Pitting in a new barrel

[Abram]

This year I purchased a new Ruger American Gen 2 Predator. Cleaned the rifle and looked down the bore, looked great, and I have about 4 ranges trips on the rifle. I clean after every range trip using Kroil and Hoppes #9, works pretty good. After my last range trip I decided to take a look down the bore and there appeared to be pitting, at least it loos like that to me. Why on earth would a new barrel pit like this, if is pitting. I store the rifle in my den, below ground with a dehumidifier and none of my other rifles, shot more than this one, show this level of pitting, I am at a loss. There is also some rings in the second picture that I have no idea what they are. Any ideas folks

 

[G Liles]

how’s it shooting? If it printing good groups on target, I wouldn’t worry about it. It looks better than a Savage barrel and they shoot darned good!!

 

[wildcatter]

I have a 6x45 that looks a lot worse than that, and trust me, it has no impact on accuracy! The Xcaliber barrel I have a 1-8 shoots lights out with 65 grain Bib bullets at 3302 fps and .3 moa groups. I am sure glad I spent the time to shoot the barrel, leason learned is, never judge a book by it's cover. Let it tell you how good or bad it is by shooting it!



Both those groups, the 5 shot 28,0 grain and the 29.0 grain 3 shot group, both hit the same POI as the aiming point for both loads was the S on the target, bot groups impacted about identical low left of the point of aim. But 27,7 grain and 28.5 grain loads both shot 5 shot groups in the high .3's, not bad for a Remingtom Mohawk using LC 5.56 brass and a 24" light contour sporter barrel.


Shoot that sucker, it just might be one of the best barrels you ever shoot! Mine sure is, maybe not the most accurate, but definitely one of the least picky for great accuracy and speed!

 

[painter]

I have a 6x45 that looks a lot worse than that, and trust me, it has no impact on accuracy! The Xcaliber barrel I have a 1-8 shoots lights out with 65 grain Bib bullets at 3302 fps and .3 moa groups. I am sure glad I spent the time to shoot the barrel, leason learned is, never judge a book by it's cover. Let it tell you how good or bad it is by shooting it!
View attachment 1667745
View attachment 1667746

Both those groups, the 5 shot 28,0 grain and the 29.0 grain 3 shot group, both hit the same POI as the aiming point for both loads was the S on the target, bot groups impacted about identical low left of the point of aim. But 27,7 grain and 28.5 grain loads both shot 5 shot groups in the high .3's, not bad for a Remingtom Mohawk using LC 5.56 brass and a 24" light contour sporter barrel.
View attachment 1667747

Shoot that sucker, it just might be one of the best barrels you ever shoot! Mine sure is, maybe not the most accurate, but definitely one of the least picky for great accuracy and speed!

 

[painter]

I am shooting an X caliber in 6x45 1/9, which shoots very well I'm using N-133 May I ask what powder you are using? Thanks

 

[Bruce W]

I had the same thing with a Glock 34 .

 

[robert8904]

The pits are like from impurities in the steel. The best reasonable explanation I've seen for the rings is they are from the drilling operation. Some of the cuttings are not flushed away and are making these marks. The hammer forging to create the rifling does not completely eliminate them.

 

[wildcatter]

I am shooting an X caliber in 6x45 1/9, which shoots very well I'm using N-133 May I ask what powder you are using? Thanks

Benchmark new LC brass, and Rem. 7 1/2 primers, and the copper you see, is all I ever get with around 20 shots, those craters are harmless in my situation.

 

[boltfluter]

For a factory barrel that is pristine! The pitting is probably from the quality of the original steel. Shoot it and enjoy it. Look at a Savage sometime and you will realize how great your barrel is. Carry on.
Paul

 

[6.5 forever]

Boltfluter you are right on. It's a factory Ruger barrel! Just shoot it.

 

[wildcatter]

I am shooting an X caliber in 6x45 1/9, which shoots very well I'm using N-133 May I ask what powder you are using? Thanks

here are all the targets from that Benchmark testing, and it all repeats. The barrel is definitely a KEEPER, for a lightweight sporter.


Again I have seen how appearance should be taken with a grain of salt. The only way to know if a barrel is worthy of it's job, is to shoot it. After this outing, and confirming the that 28.0, 28.5 and 29.0 grain loads, which all repeat and shoot well under .4 moa, I never tried any other powder in this gun. I'll take any load workup this easy for a light sporter as plenty good enough for a hunting rifle.

But the guy I bought it from, who never scoped the barrel, as there was no need, used a 62 grain bullet and H322. and that target he gave me with the rifle shot in the high 2's. This pitted barrel just shoots! The picture below is another spot in the same barrel.


All of those spots around the barrel radius in about a 2" length of the barrel. Definetly not from chips, but impurities in the steel. This is thanks to the barrel steels we are blessed with today. Even the premium barrels are not what they were 20 or 30 years ago, I know, I still have a couple.

 

[338 Mollett]

I use a bore scope to see if the barrel is clean .

 

[NorCalMikie]

You're shooting BUG HOLES but your bore scope tells you your barrel is JUNK?? What's wrong with this picture??
Get rid of the bore scope!! Folks didn't have issues before the bore scopes came out. A better mouse trap? I don't think so.

 

[wildcatter]

You're shooting BUG HOLES but your bore scope tells you your barrel is JUNK?? What's wrong with this picture??
Get rid of the bore scope!! Folks didn't have issues before the bore scopes came out. A better mouse trap? I don't think so.

The fact is most don't use a borescope to judge their barrel. Nothing is more beneficial knowing when a barrel is clean. This alone aids in the longevity of many barrels! spection after cleaning when they are doing damage. Bore scopes do much more than just tell you how pretty or how lacking tooling marks are in a barrel!

For one thing, most know over cleaning is one of the hardest things on barrel, and it also shows those with skills of using it for this purpose what their bad habits are doing. But more important, instead of loosing shots from continuing to shoot when the barrel is beginning to foul. It tells many competitors why they lost shot, and when to clean. It also Allows them to continue when cleaning won't aid in their accuracy. This means less wasted rounds, fouling some barrels to settle down to their most consistent accuracy is different from barrel to barrel. This takes time from the allotted time they have to shoot a target!

The biggest thing is storing barrels with fouling still in them. This causes a loss of barrel life, in some atmospheres it promotes corrosion. When properly used bore scopes are very beneficial. Without scoping a barrel I would have pitched a very rare and valuable Pence Hand Cut Rifled barrel, something I don't think we can find anymore! But by scopeing my smith thought we could cut 4.5" from the barrel, and rechamber it, and have a nearly new barrel from the new throat out. So to remove an extremely eroded throat from shooting extremely heavy loads in 6mm Rem AI loads., shortening a 27" barrel to 22.5" 6BR that groups as good as the 6mm Rem AI chambering ever did, and cleans easy as it did new. New Life, in a very special barrel.

But to think it is used just to see if a barrel is any good or not,,, doing that you may pass up on some very good barrels. Thinking a pretty barrel is a shooter can lead to a lot of disappointing load work if a barrel is not a shooter. I've seen some barrels that look perfect, but never shoot good enough for competition use.

Bore scopes are relatively inexpensive today, and can be a great tool in your reloading resume, if you know how to use it for the right reasons! I wouldn't be without one, it would be like reloading without a chronograph,,, not necessary if you don't want to know what your missing! I'll keep both!

 

[DGP4]

Another case of BDS= Borescope Derangement Syndrome! I use a borescope to see how well I am cleaning the bore. Now, if your rifle is shooting badly, inspecting the bore for damage or wear is a good idea.

 

[NorCalMikie]

BDS? Again, if you're shooting bug holes and your bore scope says your barrel is junk, who you gunna believe. As far as too clean, your target will tell if your barrel need cleaning. You like using a bore scope? Go for it.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Many should throw their crony away and save all their targets to review and ponder. Be way ahead, maybe.

 

[Steve Donlon]

I use a bore scope to see if the barrel is clean .

Of course. We see what happens when a AR rifle gets a carbon ring and we ignore it. Not good!

 

[338 Mollett]

Thank You for the info ! I shall investigate further .

 

[ISS]

Hmmmmmmmm. None of the Savage barrels I have look like that.