Is this barrel salvageable?

[potatojudge]

Normally I'd just scrap something like this, but it's a family piece. This is a Bellm Contender barrel in 357 Max made around the time the cartridge was introduced. Never shot better than 2-3 MOA, even after a trip back to Bellm.

I know bore scopes can look bad adn the gun can shoot, but looking and shooting bad is another thing.

First video is a dirty barrel with under 30 rounds

Second video is after using 220 grit lapping compound

If those marks don't look like they can be lapped out, and I'm thinking they can't, I either set the barrel aside and replace it with a Bullberry or have JES rebore it to another round, like maybe 38-40 or 414 SuperMag since I already load those.

 

[tobnpr]

Doesn't even look like typical rifling button chatter to me.
I don't see it being "fixable" with lapping/ abrasive bullets without trashing the barrel worse.

 

[jsn]

You haven't really shown the leade and throat area. Is it concentric or undercut on one side and overcut on the other?

 

[Ggmac]

Show the leade /throat area SLOWLY and the crown . Do you have a fired case , unsized . I played / play with this cartridge and it can be fussy.
the rifling looks normal for a production gun of that time . With a good load and a solid machine hold and a large scope, should be around the 1” mark . In my rifle ( what else , a mauser ) 18” barrel , I get 3/4” . Thats the best, with many years of trial and error . 24x scope also .

 

[wkdickinson]

I think you are looking at a very poorly made barrel. Those look to me like reamer marks, they are so consistant and at 90 degrees to the bore. But i have no idea why they appear the same on the top of the land and in the groove in perfect alignment - not sure hoe that could happen. I think if you "lap" them out, I doubt you will have much barrel left.

 

[pintopete]

Is this a hammer forged barrel? It certainly seems that the scarring on the lands is the same as in the grooves.

 

[tominboise]

I have a Savage 110 243 win with the factory barrel that looks like yours (Worse, actually, as there are quite a few pits). Anyway, I wanted to try the Tubb final finish system so I did. It cleaned up the barrel significantly but not completely. The rifle shoots the same loads about the same as before but with way less fouling. My avatar is the first three shot group after the lapping.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I think you are looking at a very poorly made barrel. Those look to me like reamer marks, they are so consistant and at 90 degrees to the bore. But i have no idea why they appear the same on the top of the land and in the groove in perfect alignment - not sure hoe that could happen. I think if you "lap" them out, I doubt you will have much barrel left.

Its because it was rough when the rifling was pressed in and the marks just transferred

 

[AlNyhus]

You may want to try Dyna Bore Coat and see what happens.

Ceramic bore coating with pics.

On the advice of someone I trust, I just used Dyna-Tek's ceramic bore coating product on a factory barrel of mine that's a horrible copper fouler. I'm not guy for snake oils or miracle-in-a-can, as anyone that knows me will tell you. And I'm not suggesting that this applies whatsoever to quality...

forum.accurateshooter.com

 

[potatojudge]

I didn't include the chamber/leade because they look good. Concentric, clean. Bellm has always been a stickler for a good leade. Brass comes out looking normal as well.

357 Max can be fussy with H110 just like the other 1.6 inch cases, but with 1680 and a 180 grain XTP any decent Max will shoot. My Bullberry Max is a 1/2 MOA gun (I use a 20X Leupold for load development before swapping to a hunting scope), No 3 is a 3/4 MOA gun, and all my Blackhawks in the Max shoot as well as I can, which is usually a couple of inches at 50 yards using irons which is about what a properly dimensioned Blackhawk should do. I had a Blackhawk Bisley in the Max that shot poorly, but undersized throats were the culprit and that's an easy fix.

I think Dusty has the right of it- a rough blank prior to being rifled. Not sure this barrel is worth more lapping or coating vs other options. If it shot well, I'd do what it took to make cleaning easier and roll with it.

I think this barrel might be destined for a rebore. By chance Ronnie of RW Gripframes called to chat tonight and his reboring machine is built and ready to cut.

 

[deadidarren]

I had a Bruno z k k 601 with a rebarrel like this .
Starting with a clean barrel it would put the first six shots in 2 .4 .5 and after that it just went South all the way up to 3 MOA.

 

[bapayton]

Wasn't the 358 Bellm/JDJ invented, to help "fix" these issues with the Max? Isn't there a pretty fair history of seriously non-concentric chambers from TC? Not sure if you'd entertain a rechamber but I think we've all heard about bad chambers having more of an impact than bad bores. After all, Savages aren't exactly known for their bore quality and still seem to shoot well for the most part.

 

[BuffaloBill]

Maybe you could machine it in to a .410 shotgun barrel.

 

[potatojudge]

Wasn't the 358 Bellm/JDJ invented, to help "fix" these issues with the Max? Isn't there a pretty fair history of seriously non-concentric chambers from TC? Not sure if you'd entertain a rechamber but I think we've all heard about bad chambers having more of an impact than bad bores. After all, Savages aren't exactly known for their bore quality and still seem to shoot well for the most part.

Yeah, TC barrels are hit or miss with lots of great factory barrels out there. This is a Bellm made barrel. I've never been impressed with his recommendations or methods. He throats separate from chambering so that barrel runout can't cause asymmetry.

I suspect a rechamber is good money after bad. 357 Herret would be simple enough otherwise.

 

[ronemus]

Those marks probably aren't related to the poor groups, though it is likely to copper up quickly. Tou might want to slug it to see if the bore opens up toward the muzzle - a sure cause for a tomato stake.