Questions about Teslong Borescope

[FarmerDave]

Very interested in one of these, but have some questions.

I assume there is a learning curve, learning to read what the picture is showing and how important in the overall performance of the rifle.
My reading here has left me with questions on how clean is clean. Seems there are opinions all across the board. Extending the life of my barrel another 500 rounds would offset part of the cost of the Teslong.

Just FYI, casual shooter, 6.5x284 and 6.5x47 Lapua. No plans to ever shoot competition.

 

[tominboise]

I have one and would buy another one if this one broke. For $50 it's hard to beat. I have the flex model that plugs into a laptop.

It takes about 5 minutes to learn how to use it and what it is showing you. It's pretty handy to look at a throat and see how much it is worn, which is why I bought mine in the first place. Also to see how much carbon ring there might be. I was shocked at the amount of copper and carbon fouling in one of my rifles, that I thought was pretty clean (I bought it used). Very handy for stuff like this.

HTH.

 

[Gargoyle]

They are fun. They will also cause undue anxiety until you learn what matters. For instance, one of my best shooting rifles has a bore that looked like a sewer pipe. Should I have never shot that rifle and just looked at the bore with the Teslong I would have never bought the gun. I saw all the concentric reamer marks throughout my Savage barrels and then the hand lapped custom barrel look of my Kimber 84M Hunter.

I discovered my no clean till accuracy falls of routine caused some rust in barrels. Didn't know it until the Teslong. Now I clean and leave oil in a barrel if I don't intend to shoot for a while. I am a casual shooter too, but I shoot all the time and seek 1/2 MOA and better.

Now I know the difference between copper inlay and copper fouling. 98% of the copper we see in a factory barrel is inlay and beneficial. Humps or nuggets of built-up copper is fouling. Teslong helps see that.

I can imagine buying a used gun, with the knowledge of what you are seeing, could help negotiate price in your favor.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Also great way to see how the length of your brass in relation to chamber. Pistols and rifles.

 

[SSL]

A 'must have' for me. One of mine went with me to buy a used .223. Rifle looked pristine until I ran the Teslong down the bore. Pitted rust spots and what looked like chemical erosion from leaving the wrong cleaning solvent in the bore. Spent a few bucks more and bought a new one and saved me a bundle of grief.

 

[Woofie]

As others have written , for the price it's a gift, just buy one. n.b., I have a Hawkeye borescope too, but guess which one I use 99% of the time? The Teslong.
You will no longer need to ask: "Is it clean?" You'll know, and, I'm guessing that what you thought wasclean isn't.
Also useful for checking the inside of oft-reloaded cases for signs of case head separation.
I have also used it to earn Brownie points from the Domestic Manager by insinuating it under our patio door to find out what was causing an obstruction.
BTW, my Teslong nearly brought me to tears when I stopped using Moly coated bullets and had to contemplate just how much moly was built up ahead of my chambers....

 

[FarmerDave]

OK, guess I need one, so order going in now.

Thanks everyone...

 

[SKWERLZ]

Also useful for inspection on dies, brass, and many other things.

 

[lefty222]

Worth the money many uses, you will find out then you have it.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Dave - having access to/owning a borescope is something every shooter should consider, especially with the price of the Teslong units. Even if it is only used sporadically, when someone needs to take a peek in the bore and doesn't have one, it can be an issue. Although I already owned a Hawkeye, I purchased one of the original Teslong units just to see how it compared. I almost always reach for the Hawkeye, but I have the Teslong to use as a backup, or in the event I wish to generate images, something for which the Hawkeye is not set up. The clarity/resolution of the Teslong unit is just fine for most anything you'll ever need to see.

The learning curve to "activate" and "use" the Teslong couldn't be mush simpler. Many laptops already have software that will work as the driver of the unit. So it can be as simple as plugging it in and turning on the computer. Learning to interpret what you're actually seeing in the bore may take more time and experience. Along that line, the major downside to owning a borescope is BAD (Borescope Anxiety Disorder). There can sometimes be a tendency to agonize over the smallest microscopic particle of dust or patch lint found in the bore, especially when a new user doesn't yet fully recognize what they're seeing. Nonetheless, one needs to have one in order to use it and learn what they're seeing.

As far as extending barrel life, I'm not sure owning a borescope will really do that very well. Unless a barrel had been incorrectly deemed "shot out" due to a cleaning issue such as a bad carbon ring (or similar), having a borescope is not going change the rate at which a given barrel's life is used up. In fact, I can imagine there might be instances when having a borescope might actually decrease barrel life somewhat in the event the user scrubs a barrel mercilessly to ensure every single speck of carbon/copper is removed (i.e. over-cleaning). Nonetheless, it is a useful tool to own, and the price of the Teslong units is such that anyone that wants one can purchase a unit without dropping close to $1000. I would strongly urge you to get one, with a qualifier not to start freaking out the first time you see the inside of one of your barrels. Over time, you will begin to develop an understanding of what you're actually seeing. In the event you see something that really bothers you, you can always post the Teslong images here and ask for interpretation.

 

[Big Mc]

Very interested in one of these, but have some questions.

I assume there is a learning curve, learning to read what the picture is showing and how important in the overall performance of the rifle.
My reading here has left me with questions on how clean is clean. Seems there are opinions all across the board. Extending the life of my barrel another 500 rounds would offset part of the cost of the Teslong.

Just FYI, casual shooter, 6.5x284 and 6.5x47 Lapua. No plans to ever shoot competition.

Teslong sells more barrels than any company i know. Tommy Mc