pros and cons of fire lapping

[JACK308]

Is it a good thing to fire lap a new rifle barrel? the reason is someone told me that since I shoot lead bullets it will be alot better.The rifle a marlin 45/70

[Fleet]

Have you shot it yet? If so, what kind of accuracy did you see? I'd hate to see someone do this to fix what may not be a problem. It won't hurt anything, but may be unnecessary.

[JACK308]

well I really dont think I will do it!.Been using ghost ring to sight in groups are not that good.

[TheGoldenState]

What is firelapping?

[TriumphGuy]

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

[seansean1444]

whats firelapping?
:confused::confused:

[bedlamite]

http://www.davidtubb.com/final-finish-tms

I've used it on a rifle that the accuracy was so bad I was ready to sell it. It went from 4-5 MOA down to 1-1.5 MOA. It's not something I would do automatically, but as a last resort it can improve a bad barrel.

[Fleet]

whats firelapping?
Firelapping is firing several bullets through a gun that have a mild abrasive embedded in them, the idea being that it will help smooth the bore.
Read this: http://www.neconos.com/details2.htm

[JACK308]

Well I keep the new barrel.Thanks

[Txhillbilly]

I have used the Tubbs Final Finish bullets before with great results on a rifle that Copper Fouled very bad.
If you are having a Lead or Copper fouling problem,then Firelapping is something to think about,but your problem is probably from shooting with sights that your not used to.

[TriumphGuy]

^^^^^
What he said. My 1895G shoots just fine with cast bullets. Can you mount a scope and boresight it long enough to see how it's grouping? That will tell you what the rifle's doing. From there, you just need to figure out your ghost ring.

[JACK308]

I'm tired of wasting money the range I shoot at is 80 miles round trip! and I hate to waste powder and bullets if I'm not getting any where with the iron sights,so I will put a burris fast fire on the rifle also.

[Picher]

The problem with firelapping is that it wears the sharp edges of the rifling more than any other part. Due to the nature of the beast, more lapping occurs in the first few inches of the bullet's travel, a critical part that starts bullets rotating. If the first part of the barrel is worn, skidding and poor accuracy result.

Barrels are best lapped prior to cutting or chambering. Having the barrel extending beyond the finished length while lapping guarantees that the two most critical zones, being the leade and the last inch before the crown, are both protected when lapping.

I think it is best to just shoot a new barrel in, but slowly, without overheating it. soft copper Barnes bullets should probably not be used to "break-in" a barrel because they're soft and can result in excessive fouling during that period.

[pbrktrt]

On the other hand, David Tubb does seem to know what he's doing. :D

[Scorch]

Pros: smooths out the leade and any roughness in the bore.
Cons: wears the bore and rifling a bit.

I would never recommend it unless the gun has visible roughness in the bore or as a last resort for a gun that will not shoot.

Yes, David Tubbs does know a few things about rifles, mostly how to shoot them. If you firelap a barrel, you move the leade forward, and you will have to compensate for that in loading.

[sc928porsche]

Copper fouling can be removed with special chemicals, an electrode, and some electricity. There are a couple of kits out there that you can purchase and they do work well without any adverse effect on the barrel.

[Smokey Joe]

I once bought a new Taurus .357 magnum revolver. The bbl leaded like crazy--after a shooting session I'd take it home and actually pick hunks of lead out of the rifling, and the ports, as a start on cleaning it. Was using it as a target pistol, and shooting nothing through it but lead wadcutter bullets.

This annoying tendency continued for some time--Until I got quite a few rounds through the revolver. Say 1500 rounds as a guess. Anyhow, at one point, the dreadful leading simply stopped, like closing a door. It never came back.

My surmise is that I had lapped the bbl, and removed the rough machining that was catching all that lead, only with lead bullets it took quite a few to do it.

Sure was nice to have it happen, though!

I suspect that that particular firearm would have benefitted from a Tubb Final Finish job.

I buy very few brand-new firearms, so most of what I have has been pre-broken in for me. This one revolver was an exception.