Imperfections in bore

[Hook Creek]

How perfect is your bore? Haven't shot this rifle in a while, but planned on taking her out today and noticed that there are a bunch of small nicks while looking down it. Maybe I never noticed because of being dirty and fouling etc. but I cleaned it before putting it away. Don't think it's because of cleaning, because if I do clean I'm very careful not to harm anything. I'm sure once I put some rounds through it it will be fine, just wanted to hear some opinions.

 

[Paulyr450]

Re: Imperfections in bore

I bought a rem 700 xcr and after cleaning noticed little lines on the bottom where the rifling starts. I was going to call remington but decided to see how it shot first. The first couple groups were good and just got better from there so i never messed with it. It went away after a couple 100 rounds.

 

[Hook Creek]

Re: Imperfections in bore

These look more like gouges more than lines. don't know if its enough to feel but just enough to see.

 

[Layton]

Re: Imperfections in bore

My dad bought a used 700 in 30-06. It it shooting .75" groups at 100 with hand loads.
I got a chance to look down the bore with a scope a guy had at the range 2 weekends ago and it scared the hell out of me. I never told pops what it looks like and as of yesterday it still shoots like a dream. I woulda thought it needed a new barrel but that shows what I don't know. So,I'd say shoot it and see. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

L

edt: I don't know what to look for either with a bore scope. I just know it didn't look good.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Imperfections in bore

Borescopes can be scary.

Personally, I look for cracking at the throat end, and irregularities at the crown end. New throats can look like they were chipped out with a chisel, but a revisit generallly shows that wear has been their friend.

What's in between can be pretty interesting looking stuff, but honestly, the barrels usually shoot a lot better than they look in the borescope.

Copper and carbon buildup can be noted, and usually correlates to accuracy trends. IMHO a spotless bore tends to indicate overcleaning. As long as some effort is made to provide a moisture barrier during storage inside the bore with oil, some carbon and copper are usually well tolerated, and may be more compatible with accuracy than utterly spic and span.

Greg

 

[cyberpuppy42]

Re: Imperfections in bore

Your true test will be once you put some rounds through it. I had a bit of a scare like that with my new rifle - I thought I had messed it up during break-in by rushing the cleaning I was doing at the range. I ended up running a few rounds of Tubbs TMS through it to see if I could smooth out any possible scratches (I was seeing some scratches down the bore with my naked eye), then I went back to my more careful cleaning techniques. It shoots .4 MOA, so I don't think I did anything to it, but then again for all I know it could be a .2 MOA barrel =). In any event, I'll shoot the snot out of it, then replace the barrel so it gets a new life.

 

[Hook Creek]

Re: Imperfections in bore

Took the girl out today and its still holdin 1/2 minute