Dennis=For more grip on the grip, have you thought about stippling it?
Awesome info! Well documented and thanks so much for the pictures.Man it’s getting more difficult to NOT place an order....
Baikal is reknowned for their quality barrels so messing with the bore is an absolute no-no for me. The other reason for not messing with it is - would you buy a used one that you knew someone had messed with?I'm keeping mine as cherry as I can. (Grips can be replaced).
4. What about other abrasive processes?For those who use JB Bore Compound, or similar, to break in their barrel, this is also not the best course of action. If you want to clean you barrel with JB prior to the Final Finish process this should be the last time you use JB on your barrel!There is no question that JB compound will remove fouling from a barrel, but at what expense? Following feedback from literally hundreds of Final Finish results, it has been ascertained that you can get a barrel interior too smooth. This results in increased bullet jacket fouling in the barrel. The polishing compound in JB is significantly finer than 1000 grit (more like 1200-1400) while a Final Finish bullet with a #3 grit coating is approximately 60% coarser.Most handlapped barrel makers lap in their barrels with a #150 grit non-embedding aluminum oxide compound which breaks down into a finer grit with use, ultimately resulting in a grit of approximately #300 to #400 when the barrel lapping process is finished.Also keep in mind that Final Finish products are working one direction in the barrel so as to help uniform and/or result in a slightly tapered bore the farther down the barrel the bullet travels. When being handlapped by the barrel maker or by using JB Bore Compound by the shooter cleaning his barrel, the lapping action is multi-directional. This cannot be the most advantageous approach (kind of like dragging a knife edge back and forth across a whet stone (most purists sharpen a knife edge going a single direction on that particular side of the blade). Even the burnishing effect is single-directional. More than one barrel maker has commented on the effects of JB actually causing the barrel internal finish to change to such a degree that one is actually breaking in the barrel (burnishing) again for a few shots after each and every cleaning.
I'm only suggesting that something else is going on for you to not have tighter groups