Polishing/ cleaning barrels.

[macobb]

I'm not against polishing I'm just more worried of messing up my barrel. I don't want to try for an improvement and end up messing up the barrel on my 870. I can't polish the chrome lined barrel on the affinity I don't think.

[LaLongbeard]

If it's chrome lined it should already be as smooth and shiny as it's gonna get.
Back when polishing was all the rage I never understood how someone can ruin a barrel with a piece of scotch brite? Some people could destroy a steel ball with a rubber hammer.

[RiverRoost]

So there's not damage or harm in putting a phosphorus brush on a drill and running it back and forth down your barrel once your Hoppes or butches has soaked for 10 minutes or so? A lot of heat from the shell goes down the barrel so I wouldn't think a dry brush could hurt it

[LaLongbeard]

So there's not damage or harm in putting a phosphorus brush on a drill and running it back and forth down your barrel once your Hoppes or butches has soaked for 10 minutes or so? A lot of heat from the shell goes down the barrel so I wouldn't think a dry brush could hurt it

You don't polish a barrel with a phosphorus brush. A regular cleaning rod with a brass brush and some denatured alcohol will remove 100% of any substance contained inside a shotgun shell. You don't need a drill just an arm and some want to, this is not that difficult. 
    Polishing the barrel rather your for or against is a different job with different tools. You don't need to polish your barrel everytime you shoot it. And again you don't polish the barrel with a brush.
     And once again there are threads that go on for 10 pages about polishing the barrel and sticky's on the page with instructions and what you need. There's even a few hundred polish don't polish arguments if your into that. And it's all on the guess which forum section? Turkey guns, lol

[Old Gobbler]

If your shotgun bore is chrome or nickel plated I would suggest you dont bother

I have always polished out my bores , you have to be VERY cautious with gas ports , other than that keep the bore clean with no oil and your good

[Greg Massey]

Again,  i just give mine a good cleaning with Butches and patches , and shine it up and go hunting, ever bird I've shot 40 yards or less, have took a dirt flop , year after year .  I agree with you Old Gobbler .  If i were you guys i would practice with my turkey calls etc. and become better caller than worrying about gain 10 more shot in a 10 inch circle ..

[bbcoach]

The process for polishing a 12 gauge is pretty simple.  You use a standard 3 piece aluminum shotgun cleaning rod and attach a 20 gauge brass bore brush to the end.  Take a piece of green scotchbrite  and completely cover the brass brush (1 revolution).  Embed a good amount of JB Non-embedding Bore Cleaner in the scotchbrite pad, wet the pad with Kroil oil and using a battery operated drill on low speed, begin working the barrel from the end of the shell chamber to the choke end, back and forth.  A vise, with a towel or piece of rubber wrapped around the barrel, makes a great clamping device to hold the barrel. Also use a small box at the choke end, to catch leakage and slinging oil from the scotchbrite if it exits the choke.  Make sure you, remove your turkey choke and use an improved cylinder choke in the end of the barrel.  You'll be amazed how much dirt, grease, grime and plastic fouling will come out of the barrel.  Make sure you keep the pad saturated with the oil.  As others have said, this is for steel barrels not chrome lined barrels.  Chrome plated barrels have a thin layer of chrome, electroplated, inside the barrel and shouldn't be disturbed.  Personally, I use this same process on my 50 cal inline muzzleloader.  It cleans the lands and grooves really well, removes the powder fouling and makes loading the 45 cal sabots so much easier.  There is a thread with PICS on this website.