David Tubb's FinalFinish System
Bore polishing process you do yourself!

• increase velocity
• reduce fouling
• improve uniformity
• increase accuracy

"It's a better barrel in a box!"

Product Development
After using a series of abrasive bullets fired through one of my competition match rifle barrels and seeing the before and after difference of the effect on a bullet seated into the barrel's lands and the downrange accuracy improvement, I knew I was on to something. That's why I developed and marketed my FinalFinish® bore conditioning system. What I observed was that before when seating a moly coated bullet into the rifling, small portions of the moly coating would be removed from the bullet in each position where the bullet contacted the rifling. After applying the FinalFinish® process, there was no disturbance to the portions of the bullet that were seated into the rifling < in fact, the areas where the rifling contacted the bullet were a little darker in color than the rest of the bullet (indicating that there was no roughness in the throat). What this told me and what I further confirmed in my testing was that no matter what kind of a barrel you are using or how smooth or polished the bore is, the throat area is going to have annular tool marks from when it was chambered. The chamber itself may also have these tool marks, but it is relatively easy to polish the chamber, but not the throat. In fact, any polishing of the bore (throat and rifling) should be in the direction that the bullet travels. In addition, all rifle barrels have tool marks left down the entire length of the barrel from their manufacturing process < these also are annular in design, which mean that as the bullet passes down the barrel it encounters each of the marks, much as you encounter speed bumps on a road. With the removal or smoothing of these bumps, the barrel shows obvious improvement in accuracy. Further, the overall mirror polishing effect of FinalFinish® greatly reduced the amount of fouling, making cleaning much easier, and there also was an added bonus of a velocity increase with an increased powder charge with no increase in pressure. After researching existing information on this subject, I then conducted my own tests on over 20 different firearms which included new factory barrels, used barrels with several hundred to several thousand rounds through them, to brand new match barrels which had previously been hand lapped. These test barrels represented a wide spectrum of calibers: .22lr, pistol calibers, and rifle calibers.

 

Test Results
Using a barrel holding fixture and trackable bore scope with a video camera and recorder, I was able to document the initial condition of the throat and rifling in each of the barrels before starting the FinalFinish® process, and also further document what each specific number of rounds with a specific size abrasive did to the overall interior finish of each barrel. In most all cases after using the initial 50 shot FinalFinish® series there were still a few of the deeper tool marks left, though to a greatly reduced degree (some can never be removed). All of the test barrels exhibited a more uniform bore diameter after the FinalFinish® series, and in all cases less than .0003" (three ten thousands of an inch) of metal was removed. All test barrels showed greatly reduced fouling and easier cleaning. [One interesting note: when using the bore scope on the exterior of the new factory firearm's barrel, it was smoother than the finish on the inside of the barrel (bore)! This is, of course, before the use of FinalFinish® (tells you something about marketing a product...).] In accuracy testing with 6 of the rifles (a total of 4 different calibers) of which all had the same handloads shot through them before and after the FinalFinish® series, 5 of the 6 showed accuracy increases of up to 62%. The barrel which showed no improvement in accuracy was an excellent shooting barrel to begin with but it did show greatly extended accuracy (number of rounds before accuracy began to fall off due to fouling buildup). In all three of the large caliber revolvers I tested (with factory ammo), all shot groups half the size of their original group.

Product Advantages
The FinalFinish® kit contains 75 bullets of various grits. The reason for this was in my testing I found that if I had a barrel which was in my opinion more than half to two-thirds worn out I could rejuvenate its accuracy by smoothing the first 3-4 inches in front of the chamber (the throat) with some of the finer grits in the kit. Throat erosion is what deteriorates accuracy in a worn barrel. By going ahead and incorporating these extra 25 bullets into the initial kit, there are now enough FinalFinish® bullets to keep the firearm shooting throughout its entire life. Save the final 25 bullets in the kit to smooth up the barrel when the barrel is approximately two-thirds worn out (different barrels and calibers have different accurate life expectancies). The kit itself has a very informative brochure that explains recommended cleaning procedures, recommended loads to use with the FinalFinish® bullets, and there is also a tech phone line to answer other questions. Overall, the FinalFinish® process is very easy and can be done in a couple of hours by any shooter with only a basic knowledge of reloading. There are several other abrasive lapping kits on the market, but NONE can compete with FinalFinish® for several reasons. One is that FinalFinish® is the only kit available that offers bullets already coated! We use specialized tooling to apply the abrasive. The result is a much more even and dense coating than can be applied by hand rubbing abrasives into each bullet. More abrasive on each bullet means quicker results.

FinalFinish® abrasives are applied to a match style bullet which has an extremely long bearing surface for the specific caliber. For example: .224 caliber 80 gr. bullets. The longer the bearing surface the more polishing action can be imparted to the barrel. [Bear in mind that many of these longer bearing surface bullets will not stabilize (group well) when shot from factory twist rifles, but that they will offer the surface area (bearing surface) for the abrasives to do their job more efficiently.] Most hand lapping kits contain only three abrasive grits. FinalFinish® supplies five different compounds. We researched and documented kind, size, type, and chemical composition < in short, we spent a lot more effort to produce the correct compounds of each grit in order to give the consumer and his firearm the best value and performance. FinalFinish® also offers the "bonus" series of bullets to help rejuvenate the barrel and restore accuracy after many more rounds have been fired following the initial polishing process. This gives the purchaser what we think is a tremendous additional value. FinalFinish® appeals to a broad spectrum of shooters: hunters, match rifle shooters, and all handgun shooters, whether competitive or recreational. FinalFinish® produces its most impressive results in its transformance of factory firearm barrels: the accuracy increases can be astounding! Also, any handgun or rifle shooters using lead bullets, such as those in the popular Cowboy Action or IPSC type competitions, will see significant improvements in accuracy, ease of cleaning, and greatly extended accuracy (number of accurate rounds between cleanings) after FinalFinish®. FinalFinish® really polishes and smooths the forcing cone on revolvers, which greatly smooths the transition of the barrel entering the bore. We call it a better barrel in a box!

 

FinalFinish® PRICING
$28.95 Plus $3.40 S&H (Priority Mail)
 

Available in rifle calibers .224 (5.56mm), .243 (6mm), .25, .264 (6.5mm), .270, .284 (7mm), and .308 (7.62mm); and pistol calibers .357 (9mm/.38 Special, .357 Magnum), .40 (10mm), .44, and .45.

FinalFinish® Q&A

• What's the difference between FinalFinish® and conventional barrel break-in techniques?
  Barrel break-in methods usually involve firing a good number of rounds (usually 20 or more), cleaning between each round. The idea is that running consecutive bullets through a clean bore will effectively burnish the residual burrs and sharp edged cutting marks left behind by chamber reamers and rifling tooling, much in the same way a sharpening steel works on a knife edge. The difference is clear: FinalFinish® actually removes these imperfections rather than simply bending them out of the way. Plus, conventional break-in methods can do nothing to improve the uniformity of a bore.
  
   
• How does FinalFinish® compare to the hand lapping my custom barrel maker offers?
  First, FinalFinish® is a fraction of the cost! Some barrel makers who offer hand lapping charge one hundred dollars or more to perform this tedious task. Comparing results, there are two significant differences that favor FinalFinish®. First, our system produces a much higher polish and effectively smoother bore. Essentially, FinalFinish® starts where the gunsmith stops. Our exclusive five part sequential polishing system features an extremely fine compound at the last step, whereas most barrel makers stop at 320 grit, a far more coarse texture. FinalFinish® also uses the "direct" means to achieve its effect: a bullet fired down the barrel. Another key point, though, is that a FinalFinish® treatment can be given to any barrel at any time. That's why we include the "bonus" bullets for later use to refurbish the barrel.
  
   
• I'm skeptical about running polishing compounds through my barrel...
  Might sound a little odd at first, but to those familiar with the use of industrial, laboratory grade abrasive technology, it's absolutely nothing to worry about! Rest assured that the compounds impregnated into the FinalFinish bullets are far, far less "dangerous" to the well being of a barrel as were the cutting tools used to produce it. Abrasives are used to manufacture the lenses in your rifle scope, so it's the size of the particles and the use they're put to that determine their effect. Our research and methodology results from years of previous testing and rigorous data collection. We can safely and certainly say: don't worry!
  
   
• What about semi-autos?
  I have an AR15 I'd like to use it on but aren't sure if I should. You should! FinalFinish® can be of special benefit to "gas guns." By the way they're constructed, tight spots in the bore are commonplace. These tight spots can be created by the assembly process when the gas system parts and muzzle brakes are installed. Plus, many, many gas operated rifles will have a burr that resulted from drilling the gas port. FinalFinish® will uniform the tight spots to uniform bore diameter and easily remove any such burrs. Plus, since a gas-operated rifle can't have its barrel set back and rechambered to overwrite throat erosion, continued use of the FinalFinish® system will help sustain accuracy over a longer barrel life. Also, there is absolutely no danger in using FinalFinish® in a chrome lined barrel. It will uniform and polish just like any other (there is less than 0.0003 inches of metal removed).
  
   
• Won't this plow the throat on my rifle?
  No. We have found that one of the greatest benefits to FinalFinish® is that it can smooth rough leades and provide an easier, smoother transition for the bullet to start into the bore. This is one area that's so critical but also so hard to control for even the best gunsmiths using the best barrels. Frequently, one or more of the lands will exhibit a sharp edge after chambering; FinalFinish® will remove any such imperfections. I shoot only lead bullets through my handguns. Will FinalFinish® make any difference to me? Absolutely! Following a FinalFinish® treatment, the bore will be much smoother and far more resistant to lead build up. That build up is the worst enemy to accuracy in a revolver or semi-auto. The result is that the shooter can fire more rounds before accuracy starts to fall off. And speaking of accuracy, our own tests showed group sizes cut by 50% in factory barreled revolvers! Imagine that: half the group size for an investment of not much more than a box of factory ammo (that's why we say it's "a better barrel in a box"). FinalFinish® not only smooths and polishes the bore and makes it more uniform, but it also works its magic on the revolver forcing cone area. The result is that the bullet makes a smoother transition into the bore and, therefore, increased accuracy results. FinalFinish® will benefit any handgun shooter, whether using cast lead or jacketed bullets (and the same holds true for straight wall rifle shooters).

For more information please write to P.O. Box 1211, Canadian TX 79014 or call 1-806-323-9488.

Update

There are now 50 bullets, not 75

Handlapped Barrels and the use of Final Finish
("Obermeyer or Krieger Barrels", Jim)

A handlapped barrel should be extremely well finished on inside (close to 400 + abrasive in smoothness), and have good interior uniformity (dimensions). When chambering this barrel annular tool marks are created in the chamber and throat areas. Polishing most of the tool marks out of the chamber is relatively easy; removing the tool marks from the throat is not. This is where Final Finish performs extremely well.

In the Final Finish kit there are 75 precoated bullets. When lapping the throat of a handlapped barrel, it is recommended that only the #3 through #5 polishing compounds be used. There are a total of 55 bullets in the #3, #4 and #5 sections.

Use 5 bullets of #3, followed by 10 bullets of #4 and 10 bullets of #5. This is a total of 25 bullets. This will polish the throat of you new handlapped barrel as well as break the barrel in for extended shooting.

Now you will be on course for the balance of the bullets in the Final Finish kit which are to be used when the barrel’s throat becomes rough (1/2 to 2/3 worn). The remaining bullets of compound #’s 3,4 and 5 can then be used to rejuvenate the throat area of the handlapped barrel. The compounds # 1 and #2 will not be used in the handlapped barrel.

NOTE:
Some barrel maker’s handlap some of their barrels while not lapping others. Using the bore scope some barrels which have been handlapped would still have benefited from the use of all the compounds (#’s 1thru5) in the Final Finish kit to attain maximum smoothness and uniformity.