Deep Cleaning or Polishing

[Cutt]

Which do you prefer? I did polish my barrel a couple years ago, but just opt for the deep cleaning now.

As with deep cleaning, do you include your choke you are using? I realize it can be tight on the brush, as I'll use a worn brush on the choke with it installed, and a new brush for the bore. I read where many install another choke, but shouldn't you be deep cleaning your choke you hunt with also? Thanks

[Philippe]

The process is always a deep clean "scrub", rinse the barrel, then a fine polish. I never do one or the other, its a package deal. I always stick an old spare (usually factory) choke in there. I nor does anyone else usually polish their chokes. Will it hurt them? Probably not. Normally with my chokes I simply clean them with a standard bore brush or nylon brush and leave them be.

[Cutt]

I nor does anyone else usually polish their chokes.

Didn't mention anything of polishing the choke, wanted to know if those deep cleaning include the choke too?

[Sand Man]

I polished my barrel once and just deep clean now.  I try to deep clean after after shot unless I'm on a road trip.  Then I will just run a bore snake thru after ever shot and deep clean when I get back home after the trip.  I leave my choke in and clean it with the barrel.  I do take it out after I'm done to clean the threads and put anti-seiz on the threads then reinstall.

[Philippe]

I nor does anyone else usually polish their chokes.

Didn't mention anything of polishing the choke, wanted to know if those deep cleaning include the choke too?

Deep clean and polish goes hand in hand, and the answer is still no. No need to deep clean or polish that choke. Just stick in an old modified choke or whatever you have laying around.

[Cutt]

Deep clean and polish goes hand in hand, and the answer is still no. No need to deep clean or polish that choke. Just stick in an old modified choke or whatever you have laying around.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong? But to me I read as two different procedures, aswhere some do not polish and only deep clean, and some do both?

[870-Wingmaster]

Can someone define deep clean for me

[taylorjones20]

A deep clean is basically using a good solvent and scrubbing the bore of your barrel for 5 mins and then letting it set for 15 mins and then clean it out.  Repeat as many times as it takes to get it clean.

Polishing involves using a drill, bore polish, kroil oil, scotch brite, and time.

Here's a link for deep cleaning: http://allaboutshooting.com/blogs/blog/98772615-deep-cleaning-a-shotgun-barrel

Here's a link for polishing: http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,182.0.html

Hope this helps...

[Cutt]

I've have read both, and look at it as two differen procedures.

Just because someone deep cleans, dosen't neccesarily mean they have to polish too. I personally can't see polishing a barrel all the time.

As my original question, is which do you prefer? One or the other? Both together? And for those deep cleaning only, are you deep cleaning the choke you hunt with too?

[taylorjones20]

I currently shoot a Benelli SBEII which has a chrome lined barrel. So I can't polish it.  I had an 870 and I polished the barrel on it - It looked really good but I can't tell you for sure that it helped my patterns.

I deep clean my barrels and my chokes.  It's just a personal preference but I like for my equipment to be clean I can say for sure that deep cleaning improved the patterns on my guns.

Also, there are some really good products on the market now that work much better for me than hoppes.  I personally like the boretech products and the butches bore shine.  You don't have to scrub near as much. It does the majority of the work for you.

If you are not getting good patterns out of your gun, then a polish might be what you need.  I think a deep clean is a great idea on every gun.

[Cutt]

I deep clean my barrels and my chokes.

Thanks, my thinking was to deep clean the choke too, as it is basically the end of the barrel. Now I don't think I'd ever polish one though, just wasn't sure about deep claening it, as someone said no need to deep clean it?

[Philippe]

Deep clean and polish goes hand in hand, and the answer is still no. No need to deep clean or polish that choke. Just stick in an old modified choke or whatever you have laying around.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong? But to me I read as two different procedures, aswhere some do not polish and only deep clean, and some do both?

Correct, the deep clean is one step, and the polish is the second part of the process.

[kdfester]

Just deep cleaned both of my guns this week. I install a factory modified to make it easier to scrub the barrel but then use a 20 gauge brush and scrub the choke as well. I don't think I got the choke as good but it was definitely better. As for polish, I may need to do the 870. Can see light machine marks (I guess)in the barrel.

[Sand Man]

Two separate processes.

Deep cleaning is to remove plastic left behind in the barrel from the wads as well as powder residue.

Polishing is removing metal from the barrel.  As on poster mention some barrels are chrome lined.  These do not need to be polished.  I've yet to see an 870 barrel that didn't have machine marks, weld marks from attaching the rib, or impression marks from when Remington stamped the markings on the outside.  With polishing, I've been able to remove most of these imperfections from the inside of all 870's I've built for turkey guns.  It 100% helps the patterns on the guns I've built.

[Cutt]

Correct, the deep clean is one step, and the polish is the second part of the process.

Polishing is the second part of the process if one elects to do it, is my understanding? Just because you deep clean, doesn't mean you have to polish too?

My point was I polished a couple years ago and only deep clean now. Just can't see polishing a barrel all the time. To me it sounds like many do both procedures, deep clean and polish the barrel every time? I would have to believe if a barrel is polished really good it should not need polished every time. Where one could deep clean only and get it back to the polished condition? And I will also deep clean the choke too.