Hello All,

I just picked up a new Ruger M77 MkII VT. I looked over everything on the gun at the gun store on the gun that I could think of, and when I got the rifle home I noticed a small nick in the crown. Other than being a frustration, will this effect accuracy? I should stress that the nick is small. I will probably not get a chance to test fire the gun for some time so I though I would ask you guys your opinion. Next time I buy a rifle I will remember to look at the crown!

Thanks,
Ben

wait to shoot it and see. Anyway, crown jobs arent expensive.

Ben,
If the bullet can contact a burr at the muzzle or if there is a big enough nick to disturb the escaping gases as the bullet exits the bore it will most definately effect the accuracy. Jim

Yes it does matter. If it is a new and not a used gun I would take it back to where you got it. A recrown job is fairly cheap but why should you do it on a new weapon? I would have them look at it before I even shot it. It would take some of the chance of it being your fault out of it if you know what I mean. It may or may not affect your accuracy but why take a chance?

Ben Wazoo--

Here's the rule of thumb on crowns.---If you can see a defect with 30X magnification, it makes a difference. Sometimes a BIG difference.

A good crown on a factory rifle is as rare as a twenty dollar gold piece under the butt plate.

Ben,

Considering the crown is the last to touch the bullet I would have to say yes it is critical to accuracy.

Malm

Jack is exactly right. Of course it will make a difference. Wait a minute, considering how crappy most factory crowns are, a slight nick might help.

Well, I took the rifle with the nick in the crown back to the gun store and they exchanged that rifle for an identical rifle (without a nick). So, great job Black Sheep in Lewiston, Idaho. The person I spoke with also told me Ruger has a reputation for taking care of these types of problems with no questions asked. Thanks for the information, I wouldn't have exchanged the rifle if you guys hadn't given me this great advice.

Ben

so would it be worth it to have one of my older guns recrowned? I have a Savage 110 that is shooting like crap suddenly. I am puting a new stock on it, bedding the action and having the scope inspected by Leupold. The crown could have been drug through the dirt for all i know over the years.

Personally I'm into military rifles and the # 1 destroyer of muzzle crowns, hence accuracy, is the cleaning rod. Particulrly those that can't be cleaned from the breech

Dogcatcher-----

I suggest recrowning before glass bedding, when the accuracy goes south. Most of the time it helps accuracy more than epoxy.

Button rifled barrels wear out at the crown faster than cut-rifed due to work hardening of the internal bore surface by the button. Shooting wears them out, but not as fast as a cleaning rod!!

[ 01-01-2003, 05:08: Message edited by: JBelk ]

I think i could have probably nicked the crown with a rod before since i bought the gun when i was like 16 and didn't know anything about cleaning weapons. That gun used to shoot ok, and for some reason i went to shoot it a couple weeks ago and it shot crazy. It would not group better than a few inches at 100!

Jack, if you don't mind, what is your opinion on the little hand-crowning tool that Brownells sells? I've heard some varminters say good things about using it for touching up a crown, and a bench rest competitor around here uses it every 500 rounds or so. TIA, Dutch.

Dutch--

I've never seen the one you're talking about, but if it has a pilot......I'll pass. I don't like to stick anything in the muzzle that doesn't have to be there.

I bought one of those sets years ago, thinking that it might be handy just for a quick touch up for a guy that didn't want to pay for a real crown job. I was very unimpressed with the results. It's been sitting there gathering dust for years.

John, thanks. Jack, it's Brownell's part number 080-763-243 --- and no pilot! Dutch.

I have recrowned a few rifles with the well known method of spinning a round head brass screw on the crown with an abrasive.

This has worked very well for me. The last one that I did was a M52C that was not shooting at 100 yds as well as it should. Now it does.