Bad Fatigue Crack in Barrel

deputyrpa

Private
Minuteman
Feb 6, 2011
20
5
62
This is a Savage Ultralite with a Proof Research barrel chambered in 7mm PRC. It's two years old, but has northwards of 800 rounds through it. I thought it was 600, but went through my notes and brass and stopped counting after 800. Because it's fun and I have my own range. I got some new Peterson brass, and dropped down a couple grains of H4831sc to fireform them. I got a stuck bolt at 1.5gr below my accuracy round which I had previously fired through 2x fired Peterson brass. I didn't think much of it, as velocity was lower and the primary extraction sucks on the new 110 actions and has given me fits with even light loads.

In preparing to run a new lot of powder with a new lot of Peterson brass and copper solids, I cleaned the snot out of the barrel. When I scoped it, I saw this longitudinal crack which is about 1.25 to 1.5" long on the surface, and appears to have signs of continued travel.
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I did not see it a few days ago when I has cleaned and scoped it. I think the barrel is toast. There's not much meat on a CF barrel. The bummer is that I have 35 days to prepare for a CO elk hunt, had sold all of my large caliber mags, and have no other guns that are ready for an elk hunt. Even my 1903A3 needs a new barrel, but that took me 45 years to shoot out. I hope Josh at PVA can whip me an Osprey barrel up fast. @bohem
 
Yeah, I probably overreacted. I just have never seen a crack that long and defined in any of my barrels. I usually scrap barrels when they stop shooting groups - not because of fatigue cracks or other physical issues. I've stared at it some more through the scope at different angles, and talked to a couple of experts, and they all say it's fine.

The guns shoots great. Now I just have to get that tinge of aprehensiveness out of my head, LOL!