• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Bore Scope Question

moonstalanda

Private
Minuteman
Jul 18, 2023
55
49
USA
I have a custom 6.5 that I have started using again after a few years. Proof CF barrel. Approx 1k rounds. When chambering a round, the bolt is tight and bullets get marred when unchambered. From what I have researched, it looked like a carbon ring. I ordered a bore scope to help find the problem. However, my inexperience has me lost. Any help is very much appreciated. See the video links below:



 
Your barrel is squeaky clean with not a trace of carbon forward of the chamber. Well right off, it's pretty evident that your barrel has almost no freebore, so every round chambered has the bullet getting jammed into the rifling which is causing your hard bolt close and marks on the bullets when loaded rounds are extracted. Sooner or later I'm guessing that if you unload a chambered round, the bullet is going to be stuck and pulled out of the case spilling powder everywhere. Is that a Proof prefit barrel or did a gunsmith chamber it??? Whoever chambered it used a reamer that has no freebore which is almost inconceivable and should correct their work. I'd reach out to whoever chambered the barrel to correct it.
 
Your barrel is squeaky clean with not a trace of carbon forward of the chamber. Well right off, it's pretty evident that your barrel has almost no freebore, so every round chambered has the bullet getting jammed into the rifling which is causing your hard bolt close and marks on the bullets when loaded rounds are extracted. Sooner or later I'm guessing that if you unload a chambered round, the bullet is going to be stuck and pulled out of the case spilling powder everywhere. Is that a Proof prefit barrel or did a gunsmith chamber it??? Whoever chambered it used a reamer that has no freebore which is almost inconceivable and should correct their work. I'd reach out to whoever chambered the barrel to correct it.
The barrel was done by a gunsmith. I appreciate the feedback and have messaged him. I did at one point get a Nosler match round stuck in the chamber. Hopefully, I can get this resolved soon. Thanks again, this is a great forum
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShtrRdy
My guess is that the gunsmith used a roughing reamer rather than a finish reamer. Have you checked headspace with a go gauge? Normally when a rougher is used it is stopped .010 from headspace. Then you use a finish reamer to take it to the correct headspace for your bolt.

David
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marine52
Ask the gunsmith for a copy of the reamer drawing of the chamber reamer that was used to chamber the barrel. Then you will know what was suppose to be put into it.

The reamer also could not be ground to proper size and or is going bad (not cutting to size).

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ichi
Your barrel is squeaky clean with not a trace of carbon forward of the chamber. Well right off, it's pretty evident that your barrel has almost no freebore, so every round chambered has the bullet getting jammed into the rifling which is causing your hard bolt close and marks on the bullets when loaded rounds are extracted. Sooner or later I'm guessing that if you unload a chambered round, the bullet is going to be stuck and pulled out of the case spilling powder everywhere. Is that a Proof prefit barrel or did a gunsmith chamber it??? Whoever chambered it used a reamer that has no freebore which is almost inconceivable and should correct their work. I'd reach out to whoever chambered the barrel to correct it.
Visual aids for the OP. Screenshots that point out some lands that starts at the end of the chamber neck (in where the freebore area should be).

visual aid.png

Visual aid 2.png

3df80d4226a32403d1b8f70964505692.jpg

b59c28e828a3e9d5d1f05436b9a64a9b.jpg
 
I took the rifle to the original gunsmith to get a better look at the problem last week. He disassembled the gun and took me through his process of cleaning a heavily carboned barrel with abrasives. He explained that because I had been shooting only suppressed over the course of 7 years that carbon had built around the bore despite a mild cleaning routine.

This morning, I was able to take the rifle to the 100 yd range to check for improvement.

from left to right
-Group 1 (clean barrel): Hornady143 ELDX. first shot took the upper left corner of the square (POA)
-Group 2: Winchester 125 gr Whitetail Extreme Point
-Group 3: Hornady 95 gr VMAX
-Group 4: Hornady 143 ELDX

groups.jpg

I also have an updated video of the bore from after today. This is after 12 shots and a cleaning:

 
1690404753781.png
1690404643939.png


FYI - in case you didn't notice, that land in the freebore is still there.