Noob question..... bore evaluation

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antilley
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Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by antilley »

How is the best way to evaluate the bore of a rifle ..... I have done my best to see inside the bore with a light on one end and using the q-tip method of seeing a few inches on each end.... I see a shiny and can see what i believe to be the twist / rifling .... just don't know what / how to look for....

Am I looking for a shiny bore? Looking for rust spots? Thanks in advance for your help.....
Buffboy
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Re: Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by Buffboy »

You are looking for nicks or dents at the muzzle. You are looking for streaking from lead/copper that shows lack of or improper cleaning. I've seen very few used rifles that are cleaned at all, let alone correctly when I'm shopping used. You are looking for sharp lands in conventional rifling, smooth at their tops and overall smoothness of the bore. The transition from land to groove should also be fairly sharp. You are looking for darker spots that may indicate a bulge. You are looking for rough spots, pitting that could be or were rust. The microgroove barrel is mostly the same but the transitions are a little more rounded as they are button rifled, not cut rifled.

I'm not sure if the newer ballard rifled marlin barrels are button or cut. I think button as there are few manufacturers that cut rifling anymore. A button rifled barrel always has more rounded transitions.
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Griff
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Re: Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by Griff »

antilley wrote:How is the best way to evaluate the bore of a rifle ..... I have done my best to see inside the bore with a light on one end and using the q-tip method of seeing a few inches on each end.... I see a shiny and can see what i believe to be the twist / rifling .... just don't know what / how to look for....
Am I looking for a shiny bore? Looking for rust spots? Thanks in advance for your help.....
Yes. A shiney bore. leading will show as dull spots, light grey towards dark grey as it increases. Edges of rifling should be sharp & well defined. Sometimes leading will collect in the corner of the groove to land and make it appear rounded, when in fact the rifling is still sharp and nice, if it werre cleaned out. If the corner of the rifling from the transition of the land to the groove is rounded... that's what you want to avoid. However, there is a type of rifling (polygonal) which lacks these sharp edges. This is mostly found in much older examples and some newer handgun arms. Rust will show as brown. Pits will show a shadow, or as black spots.
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antilley
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Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:02 pm
Location: Fort Mill, SC

Re: Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by antilley »

Thanks for the advice .....

I still wasn't sure how I would see all the things you pointed out until I visited Dicks Sporting Goods tonight..... The idea of a Bore Light had never dawned on me :)

It all makes much more sense today :)

Thanks again.
C. Cash
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Re: Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by C. Cash »

Just break the action open and ensure the firearm is unloaded and insert a new white patch in the action of gun...stuff it to where it stays in the action, not covering the chamber area but placed slightly farther back and with some surface area facing toward the outside of the action. Hold it where the sunlight is reflecting directly on the patch while you are looking down the muzzle end and the bore will be illuminated very well. The sunlight reflecting off of that bright white fabric does the trick. For pistols you can just hold the patch in the frame with the cylinder out and do the same process. Try it and you may not feel the need for a bore light. Muzzleloaders do require something like a borelight to inspect, but you can tell alot by how rough a patch feels going through the bore, and any discoloration in the patch when it comes out.
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WyrTwister
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Re: Noob question..... bore evaluation

Post by WyrTwister »

antilley wrote:How is the best way to evaluate the bore of a rifle ..... I have done my best to see inside the bore with a light on one end and using the q-tip method of seeing a few inches on each end.... I see a shiny and can see what i believe to be the twist / rifling .... just don't know what / how to look for....

Am I looking for a shiny bore? Looking for rust spots? Thanks in advance for your help.....

Pick up a bore lite .

God bless
Wyr
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