strange gouge inside bore

[Cal F]

While cleaning my 6mm creedmoor I came across a nasty gouge with my bore scope. I’m wondering if anyone has seen a similar type of thing before and might know what could have caused it. The barrel has 310 rounds fired.

 

[Prose]

I had a gouge a little worse than that in a barrel and I could feel it on my cleaning rod. It shot very poorly. Barrel was replaced due to the "Factory tool mark" that was not caught in QC.

 

[Cal F]

Thanks for the response. Most of the rounds through this barrel have been trying to find a load that shot decent, maybe I’ll contact the factory…

 

[boltfluter]

Looks like a bullet lost control and then went into the ditch! No clue. Factory rifle?
Paul

 

[akajun]

Looks like a tear or smear during button riffling
Maybe a chip left in the barrel or the button broke
Anyway def not from firing or cleaning

 

[Jeff Porter]

Is this new brass you have been shooting ? Or do you use steel pins and wash ? A while back when steel wet tumbling was new there was a post about a pin being left in a case and smearing across the rifling. Picture was similar. Just a thought. ‍


Edit - looking closer at the second picture .. that is not a pin smear. Carry on.

 

[Cal F]

Looks like a bullet lost control and then went into the ditch! No clue. Factory rifle?
Paul

It is a shouldered prefit from ‘preferred barrel blanks’. Installed on a defiance action. It is a button rifled barrel so what @akajun said makes sense….

 

[tmwinds]

I would call the manufacturer and email them the photos. I certainly think a replacement is in order.

Makes me wonder about their final inspection process.

 

[tobnpr]

Sure looks like the land was ripped/displaced to the side but no idea if/how that could even be possible...
With over 300 rounds down the tube and no complaint about accuracy is surprising to me, based on what I think I see I'd have expected accuracy and copper fouling issues.

 

[Cal F]

Sure looks like the land was ripped/displaced to the side but no idea if/how that could even be possible...
With over 300 rounds down the tube and no complaint about accuracy is surprising to me, based on what I think I see I'd have expected accuracy and copper fouling issues.

There has been accuracy issues, nothing has really shot very well in all of those rounds fired. At first I just figured I needed to keep tuning my load, but nothing changed no matter the load. Then I started to wonder if I had bad fouling, so I bought a bore scope and saw the gouge….

 

[DaveTooley]

Do you see what appears to be reamer marks on top of the lands throughout the entire barrel?

 

[DaveTooley]

Looks like a tear or smear during button riffling
Maybe a chip left in the barrel or the button broke
Anyway def not from firing or cleaning

If the button broke or came off the pull rod the barrel would be scrapped.

 

[Cal F]

Do you see what appears to be reamer marks on top of the lands throughout the entire barrel?

Yes the reamer marks are throughout. It’s definitely not a premium barrel, but this rifle is more of a hunting rifle than anything. I never expected top level accuracy from it to begin with, but I DID expect a little better than 1.5 moa, which is what it seemed to do consistently.

 

[DaveTooley]

It is a shouldered prefit from ‘preferred barrel blanks’.

Guess not so preferred.

 

[akajun]

If the button broke or came off the pull rod the barrel would be scrapped.

You’re assuming the operator caught it or some kid fessed up to his oops.

 

[DaveTooley]

You’re assuming the operator caught it or some kid fessed up to his oops.

How do you get the bore cleared and finish rifling the blank?

 

[Cal F]

So I emailed the company this morning. They got back to me within an hour and are having me send the barrel back to get evaluated. I’ll keep this thread updated on what happens, in case anyone else has a similar issue in the future. They said in their response that the gouge seemed odd because one that size would likely be detected with a rod and patch, or even interfere with their air gauging equipment…
So we will see what happens.

 

[michaelb]

Cal F,

Have you recieved any updates on your barrel? I agree with other Members comments that we are looking at a barrel that slipped through final QC without a good inspection.

 

[Carl S]

Possibly a 'foreign 'object rolled under the the cutter.

 

[Cal F]

Cal F,

Have you recieved any updates on your barrel? I agree with other Members comments that we are looking at a barrel that slipped through final QC without a good inspection.

I sent the company an email with the pictures, they seemed surprised at the mark because a defect like that would likely be caught with a rod and patch or even potentially interfere with their air gauging equipment. But they said to send it back and they’d take a look. I got a phone call from the guy inspecting it about a week ago and he said that they couldn’t for sure determine what caused it, he also said he really didn’t see how anything I would have done could have caused it either, So they would build me a new barrel. I haven’t got the new one yet….