Gunsmithing Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

[santee116]

First off, let me say that I am no gun smith, know just enough to be dangerous.

A buddy of mine has a Sako .300 WSM that he took to a local gunshop to have the barrel and action duracoated. When he got it back we took it to the range to try some handloads.

(Before the coating process, this gun was a sub MOA gun all day long)

He loaded a round, fired, and the bolt was stuck. It took a towel and light tapping with a rubber mallet to open it. We inspected the chamber and it appeared some of the paint got in there. We took a round and opened/closed it (several hundred times) and it got smoother, enough to shoot. Shot some groups with it and it was grouping about 2-3" with the same ammo it used to shoot under an inch. (BTW the barreled action was put back in the stock to spec with a torque wrench, same with the scope and rings)

He called the shop, and to their credit they were very upset. Said they plug the chamber when they paint, but that the plug must have come loose and some paint got in the chamber/throat/barrel. Their solution was to have him bring in the rifle and they will clean the chamber and hand lap the barrel.

Finally, my question... Anybody ever get duracoat in the chamber and if so, what were your experiences.

We hope to have the rifle back this weekend, to see if their "repair" work did any good.

Sorry for the long rant, but I figurd posting here is instant access to more gun knowledge than I will ever have.

 

[CS223]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

I'd be very concerned with that approach, my experience with Duracoat is that it can be removed with a strong solvent like MEK. I'd patch it out and use a chamber mop first before I'd submit to bore lapping. JMHO

 

[MitchInOR]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

Duracoat is easy to remove. A little paint stripper and it peals right off.

 

[Strangedays]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchinOR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Duracoat is easy to remove. A little paint stripper and it peals right off. </div></div>
If it is done right you will have to blast it off. I have tried all these "peeler" types who make such claims but we should be collecting such names and adding them to the list of people who don't know what they are doing because it shouldn't just peel off. I have had guns that still look like new after six years of duracoat. If preped right this won't happen but again we have to many people who don't know what the hell they are doing.

 

[Jim See]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

Well I would hope it wasen't "DONE RIGHT" Inside the chamber and barrel. That would mean the plugs came out during oxide blasting. This would go along way in the problems you encountered and there resoning that the barrel would need to be hand lapped. If it was pure overspray it would come out of an unblasted chamber and bore with a brush and a half dozen strokes.

Good luck.

 

[Phylodog]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jim See</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well I would hope it wasen't "DONE RIGHT" Inside the chamber and barrel. That would mean the plugs came out during oxide blasting. This would go along way in the problems you encountered and there resoning that the barrel would need to be hand lapped. If it was pure overspray it would come out of an unblasted chamber and bore with a brush and a half dozen strokes.

Good luck. </div></div>

Agreed. I was sent an AK47 last year which had been DuraCoated by someone who obviously had no idea what they were doing. The chamber and muzzle both had DC in them but hadn't been blasted. A little EZ Strip and a cotton swab and it wiped right out. The rest of the gun which had been basted before coating was a nightmare to strip. A combination of EZ Strip, soaking in MEK and blasting finally got it back down to bare metal.

 

[santee116]

Re: Duracoat in the chamber? (long)

Thanks for the replies. We should have the rifle back by the weekend for a range test.

The gun shop is saying that they cleaned it up and lapped the barrel, with great range results. I'm not sure about the details of the "cleaning" as it isn't my gun, so my communication is second hand. Hopefully, they have fully rectified the situation.