Copper fouling location in barrel

[Tac-O]

Wow, 40 years old is ridiculous!
I dont know i just don't like putting impregnated bullets down a perfectly good barrel. However much it takes to clean the throat up that way will take just as much out of the whole barrel which will open up bore and grooves.
Personally I'd set the barrel back with a GOOD reamer, but thats me or I'd tell the smith to make it right

I wanted to tell him to make it right, but I'm done doing business with him. After I got it back and bedded it into a new stock, I got compound into the action and chamber and needed help getting that fixed. The first guy said he'd get it done in a week and "take care of me" pricewise, but after hearing something similar multiple times, not having the work done for 7 months when it was supposed to be 3, doing stuff I didn't want him to do to the bolt and action and basically telling me the stuff I was concerned about didn't matter (very basic stuff like burrs on the crown) .... Not doing anything with that guy again. Anyway, I had another guy who has a good reputation fix the compound issue for me and he recrowned it. He said he thought there might not be enough barrel material left to set it back.

So.... We're working with this one.

There's my son story haha

 

[mulie]

The barrel appears to be a button barrel? I would first slug the barrel to determine if it has any tight spots. JB bore paste will not remove that rough what is seen it can remove some of the copper. Get slugs order and slug the barrel it can point out issues, if found. Then pour a lap begin with a fine lapping compound lots of lubricant and lap if you truly feel it needs the lapping. Again TMS Tubbs will help it is much easier. I first slug a barrel to determine did manufacturing do their job? Also to determine where the barrel will need to be cut to length for best performance. Also with your borescope determine if the lead appears to be centered on the lands sometimes if they are off this can induce smearing down the barrel again this is stuff to check. Begin with the simpler stuff then if it does not cure it move on to the next.

 

[Tac-O]

The barrel appears to be a button barrel? I would first slug the barrel to determine if it has any tight spots. JB bore paste will not remove that rough what is seen it can remove some of the copper. Get slugs order and slug the barrel it can point out issues, if found. Then pour a lap begin with a fine lapping compound lots of lubricant and lap if you truly feel it needs the lapping. Again TMS Tubbs will help it is much easier. I first slug a barrel to determine did manufacturing do their job? Also to determine where the barrel will need to be cut to length for best performance. Also with your borescope determine if the lead appears to be centered on the lands sometimes if they are off this can induce smearing down the barrel again this is stuff to check. Begin with the simpler stuff then if it does not cure it move on to the next.

No it's a cut barrel. Those circumferential marks are from the chamber reamber

 

[mulie]

Those mark's are on the barrel but not in the lands from the pictures most likely from the bushing having issues not the reamer body itself. Was it done with solid pilot reamer or a bushing reamer?

 

[Mikecr]

No it's a cut barrel. Those circumferential marks are from the chamber reamber

You're on the right track, doing all you can do.
It sucks that it's happening to you, and others every now & then.

 

[L.Sherm]

I dont know who you talked to about setting it back but they must have been talking about cutting the tenon off, all that has to be done is set it back 1 or 2 turns one in your case probably would be fine. 1 turn is about .062 on a rem which I'm sure would clean that throat up.

Those mark's are on the barrel but not in the lands from the pictures most likely from the bushing having issues not the reamer body itself. Was it done with solid pilot reamer or a bushing reamer?

Its obviously from the reamer look at the original pics were the throat was cut, the bushing doesn't even touch that.

 

[Tac-O]

I dont know who you talked to about setting it back but they must have been talking about cutting the tenon off, all that has to be done is set it back 1 or 2 turns one in your case probably would be fine. 1 turn is about .062 on a rem which I'm sure would clean that throat up.
Its obviously from the reamer look at the original pics were the throat was cut, the bushing doesn't even touch that.

That's kinda what I was thinking but the funds aren't there for another reamer and service fee so I didn't discuss it further.

 

[L.Sherm]

That's kinda what I was thinking but the funds aren't there for another reamer and service fee so I didn't discuss it further.

Yeah I know it sucks.

 

[Tac-O]

Well I tried out the Tubbs TMS bullets, which is what they recommended. All grit #3. They said to shoot 7-10 of these. I followed their website instructions for a lapped barrel and cleaned after every 3 shots.

It did look like it smoothed out some of those reamer marks, but not completely.

No improvement in copper fouling that I could tell. It now shows copper fouling slightly closer to the throat than before also.

I attempted to do a seating test with some Hornady interlock bullets I'm wanting to hunt with and accuracy was abysmal. Granted, the brass was virgin and I hadn't ran it through a FL die... Only a neck expander. I don't think that would make that big of difference though. I went all the way from 0.020 (or what was... I haven't measured distance to lands again yet) to 0.060.

So... Not sure what to do. Just let the copper fouling ride and see if it stabilizes somewhat, try 0.070-0.110 with these bullets, switch to my other CC hunting bullets, throw this gun in the trash and archery hunt only...

 

[L.Sherm]

I would get it shooting and hunt this year and get by if you can.
If funds are available it get another barrel ordered and start over with a smith who you know has the right reamer and can trust.

 

[Tac-O]

I would get it shooting and hunt this year and get by if you can.
If funds are available it get another barrel ordered and start over with a smith who you know has the right reamer and can trust.

Yea. Not sure if I'd be able to convince my wife to let me rebarrel it for next year.... But I can try haha.

I'm thinking I'm going to just buy either a manson or jgs precision reamer. I don't know if they'd have any prints already that would be something I'd want. Are those guys helpful as far as determining what type of throat it should have given my plans for bullets, or is that something the smith would have to help me with? Then just send it to LRI for the work.

This might be a 2-3 year redo.... So hopefully I can get a hunting load going that would give me 5 confident shots

 

[L.Sherm]

The best thing to do us send them a dummy round, then whatever that freebore is I add .020 so when you have final seating of your bullet your right in the neighborhood of the neck shoulder junction

 

[DJ Fergus]

Well I tried out the Tubbs TMS bullets, which is what they recommended. All grit #3. They said to shoot 7-10 of these. I followed their website instructions for a lapped barrel and cleaned after every 3 shots.

It did look like it smoothed out some of those reamer marks, but not completely.

No improvement in copper fouling that I could tell. It now shows copper fouling slightly closer to the throat than before also.

I attempted to do a seating test with some Hornady interlock bullets I'm wanting to hunt with and accuracy was abysmal. Granted, the brass was virgin and I hadn't ran it through a FL die... Only a neck expander. I don't think that would make that big of difference though. I went all the way from 0.020 (or what was... I haven't measured distance to lands again yet) to 0.060.

So... Not sure what to do. Just let the copper fouling ride and see if it stabilizes somewhat, try 0.070-0.110 with these bullets, switch to my other CC hunting bullets, throw this gun in the trash and archery hunt only...

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the rifle. I think that most of us who's owned enough rifles has been where you're at. I know that I have. I've been there with a custom rifle. The best advice that I can give you (which may not prove to work) is to keep shooting it. It may settle down. I just talked to a friend about an hour ago who told me he had a custom rifle that wasn't shooting to well and he was about ready to give up. He said that he put around 80 rounds down the tube without cleaning it and it started grouping consistently. I've saw stranger things than that happen before. Anyway. I hope you are able to get it shooting to your liking. Good luck!

 

[Tac-O]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the rifle. I think that most of us who's owned enough rifles has been where you're at. I know that I have. I've been there with a custom rifle. The best advice that I can give you (which may not prove to work) is to keep shooting it. It may settle down. I just talked to a friend about an hour ago who told me he had a custom rifle that wasn't shooting to well and he was about ready to give up. He said that he put around 80 rounds down the tube without cleaning it and it started grouping consistently. I've saw stranger things than that happen before. Anyway. I hope you are able to get it shooting to your liking. Good luck!

Thanks for the reassurance. I was thinking I might just start shooting and quit cleaning. I'm going through wayyy to many patches and chems cleaning the copper mine out of the bore every 20 rounds!


And to think I could have left my factory '06 barrel on, saved money, and had a consistent 0.75moa shooter that I can avoid cleaning for several hundred rounds without copper issues! But that barrel will no longer headspace correctly and the threads look screwed

It's frustrating to say the least.