08-23-2018, 02:03 PM
I recently attended a precision rifle class where this very topic was discussed. The instructor was a long time precision rifle builder and gunsmith that worked for years at (among other places) Surgeon rifles (pre-merger). He stated that the new bore cams are affordable, and as such allow non-versed rank amateurs to view the other side of precision chambers. The problem as he saw it, was that folks just don't know what to look for, what to ignore.
He said that he would rather a new bore scope owner observe, shoot, and observe more. Don't think that imperfections in the machining process will likely have any real effect on accuracy. Small tooling marks and gouges are routine, even on high end chambered barrels. The trick is, to keep shooting as you always have, observing how the rifle performs, not the condition of the chamber and bore. Only when you notice a degredation of repeatable accuracy should you begin to employ these tools; and only when you have a good idea what it is you're looking for. Education materials are - for now, slim concerning these tools.
This was in the final briefing for the class, and was more in passing than most anything else. He was impressed with the new generation of the Lyman bore scope, and said that it was almost too good, at too low a price. Loose quote: "Now, everyone that has one of these new higher resolution gadgets will get swamped in worrying about something that they would have been blissfully ignorant of before." His point was that they are useful, for knowledgeable gunsmiths, and for general inspection. The truest test of a chamber isn't it's machined perfection, but how well it puts repeated hits downrange.
He did say that you will know what to look for if you ever see a worn out barrel through one. One was all it would take. Look at a known "shot-out" barrel, and you will see the obvious problems a bore scope will help you keep an eye out for.
Perhaps it would help to compare these observations with a barrel that has several hundred or thousand rounds through it?
Oh, (take this with a grain of salt, for my memory may be off here, but) he also said that every barrel treatment looks different under magnification. Chrome lining in the throats starts to show cracks long before it becomes an accuracy issue, whereas in a nitrided barrel, cracking is indicative of fatigue that should be more closely observed. Stainless and CROMO steel untreated barrels were best to cut new teeth on because they are typically more honest indicators of barrel life than the treatments, which change surface hardness in sometimes strange and irregular ways.
He said that he would rather a new bore scope owner observe, shoot, and observe more. Don't think that imperfections in the machining process will likely have any real effect on accuracy. Small tooling marks and gouges are routine, even on high end chambered barrels. The trick is, to keep shooting as you always have, observing how the rifle performs, not the condition of the chamber and bore. Only when you notice a degredation of repeatable accuracy should you begin to employ these tools; and only when you have a good idea what it is you're looking for. Education materials are - for now, slim concerning these tools.
This was in the final briefing for the class, and was more in passing than most anything else. He was impressed with the new generation of the Lyman bore scope, and said that it was almost too good, at too low a price. Loose quote: "Now, everyone that has one of these new higher resolution gadgets will get swamped in worrying about something that they would have been blissfully ignorant of before." His point was that they are useful, for knowledgeable gunsmiths, and for general inspection. The truest test of a chamber isn't it's machined perfection, but how well it puts repeated hits downrange.
He did say that you will know what to look for if you ever see a worn out barrel through one. One was all it would take. Look at a known "shot-out" barrel, and you will see the obvious problems a bore scope will help you keep an eye out for.
Perhaps it would help to compare these observations with a barrel that has several hundred or thousand rounds through it?
Oh, (take this with a grain of salt, for my memory may be off here, but) he also said that every barrel treatment looks different under magnification. Chrome lining in the throats starts to show cracks long before it becomes an accuracy issue, whereas in a nitrided barrel, cracking is indicative of fatigue that should be more closely observed. Stainless and CROMO steel untreated barrels were best to cut new teeth on because they are typically more honest indicators of barrel life than the treatments, which change surface hardness in sometimes strange and irregular ways.
Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.