ESTUDYR
FTT 201-9232 — Week 2 Quiz: Questions & Answers (Fall 2025/26) — 100%
Correct | Sonoran Desert School
One possible indicator that a barrel is likely to shoot poorly is pitting near the crown.
A. False
B. True
C. Only if the bore is oversized
D. Only if the throat is eroded
Answer: B. True
Rationale: Crown pitting disturbs bullet exit symmetry and commonly degrades accuracy.
Lands in the throat area which are uneven in their start points are usually caused by:
A. Incorrect throat sizing
B. Poor-quality ammo
C. Cleaning rod damage
D. Factory button rifling only
Answer: C. Cleaning rod damage
Rationale: Improper cleaning rods or techniques can nick or deform lands, producing uneven
starts.
According to Joe Carlos, what must you do with a barrel to know for certain what its current
capabilities are?
A. Measure groove diameter only
B. Bore scope inspection only
C. Clean and oil it first
D. Shoot it
Answer: D. Shoot it
Rationale: Real firing tests reveal the practical accuracy a barrel delivers.
The electropolishing process both improves barrel accuracy and is safe for the environment.
A. False
B. True
C. True if biodegradable electrolyte is used
D. Only true for stainless steel barrels
Answer: A. False
Rationale: Electropolishing can improve accuracy but produces hazardous wastes and requires
proper disposal.
Joe Carlos's experiment showed electropolishing was:
A. Harmful to accuracy in most barrels
B. Effective only for new barrels
C. Ineffective for all damaged bores
D. Effective for increasing the accuracy of damaged barrels
Answer: D. Effective for increasing the accuracy of damaged barrels
Rationale: His tests indicated electropolishing can restore or improve accuracy in some
damaged bores.
,ESTUDYR
The fire-lapping process involves:
A. Honing with a mechanical tool only
B. Chemical erosion of the throat
C. Firing cartridges with progressively finer grit abrasive-coated bullets
D. Recutting rifling with a button
Answer: C. Firing cartridges with progressively finer grit abrasive-coated bullets
Rationale: Fire-lapping polishes the bore by firing abrasive projectiles to smooth imperfections.
Fire lapping has about the same average effective improvement on accuracy as
electropolishing.
A. False
B. Only for handguns
C. True
D. Only for rifle bores
Answer: C. True
Rationale: Studies often show comparable average improvements between the two methods.
There is generally more need for fire-lapping in:
A. Mandrel rifled bores
B. Cut rifled bores
C. Button rifled bores
D. Smoothbore barrels
Answer: C. Button rifled bores
Rationale: Button rifling can leave tooling marks that benefit from polishing.
Fire lapping does not remove metal from the barrel.
A. True
B. False
C. True only with fine grit
D. True only when done cold
Answer: B. False
Rationale: Fire-lapping is abrasive and removes small amounts of metal to polish the bore.
"Throat maintenance" bullets were found through extensive testing to:
A. Degrade barrel life
B. Have no measurable effect
C. Require special powder types
D. Have a reliably positive impact on accuracy
Answer: D. Have a reliably positive impact on accuracy
Rationale: Proper throat maintenance rounds can polish throat areas and help maintain
accuracy.
Power buffing: when using a bench grinder, one end of a double-ended shaft contains a
conventional grinding wheel, while the other shaft has which of the following?
A. A wire wheel
B. A silicone disk
C. A leather sander
D. A muslin buffing wheel
, ESTUDYR
Answer: D. A muslin buffing wheel
Rationale: Many bench grinders pair grinding and buffing wheels for finishing workflow.
There are four popular methods of finishing gun metal prior to bluing/plating/Parkerizing:
hand polishing, power buffing, mass finishing, and which of the following?
A. Electrocoating
B. Chemical etching
C. Powder coating
D. Sandblasting
Answer: D. Sandblasting
Rationale: Sandblasting is commonly used to clean or texture metal before final finishing.
Although it is a normal practice in many gun shops, using the lathe for polishing and grinding
is recommended.
A. True
B. False
C. True for barrels only
D. True with cloth wheels only
Answer: B. False
Rationale: Lathes can remove too much material and are not the safest or preferred polishing
tool for many parts.
When polishing, be careful not to polish out which of the following and other lettering found
on typical firearms:
A. Owner’s initials
B. Manufacturer’s logo only
C. Proof marks only
D. Serial numbers
Answer: D. Serial numbers
Rationale: Serial numbers are legal identifiers and should be preserved during refinishing.
In general, power polishing entails starting with which grit and polishing the surface in a
given direction?
A. Finest grit and random direction
B. Medium grit and circular motion
C. Alternate grits each pass
D. Coarsest
Answer: D. Coarsest
Rationale: Start coarse to remove defects, then progress to finer grits for smoothing.
For basic polishing: protect newly polished surfaces from rusting with which of the following
until you are ready to apply the bluing solution?
A. Wax strip
B. Paint sealant
C. Silicone spray only
D. Light coat of oil
Answer: D. Light coat of oil
Rationale: A thin oil film prevents oxidation prior to final finishing.
FTT 201-9232 — Week 2 Quiz: Questions & Answers (Fall 2025/26) — 100%
Correct | Sonoran Desert School
One possible indicator that a barrel is likely to shoot poorly is pitting near the crown.
A. False
B. True
C. Only if the bore is oversized
D. Only if the throat is eroded
Answer: B. True
Rationale: Crown pitting disturbs bullet exit symmetry and commonly degrades accuracy.
Lands in the throat area which are uneven in their start points are usually caused by:
A. Incorrect throat sizing
B. Poor-quality ammo
C. Cleaning rod damage
D. Factory button rifling only
Answer: C. Cleaning rod damage
Rationale: Improper cleaning rods or techniques can nick or deform lands, producing uneven
starts.
According to Joe Carlos, what must you do with a barrel to know for certain what its current
capabilities are?
A. Measure groove diameter only
B. Bore scope inspection only
C. Clean and oil it first
D. Shoot it
Answer: D. Shoot it
Rationale: Real firing tests reveal the practical accuracy a barrel delivers.
The electropolishing process both improves barrel accuracy and is safe for the environment.
A. False
B. True
C. True if biodegradable electrolyte is used
D. Only true for stainless steel barrels
Answer: A. False
Rationale: Electropolishing can improve accuracy but produces hazardous wastes and requires
proper disposal.
Joe Carlos's experiment showed electropolishing was:
A. Harmful to accuracy in most barrels
B. Effective only for new barrels
C. Ineffective for all damaged bores
D. Effective for increasing the accuracy of damaged barrels
Answer: D. Effective for increasing the accuracy of damaged barrels
Rationale: His tests indicated electropolishing can restore or improve accuracy in some
damaged bores.
,ESTUDYR
The fire-lapping process involves:
A. Honing with a mechanical tool only
B. Chemical erosion of the throat
C. Firing cartridges with progressively finer grit abrasive-coated bullets
D. Recutting rifling with a button
Answer: C. Firing cartridges with progressively finer grit abrasive-coated bullets
Rationale: Fire-lapping polishes the bore by firing abrasive projectiles to smooth imperfections.
Fire lapping has about the same average effective improvement on accuracy as
electropolishing.
A. False
B. Only for handguns
C. True
D. Only for rifle bores
Answer: C. True
Rationale: Studies often show comparable average improvements between the two methods.
There is generally more need for fire-lapping in:
A. Mandrel rifled bores
B. Cut rifled bores
C. Button rifled bores
D. Smoothbore barrels
Answer: C. Button rifled bores
Rationale: Button rifling can leave tooling marks that benefit from polishing.
Fire lapping does not remove metal from the barrel.
A. True
B. False
C. True only with fine grit
D. True only when done cold
Answer: B. False
Rationale: Fire-lapping is abrasive and removes small amounts of metal to polish the bore.
"Throat maintenance" bullets were found through extensive testing to:
A. Degrade barrel life
B. Have no measurable effect
C. Require special powder types
D. Have a reliably positive impact on accuracy
Answer: D. Have a reliably positive impact on accuracy
Rationale: Proper throat maintenance rounds can polish throat areas and help maintain
accuracy.
Power buffing: when using a bench grinder, one end of a double-ended shaft contains a
conventional grinding wheel, while the other shaft has which of the following?
A. A wire wheel
B. A silicone disk
C. A leather sander
D. A muslin buffing wheel
, ESTUDYR
Answer: D. A muslin buffing wheel
Rationale: Many bench grinders pair grinding and buffing wheels for finishing workflow.
There are four popular methods of finishing gun metal prior to bluing/plating/Parkerizing:
hand polishing, power buffing, mass finishing, and which of the following?
A. Electrocoating
B. Chemical etching
C. Powder coating
D. Sandblasting
Answer: D. Sandblasting
Rationale: Sandblasting is commonly used to clean or texture metal before final finishing.
Although it is a normal practice in many gun shops, using the lathe for polishing and grinding
is recommended.
A. True
B. False
C. True for barrels only
D. True with cloth wheels only
Answer: B. False
Rationale: Lathes can remove too much material and are not the safest or preferred polishing
tool for many parts.
When polishing, be careful not to polish out which of the following and other lettering found
on typical firearms:
A. Owner’s initials
B. Manufacturer’s logo only
C. Proof marks only
D. Serial numbers
Answer: D. Serial numbers
Rationale: Serial numbers are legal identifiers and should be preserved during refinishing.
In general, power polishing entails starting with which grit and polishing the surface in a
given direction?
A. Finest grit and random direction
B. Medium grit and circular motion
C. Alternate grits each pass
D. Coarsest
Answer: D. Coarsest
Rationale: Start coarse to remove defects, then progress to finer grits for smoothing.
For basic polishing: protect newly polished surfaces from rusting with which of the following
until you are ready to apply the bluing solution?
A. Wax strip
B. Paint sealant
C. Silicone spray only
D. Light coat of oil
Answer: D. Light coat of oil
Rationale: A thin oil film prevents oxidation prior to final finishing.
