My Barrel is scuffing rounds. Is it salvagable?

[Sharpeneddark]

So, I have a 300 BO barrel. I bought it as a 'handgun' while waiting for my SBR stamp. So I never fired the barrel. Today, I was prepping the now SBR for a trip to the range and thought maybe I should check battery with my new gun before taking it to the range. It chambered fine, but when I ejected the dummy round (bullt and case only, no powder/primer) I noticed it was scuffed like this. I loaded a few more rounds, all similarly scuffed. Seeing how the barrel has been sitting in a pistol configuration for months, I doubt the manufacturer will give me a replacement. The scuffing is all around the bullet and casing, not in any localized spot. I've snaked the barrel, it looks clean, but the damage persists on new rounds.

Is there anything I can do to fix the scuffing of the rounds? I won't fire it as is. I doubt it'll do any damage to the gun or me, but I can't imagine it's good for accuracy.

 

[mopar92]

Pichers?

 

[outrider58]

Sounds like maybe a rough chamber. Do you know who's barrel it is? If you do shoot it, the roughness should show up on the case in some kind of detail. I don't think it would be dangerous(I'm not an expert at that though), but it might have an adverse effect on accuracy. Take it to a gun smith with a bore scope so he can take a look inside.

 

[BradMacc82]

Picture would definitely help.

 

[Sharpeneddark]

The barrel looks smooth, so here's a pic of the round. The case and bullet have damage all around it in different patterns. Some horizontal, some lengthwise, etc.

 

[mopar92]

The barrel looks smooth, so here's a pic of the round. The case and bullet have damage all around it in different patterns. Some horizontal, some lengthwise, etc.

Looks perfectly fine to me. Micro grooves left in the barrel/chamber from machining/reaming/chambering. Won't affect function at all. They'll "shoot themselves out" as they are worn down in normal use. Light scratching is fine, heavy gouging (like something that can catch a fingernail) is bad and should be addressed.

 

[Sharpeneddark]

Looks perfectly fine to me. Micro grooves left in the barrel/chamber from machining/reaming/chambering. Won't affect function at all. They'll "shoot themselves out" as they are worn down in normal use. Light scratching is fine, heavy gouging (like something that can catch a fingernail) is bad and should be addressed.

Ok, thanks!

 

[outrider58]

The barrel looks smooth, so here's a pic of the round. The case and bullet have damage all around it in different patterns. Some horizontal, some lengthwise, etc.

What's the COAL on that round? You could be bumping up against the throat(causing the "horizontal" marks). I would measure your round before and after chambering to make sure the bullet isn't being bumped back into the case which, in severe cases can lead to over pressure. You could also issues with the feed ramps which can be easily cleaned up by a qualified person. Another problem you can be having, if your extractor spring came with an "O" ring around it, you'll want to take that off. It's not needed and can cause "fang" marks on the cases.

 

[Sharpeneddark]

I received a response from Anderson Rifles (the barrel manufacturer). They are shipping out a replacement unit and have a return label included for my current barrel. So that's the good news.

What's the COAL on that round? You could be bumping up against the throat(causing the "horizontal" marks). I would measure your round before and after chambering to make sure the bullet isn't being bumped back into the case which, in severe cases can lead to over pressure. You could also issues with the feed ramps which can be easily cleaned up by a qualified person.

I will check COAL on the next batch I do. From eyeballing it, the rounds sat in the magazine the same as when they were fresh. While I did not compare with a caliper, they didn't look different and I always crimp rounds since the very first time I had a bullet get pushed back into the case by being chambered.

Another problem you can be having, if your extractor spring came with an "O" ring around it, you'll want to take that off. It's not needed and can cause "fang" marks on the cases.

My extractor doesn't have it, but it is something I had not considered before.