Rusty new rifle barrel

[frogwalking]

A few weeks ago, I pondered (in the shooting area) a new barrel that was very rough inside, and difficult to load.  It did not shoot very well either.  Now it seems it is rusty inside; how rusty I don't yet know.  I need to get it back from my youngest grand son to inspect.  Now the barrel was not rusty when I got it, and the lad had only shot it twice and cleaned between and after.  I am pretty sure I dribbled some browning solution down the barrel while finishing it.  I apparently did not  notice, and clean/oil it, with predictable results.  I plan to unbreech and inspect.  If it cannot easily be returned to fine condition, I want to send it off to be rebored and rerifled.  It is a .40 Rice southern classic.  Do you see a problem with making a minimum overbore of this rifle barrel?  Who is best suited to d the work, and what is his contact information.  I may be jumping the gun as I have not yet inspected the barrel, but I need the exercise.   Thanks,

Frog

[Mike Brooks]

I have had Bob Hoyt do rebores for me.

[oldtravler61]

  Frog I have used evapor-rust that you can get at Harbour freight or auto stores. It worked amazing for me. Just placed the barrel in a tube capped one end an poured it in. Left it alone for two day's. It worked amazing. Also it doesn't smell an you can reuse it. Ky- flinter gets the credit. Just wished I would have taken a picture before an after. Both barrels looked like junk. Now there like New. Anyway a thought. Oldtravler

[smallpatch]

Rice will do it if it is safe.  I'd send it to them as the original mfg.

[Hungry Horse]

Frog;

  I would look into what you're using to clean with, and what you are lubricating with. I have seen more barrels wrecked using home grown cleaning solutions than you can imagine. Anything with hydrogen peroxide in it, has a lot of potential to ruine your barrel. Cleaning solutions with degreasing industrial, or household cleaners, are another good way to start a rust ranch.
 Shooting anything but real black powder in your guns is another good way the  wind up with a damaged barrel.
 Lubricants should have some degree of staying power. Spray products that have a thin body, and evaporating carrier, are likely to let you down some time after you have stopped worrying about rust. This usually makes for a nasty surprise when you are getting ready for that first spring shoot.
 I would suggest lead lapping the bore if it isn't terribly pitted.

  Hungry Horse

[Scota4570]

Sounds like an excuse to lap it.  Real lead lapping, real abrasives, put a little choke in it.  I have rescued some sad looking barrels by lapping the snot out of them. 

[frogwalking]

SCOTA; What kind of abrasive do you use, fine valve grinding abrasive?

[Scota4570]

120 working down to 320.   Valve grinding compound.  IMHO finer abrasives will not make any real progress.

You must pull the plug and work from the breech.  Wear a glove to prevent blisters.   Make a rod guide the fits in to the plug threads. I typically use half a dozen slugs at the 120 level before I move on to 220 then 320.  Remember to polish the muzzle section finer before you go back to the coarse grits to relieve the main bore.  Use a tapered screw to swell the slug as you work.  320 will leave a nice looking bore.  Plenty smooth.  IF you want it to really gleam use Semichrome metal polish and steel wool.  Loading a rifle with a choke bore is super easy.  My accuracy results have been excellent. 

It it all goes bad you can still have it rebored. 

[Daryl]

Long time ago - 1975/6? - choking a barrel worked brilliantly.  Following Ned Robert's descriptions, I choked a 38"twist .50 bl. Les Bauska made with .008" deep rifling.
After putting in the choke - I cut a piece off the end of the barrel and made a sizer out of it - with a nicely tapered cone. I then used a loading press to push lead slugs through this 'muzzle sizer' to pre-groove the bullets, then I had mechanically fitted bullets for the rifle.  A Flambeau ctc. tray with the tops cut out of the 1/2" square holes, held the bullets perfectly without damage.  These were almost groove diameter & slugged up to fill on firing.  I had aperture sights on that rifle (my own stock) & shot a number of 1" to 1 1/4". 5-shot groups with it at 100 yards, benched, at the Barnet Range, Burnaby B.C.  I used 80gr. 2fAmerican Deadshot, from a 10 pound can I got from old Cliff Hunter. The Deadshot black powder factory blew sky high in 1898.

[Scota4570]

I did the same thing with a Numrich 45-70 blank, about 1990.  The cut off part was used to make a size die for a lyman luber sizer.   Mine did not shoot as well as yours though. 

[Daryl]

I attribute the accuracy I got, to the "American" Deadshot powder.  It was the most accurate powder I had ever used. It was clean - absolutely no dust or undersized pieces - shiny black, angular with sharp ends of the granuals - lovely to look at.  It also shot quite cleanly, although looking for it, I could not see where it burned "moist" as Ned noted in his book concerning the English Powders.

The Swiss 1 1/2F that I have is close in appearance, but not quite as nice - finely shaped - sharp and so shiny - no dust.