I just returned from Namibia from a plainsgame hunt. I cleaned my rifles last night and found something disturbing.

A little background info on one of the rifles. The 338 RUM in question here is a custom made rifle, with a Krieger barrel. I had the rifle made specifically for this hunt. The rifle is a .5 moa rifle with good bullets, and has only had about 200 rounds down the barrel.

Here is the problem. When patching out the bore after brushing, I found a loose spot in the bore. The spot seems to be between .5 and 1 inch roughly 3-4" from the muzzle. When pushing the patch down the bore the patch is tight then the rod slips forward the above distance then feels like it engages the lands again. I used two different cleaning rods to make shure it was not some issue with the ball bearings in the handle making it feel like a loose spot...nope its in the bore.

I have not shot the rifle at a target since the first day of the hunt. What is the oppinion here? What could have caused this? I only fired this rifle 5 time on the hunt and never had an extraction problem which I would think would be caused if there was some sort of obstruction in the barrel that could have caused this. I am baffled, I wish I had a bore scope. I have also Mic'd the barrel around the loose spot looking for a bulge...nothing.

I Have ran no less than 8 patches down the bore of this rilfe every 20 rounds for 200 rounds over the last 4 months, point is I know what the bore feels like. The loose spot might as well be a hole in the side of the barrel.

Any Ideas, obviously the barrel is ruined I am just curious how this could have happened.

It might be erosion; I have the same thing in my .300Wby, but it doesn't affect accuracy.

Weatherby told me that barrels will sometimes have tight/loose spots in the bore, and the hot gases may erode those spots more than the rest of the bore.

Shoot a group or two and see whether it has ruined accuracy. Then, call Krieger, and see what they tell you.

George

I have a few take off barrels in my pile of junk with rings near the muzzle. Not all of them are noticeable from the outside. I can't swear they were all from some sort of obstruction but if there were some way to prove it that would be my bet. Most of the owners were not aware that the problem existed until they found it like you did or I found it in my shop while cleaning for the customer. I've seen enough of this problem that any time I take a gun out of a case I look through the barrel before shooting. Because of the weather and terrain here, it is a very common practice to use a piece of electrician's tape or balloon over the muzzle to keep things (sticks, snow, rain) out. I would shoot the gun and see if it will still perform. If not, its cut it or replace it.

I would eyeball and slug the bore to be certain that it is indeed a loose spot and not just some anomaly with the finish of the bore.

You know....it doesn't take much water (moisture) in the bore to make a slight bulge. Was with a guy that fired three rounds into a "rain barrel"...some splashing and guess what....three bulges!

If it is a bulge you should be able to feel it by gently pinching the barrel with you fingers and sliding them along the barrel.

Shine alight at an angle and see if the reflection changes as you move the barrel.
See if it still shoots OK before doing anything drastic.
Good luck!

The barrel may or may not have a truly significant "loose" spot. Assuming it does, you won't know whether it is "ruined" until you shoot it. Visually bulged barrels, ringed barrels, and the ilk, fairly often don't shoot any worse than when new. Sometimes they even shoot better!!

So, you may find it is not ruined at all for "using" purposes. It may not look "perfect" as it did when new, but then any used barrel is no longer perfect. Wear happens in every barrel, with every shot.

Alberta,
you are correct. I shot the rifle today and found that it shot just as well as it did before it had been damaged. I had a friend look at the bore friday with a borescope and it was obvious that the lands had been flattened in the areea of the loos spot, although only on one side of the barrel, there was also a gouge full of copper in one of the grooves.

I shot the rifle today and before the damage the rifle shot a consistent 3 tenths three shot group with the load I took to africa. Today I shot the rifle and it shot just as well as it did before. I would have bet anyone a new barrel that it would not shoot at all. It is amazing that a rifle can shoot with this kind of damage to the bore. You can actually push the patch into the loose spot and pust it back and fourth without it makning the cleaning rod turn, like it is not even engaged in the lands...

Here is the group shot today. The shot on the right is the fouler or cold bore shot and the three shot group is the load I shot in Africa. The group size is the same as before the damage. I do not know how the barel can shoot with this kind of damage to the bore. I actually saw the flattened lands with my own eyes in the bore scope.

I am very happy with the results I just do not understand how the rifle can shoot just as well with the damage to the bore.......\

Am glad to hear it is still performing well for you!!

I don't understand how they can do that, either, but I suspect it proves the truth of the old timers' holding that it is the last inch of the barrel, and the crown, which are really the most important.

Sounds to me like you may have gotten some dust and perhaps some of the fluff from blooming trees or grass into your barrel while riding around in the safari car. It is about that time of the year there in Afrika now, isn't it? Maybe could have made a partial obstruction on one side which got run over by a bullet and then blown out by the following gases. Or maybe even a little wasp's start of a nest.

Anyway, now you don't have to worry about hunting with it OR babying it in the field .