New to me borescope observation

[DShortt]

So I have an unfired Remington 700 with the crappy plastic factory stock. Barrel chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. Bought it just for the action.

Decided to borescope the factory barrel today and saw something I'd never seen before. I've seen plenty of off-center throats, but never one where it's apparent that the reamer was running oblique in the throat/leade area. Either that, or the bore itself egg shaped. WoW.

I'd post pics but it'll just look like I'm moving the scope front to rear in the bore, but I wasn't.
Apparently there's no limit to the ways volume production can result in machining problems.

 

[LVLAaron]

A reamer held rigid and forced into a bore that's not running true will give ya that.

 

[DShortt]

I've seen the off center throats caused by an improper set-up and no pilot many times. This looks really weird. Difficult to describe correctly. I've not the words.

 

[DShortt]

Eventually I'll be removing this barrel. I'm going to slug the chamber end just out of curiosity. I'm betting the bore is egg shaped.

No idea how that's possible but.....

 

[LVLAaron]

Cutting pressures can be weird. Ever drill a hole in steel and get a triangle shaped hole?

 

[DShortt]

Perhaps that's what it is. A slug will tell me part of the story at least.

 

[BoydAllen]

I believe that that your barrel is hammer forged, which would probably preclude an oval bore.

 

[GenePoole]

I thought factory Remington barrels were hammer forged.

 

[DShortt]

It'll be interesting to see what a slug tells me once I pull the barrel.

Might move that up the priority list because now I'm curious.

 

[AlNyhus]

On 700's, the rifling/grooves are completely formed by the hammer forming process. The chamber is mostly formed and is finished by a pull style reamer. The bolt for that receiver is loaded against the back of the pull reamer and when the handle drops, the chamber is done.

I would imagine the new owners are doing things the same way.

 

[DaveTooley]

I thought factory Remington barrels were hammer forged.

Not all of them. Some are button rifled. 783 comes to mind. Big big automated cell.

 

[DShortt]

The one I have is very likely less than 5 years old, and purchased right around 3 years ago.
I've tried researching serial numbers, but my 'Google Fu' fails me.
It does have a hinged floor plate and not a blind box magazine. Plastic factory stock has heavy barrel contact all the way out to the tip.
Again, I bought it for the action and nothing else. So no surprises.

 

[AckleymanII]

Remington is using some button barrels now, they make their own. They were affiliated at one time at the building where X Caliber barrels is located, then they pulled all the equipment and moved it to Alabama, left employees high and dry. New owner of X Caliber purchased all new equipment. I know some of the guys that were working at X caliber, so this is no BS. What Remington did with the equipment once they got to Alabama, I have no knowledge of.

 

[DShortt]

Remington is using some button barrels now, they make their own. They were affiliated at one time at the building where X Caliber barrels is located, then they pulled all the equipment and moved it to Alabama, left employees high and dry. New owner of X Caliber purchased all new equipment. I know some of the guys that were working at X caliber, so this is no BS. What Remington did with the equipment once they got to Alabama, I have no knowledge of.

I'll scope the bore again later and see if it appears to have button marks in it. Rather curious myself now.

 

[Carl S]

Not uncommon for Remington barrels.i think the 40XB rifles that came out of the custom shop had button rifled barrels..someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Oval look to the throat would have to be the bore. Even if the section of bore the pilot rides in is running out than wont cut an oval.

 

[DShortt]

That's the conclusion I've arrived at also. It'll be interesting to see if a slug confirms that. I'll bet a shiny piece of copper that it will.

 

[jpjulian]

Sometime when I first got into shooting Highpower there was a shooter with a match rifle put together with a factory Rem700 barreled action. The BORE of the barrel was off-center. Way off-center. The muzzle was about .060-.090" off-center. This was some time around 1990 or so and have no idea the vintage of the barreled action. Recall it shot ok though. The guy didn't stick with the game. Pulling targets in the pits kind of freaked him out.....

 

[jackieschmidt]

I have tried rechambering two Remington barrels. One was a 223 barrel that a friend wanted to rechamber to 22BR. He already had a bolt with a .473 bolt face.
There was nothing in or on that barrel that ran remotely true with anything else.

The second was a Factory 40x RangeMaster in 25/06. It had a SS barrel. I bought the thing for the action and stock. I had a Remington 700 BDL with a rusted out 270 barrel on it, so I decided to install that long SS 25/06 on it. I had to adjust the headspace just a little.
That barrel looked like a corkscrew in the lathe. But it shot pretty darned good. I had one of those 6.5x20 Leupolds on it. In fact, for a thrown together rifle, it shot darn good. And it looked the part.

A fellow shooter saw me shoot two 1/2 inch groups at 3100+ fps with the Berger 115’s and bought it on the spot. It made a great antelope rifle.