Smoothest barrel finish

[mountainman70]

Hello gents,what modern,current maker of longrifle barrels has the smoothest,requiring least finish work on their factory barrels?
I am gettin a bit weary of spending so much time I could better utilize,a draw filin and a sandin to get a nice lookin barrel on my projects.Not lazy,mind you,just havin pains where there werent any.Thanks,Dave

[Mike Brooks]

Rayl's barrels used to give me fits because they were so !@*%&@ hard. Colerain barrels used to be pretty rough, but they are better these days.  Hoyt makes some super finished barrels, of course everything he does for me is basically a one off barrel.
 BTW, I have never sanded a barrel in my life. Draw file and move on.

[mountainman70]

Thanks Mike, is there a particular grade of finishing file to use?I have been using mill bastards in several sizes.if I brown barrel,it is ok,but cold blueing shows a lot of marks.I like blue on occasion,and it is easier on the lungs than plum brown.Thanks,Dave

[Mike Brooks]

I use a mill bastard also. My finish is more or less browning. haven't blued anything in years.

[mountainman70]

Guess I need to keep in mind I am building f/l gun,not modern hi dollar stuff.My brown jobs turn out well,and the blue aint bad,just am looking too close.Thanks.Dave

[Ky-Flinter]

Rice barrels have a nice exterior finish.

-Ron

[volatpluvia]

Getz

[WaterFowl]

draw filed ..Rice ,Gm,Colrain..........Rice needed the least work.

[Bob Roller]

If a squirt of tapping fluid is used during the draw filing,it will
make the work easier and give a fine finish with a new,sharp
file.
Bob Roller

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I've got an 18" single cut mill bastard that's nearly 2" wide.  It's draw-filed about 275 barrels, and I doubt I'll wear it out in my lifetime. It gives a perfect finish for browning, but when I rust blue, I use the same file to back abrasive cloth after drawfiling, so I get a finer finish.  I find that any other file that is smaller, fills with steel too quickly, and needs constant attention.  By the time I've got to the finish stage on a rifle, I find I have to draw file a barrel anyway - it's too marked up from the building process to pass muster.  But I agree that Rayl's barrels, and perhaps to a little lesser extent, Green Mt., are hard to file.

[David Rase]

BTW, I have never sanded a barrel in my life. Draw file and move on.

I agree, it is called draw filing, not draw sanding.  File and brown.
David

[Acer Saccharum]

You want some 'tooth' in the finish, especially if you are going to brown the bbl. A highly polished finish is hard to brown, as the browning solution beads up on it.

A nice draw filed finish is plenty fine for browning.

If you are going heat blue, then you will want a high polish, maybe 400 or 600 grit, as the blue is brighter with a higher finish. But this is not a traditional Long rifle finish, so why am I talkin about it?

[kutter]

They all need some help after I get through with them no matter how nice they looked fresh out of the wrapper.

I draw file with a fairly rough cut file so it doesn't load up, but use light pressure. I just want to square everything back up and get a fresh surface showing. Then I go back over with 220 garnet paper (wood sand paper) backed up with the file in long even strokes.
The garnet paper strikes remarkably well and evenly on the softer steels.  I don't over do it, just a few strokes down each flat evens them out but keeps everything crisp and sharp edged.

Takes away the 'filed look' (if that's in fact what you want, maybe it's not) and puts down a smoother, even texture.
But not so slick that it looks like it belongs on a modern sporter.

Takes soln easily. Even high polish surfaces will wether you rust brown or rust blue, it just has to be clean. It's hard to keep the high polish surface while doing either w/o some careful attention to the process.
I use the same soln for both.

Etching a draw filed bbl in a very weak soln of ferric chloride does a nice job too. Room temp,,a 2% or less soln, plug the bore! and an 'in and out' sequence is all it takes to put a fine matted look on the steel. Great for a starting base for rust blue or brown too.

[Michigan Flinter]

 I just bead blast them and apply the browning .Homer Danglers I like the most ,

[mountainman70]

I have bead blasted some stuff,barrels,too,and browned.Like that process .Pretty much do most of same things y'all suggest.I must be gettin lazy.I have a couple long barels in the works that are definatly gonna need the draw filin,and i like Taylors use of a big file,and Mr Rollers idea of cutting oil is interesting,too.I appreciate you all.Like the man sez,aint no free lunch,aint no easy ride!!Dave

[Bob Roller]

Mountainman70,
It's NOT cutting oil.it's tapping fluid,a different thing altogether.
I use Rapid Tap and usually buy it at Blue Ridge Machine & Tools in Hurricane.

Bob Roller