a new Savage .308 bolt gun and was getting one inch groups with his 180 grain handloads. He decided he wanted to turn it into a real tack driver so he went through the fire lapping routine following instructions exactly. His groups opened to 2 1/2" and he traded the rifle. They say it can't hurt but in that instance it sure did.

[savage308]

thanks for the reply. my ultra really looks cool . ill have to figure out this digital camera and post some pics.

[MTGlass]

I've used this process on a couple of Handi barrels now.  The link is also buried down in a thread linked in the FAQ page.

http://www.centerfirecentral.com/barrel_break.htm

I'm fixin' to do it to my daughter's factory fitted .223 accessory barrel too, maybe tonight.  I'm amazed, if not disgusted at how much copper was in a supposedly new barrel.  I had it squeaky clean with Hoppes and Kroil before foaming it with Wipe-Out.  After 20 hours and two doses of Wipe-Out I've got most of the blue and black out.

I'll probably have an Ultra Varmint .223 to do before long as well.

[Swampman]

I usually just check to see if the bore is obstructed, and then I shoot the heck out of it.  I clean my rifle's bore once a year, right after deer season.  They shoot great, and I've been doing this for years.  Nothing ruins a barrel as quickly as a cleaning rod.