restoring bore

S

sophijo

New member
Bought a Czech Mauser 48 today..bore seems "dirty" (black) but not pitted. Cleaned with Hoppes 9 and patches came out pretty clean..gray color. I like'em shiny.....if corrosive ammo was used is the bore beyond redemption? What should I do next?
Thanks
Dave
 
JB Bore compound or a similar, mildly abrasive material (Remington Bore Cleaner, Butches Bore Shine, etc.) on a patch wrapped around a worn brush. Clean up with Hoppes #9. Repeat.

Clemson
 
If that does not work you can try "fire lapping". It is a fairly simple process, and there are kits available.

Al Minyard
 
If the bore is basically clean and there's no pitting, you're putting unnecessary wear and tear on it by further cleaning before you take it shooting. Take the gun to the range and put some rounds downrange. Then clean the bore while it's still warm. Your barrel cleaner will be more effective when the barrel is still warm from shooting.
 
As Dave said, shoot it before you worry about cleaning any more. The question shouldn't be so much "How does the bore look?" but more "How does it shoot?"
I have a 1903 Springfield that has good rifling but is rather pitted. If I do my part, it will put 5 rds into less than an inch at 100 yds with peep sights. With this kind of accuracy, I really don't care how the bore looks.
 
Listen to Scottys1. I bought a Winchester M1 Garand years ago. It was a steal so I ...had ..... to. The bore looked like surface of the moon.
It was an EARLY one. No gas relief plug....just solid and single slotted.
Took it to the late Roy Davenport in Stockton, CA who was a whiz.
Roy NEVER steered me wrong.
He took me aside and said, "A pitted bore is important when you are BUYING a gun because you can chisel the price because of it."
I thought "Yeah, sure" .......until..... I took it to the range. I was happy enough with 1.5" from the old warhorse.
1.5" at 100 yards with a semi auto is good enough for me whatever it is.

:)
 
Along with what Dave said, methods like firelapping are for new bores to remove uneven areas, hoping that this will promote accuracy. Since the bore is new the overall dimensions are unaffected.

A dark and well used bore is already missing some of its original tight dimensions. Removing more is a mistake. A shiny bore that the bullet rattles down isn't a useful one.


I recommend doing what the previous owners did - shoot it and clean it normally. You can't make a new barrel out of an old one without going up in caliber.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top