Hand lapping your barrel?

[mateba]

What is the consensus on hand lapping your barrel?

[Cornbread]

Unless you have the right tools and knowledge you risk doing more damage than good. Are you having issues with the barrel?

[mateba]

No, I'm not. I just curious about when its appropriate to do it and how effective it is?

[nuthead]

Check out David Tubbs final finish bullets - they only remove about 0.003 and are supposed to be pretty good (especially for rough factory barrels and AR barrels)

Edit: i wouldn't touch a custom barrel or an accurate factory barrel though

[mateba]

That is what is called "fire lapping?" Alright, I'll check it out.

[A5BLASTER]

Let us know what you find out about fire lapping, I have heard a lil bit about it but my personal thoughts is I would rather spend a lil more and buy a barrel that is hand lapped buy the company that is making it.

[mateba]

I agree. It seems like a bigger pain than just hand lapping it. I'm not sure I want abrasive in my press. I've got a small lathe that can turn the excess off the lead casting. I guess that's the big hang up for hand lapping? Although, that doesn't need to be square. It could be cut with a hack saw. Maybe its messing with molten lead? It just seems like everything gets rubbed to perfection but the bore. Just wondering why. Lapping scope rings, lapping receivers, dropping grain measurements by .01 and redoing a ladder for another node, bedding the barrel and don't forget the cleaning regimen. I've seen a few videos online about this but I question the legitimacy of them. I'm really surprised there are not more, if this really is something people do and get results. I've seen videos of people clean their bores with JB compound too, but that's not the same. Maybe I'll save this one for retirement when I have a few extra barrels laying around in one of my safes.

[mdram]

many good custeom barrels come hand lapped from the factory
just buy one thats done right

[Kilco]

Odin works 6.5 Grendel barrels are hand lapped.

[A5BLASTER]

Mateba, as I posted earlier I wouldn't go throw the pains of trying to do it myself, I would just source a barrel and bolt combo that comes hand lapped from the retailer again just my personal thoughts on it.

As for as the lapping upper and bedding barrel, gas block and gas tube all I can say is that my first grendel I bought as a whole rifle from a member of this fourm and he hadn't done any of those things, so I went back throw the rifle and lapped the upper bedded the barrel and bedded the gas tube into the gas block and then bedded the gas block on to the barrel and it made enough diffrence for me to say yep it works and when I built my upper I have now and the one's I built for my family I did those things to them and all our rifles shoot under a inch at 100.