Is there any way to get around this. How about Tubb's barrel lapping rounds or lapping paste. I have a 223 wssm that I am just not that excited about spending that much money to protect the barrel. I actually am pretty close to saying screw it and if I burn the bore out so be it. I will then be able to put a medium bull barrel on it like I like and be happy. But I am still on the fence.

So where do you guys stand?

GVG,

I agree with you.

I was in the same position with a CZ I picked up.

If you don't like the barrel, don't spend any time or money on it. I wouldn't even shoot it. I would order what you want to replace it, and sell this one for what ever you can get for it.

Shooting this one will mean you will have to FL resize any brass shot in it, before shooting in the new chamber. You are using up your brass for nothing. At the price of brass today, to me it is something to consider.

Jim

Food for thought, for lapping compounds to do their work, they must remove metal. Even hand lapped barrels from the top makers still require a break-in. Truthfully, the break-in doesn't protect the accuracy as much as it finishes the throat area in the barrel meaning less cleaning as you go on. On a factory hammer forged barrel you probably won't notice much of a difference. Shoot in peace.

John

On a factory hammer forged barrel the actual bore surface is much like the surface microstructure of rolled threads, while a cut, buttoned or broached barrel is very rough and the crystaline structure is "disrupted" by the forming of the rifling.

So they must all be lapped to SOME degree...


In a factory hammer-forged barrel exhaustive lapping is more likely to hurt than help, particularly if you are working with a stainless steel tube...

Frankly I think the biggest problem with hammer forged barrels is that the barrel makers are still using "traditional" materials for barrels.

"traditional" includes 416L, the most common stainless alloy used.


The problem with these alloys is that they were chosen for their machinability, I.E. the ability to deep bore then rifle them.

cutting the external threads, profiling and chambering are by comparison trivial machining exercises.

What I'm angling at is the fact that there are FAR superior materials, certain rediculously strong (and more importantly more errosion resistant) alloys that would resist even the rediculous abuse of Prarie dog shooting with a 257Wby, these range from Ni-Cr alloys (containing only a trace of Iron) to similar alloys containing cobalt (Hastelloy family)
to some of the mirraging steels.



AD

Big Bore Boar Hunter gut it right with respect to what you're doing when breaking in a barrel.

The idea of shoot one and clean for X number of shots and then shoot 2 or 3 and clean for an X number of shots is something developed by benchrest shooters who need to see if a barrel is accurate in a short period of time.

I'm convinced that the typical hunter, using factory barrels, is better served using the Tubb's Final Finish product --- after he see how badly the barrel may be fouling or in the vase of Barnes bullets, how much copper it being plated in the barrel. --- but I can also say that I've never seen the Tubb's system make a barrel worse and have seen many, many more that it's helped. Read the instructions carefully and only use the grit-grades you need.

I use to do all that shoot and clean stuff, now I shoot a bunch about 10 to 15 rounds. Then I clean and cool it down. Do it all over again. I have found with the last 5 or 6 new guns they turn out just as good as the shoot and clean every shot or two method.

223 WSSM............get excited about some other chambering!! I wouldn't bother breaking the barrel in, just order a new barrel and put the take off on Ebay or somewhere to get rid of it!! Haven't seen or heard of one yet that was "What was expected"!! Good luck with the "project"! GHD

Where do I get Tubb's Final Finish ?