Wildcat Junkie got me thinking about this subject and made me realize how little I know about it.

I was hoping that some of you learneds could pass along some knowledge here, so if you don't mind I'll suggest a scenario where for whatever reason I want a replacement barrel for a rifle, lets say the old one has been shot out and I am happy with the chambering.

My first question is that I go to a gunshow and there is a guy who has a table of new and take off gun barrels, some even in the chambering I want.

What are the things I should be looking at in order to make a choice of which barrel to pick? I don't want to screw around for an hour, but I do want to spend enough time to make sure I don't pick a sick mule.


Now, I pick 2 barrels and the guy says I can take them both and return the one I do not want tomorrow. I take them home to my moderately equipped shop (nothing too fancy though). What should I look at to decide which one I like, if anything?

Thanks, there has to be more than just rolling them over a tabletop and picking the one that wobbles least.

Borescope first, I'd guess.

At the table, check the crown for obvious damage or irregularities (pits, gouges, damaged rifling or grooves, out-of-round, etc.).

Also, with the barrel lying flat on the table, roll it to see whether it is straight or has a 'bend' in it.

Once you find two barrels that pass the above tests, use a borescope to check the chamber and throat.

George

I wouldn't worry too much about the crown as it should be redone regardless. Carry a bore snake with you to the show. Ask for permission to use it to wipe the bore prior to using your eye's.

You want to make sure the bore is bright and that the lands are sharp and clean from both ends. Look at the area just past the chamber. You should be able to detect by sight, without any aids, whether the lands and grooves appear sharp and clean. If the area looks fuzzy or dark, don't bother with it.

Look down the outside of the barrel for any signs of flaring near the muzzle which might indicate a bulge. Bulges right at the muzzle are sometimes difficult to see so looking down the outside of the barrel is a good way to spot these. Since you will be recrowning the barrel anyway, use it as a bargaining point.

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
Look at the area just past the chamber. You should be able to detect by sight, without any aids, whether the lands and grooves appear sharp and clean. If the area looks fuzzy or dark, don't bother with it.

I know that W/my naked eye I can tell when a throat is definately eroded beyond redemption.

That's not saying that I can give a complete inspection, but I have seen throats that made me set the barrel back down.

I once bought 2 "VG to excellent" condition M98K take off barrels from Numrich for $40 ea.

One was spectacular. I had/have never seen a barrel that looked as good to my naked eye. There were absolutely no tool marks in the grooves that I could see. The chamber had a nice "glow" & I could distinctly see the origine of every land @ the throat. I put that on away for safe keeping. It now shoots sub 1/2" 3 shot groups @ 100yds W/200gr Partitions. It does so W/nothing more than a crown job & re-contour. It even checked out for headspace when I screwed it into my VZ500 action..

The other didn't look bad, the bore was bright & shiny & I couldn't detect any pits near the muzzle where I could see fairly well W/my naked eye. From the muzzle, the lands looked sharp & distinct. When I looked into the breech end I could see quite a bit of erosion in the throat, there was no distinct beginning of the lands & there was some visable frosting/pitting. I returned that barrel on Numrich's dime & requested another in "VG to Excellent" condition.

The replacement barrel was about the same as the one I had returned. Back IT went, again on Numrich's dime. The next one looked a bit worse. I returned that one too. The next one they sent looked like a stone lined sewer pipe when I peered down into it.

I got the message. I returned that barrel, & requested, then received, my money back.

The whole point if this is, you can usually seperate the wheat from the chaff W/the naked eye & increase your odds of ending uo W/a good barrel that WILL pass closer inspection. He!! you might just get 2 that check out so well W/the bore scope that you don't want to return either.