94 barrel with grain

[sullkat]

A friend knew I was looking for a win 94 barrel, said he found one for me to look at, it is a tapered octagon marked Buffalo Bill commerative, the strange thing is it has grain showing the full length and on all flats.
At first I thought it was just dirty, but not only could you see the grain you could scrap you fingernail over them.
Any one ever see such a thing on steel.
It looks like it was never shot, the bore was very brown ran a patch through it and bunch of brown like rust was on the patch.
But there are no pits or wear on the rifeling.
TIA

Maybe a better way to describe it is shallow lines very close together, like running a fine tooth comb over a stick of clay

[Rube Burrows]

A friend knew I was looking for a win 94 barrel, said he found one for me to look at, it is a tapered octagon marked Buffalo Bill commerative, the strange thing is it has grain showing the full length and on all flats.
At first I thought it was just dirty, but not only could you see the grain you could scrap you fingernail over them.
Any one ever see such a thing on steel.
It looks like it was never shot, the bore was very brown ran a patch through it and bunch of brown like rust was on the patch.
But there are no pits or wear on the rifeling.
TIA

Maybe a better way to describe it is shallow lines very close together, like running a fine tooth comb over a stick of clay

Are you only looking for octagon barrel. I have a regular barrel that was pulled off of a 1979 94 but its the round carbine barrel. No bluing on the barrel.

[J Miller]

Just a guess but it sounds like the tools that machined the flats were vibrating. That would cause unevenness.

I've found the "rust colored" stuff in barrels of new rifles too. I'm not sure at all but I think it might be some sort of preservative.

Or ~ I could be totally wrong about all of this.

I'd use the barrel.

Joe

[pdentrem]

Just like Joe just stated.

Winchester was pumping the specials editions out the door so fast that some even wonder if they will shoot.
Maybe you are looking at machining tool marks? Usually after cutting the flats on an octagon barrel, one draw files the sides smooth. At least that is how the gunsmith here does it.

[Hobie]

I just saw two of the Buffalo Bill commemoratives yesterday. Grain? Hardly. The flats do have that appearance in that they are rather roughly ground i.e. they used a larger grit than one might prefer and the bluing highlights the "streaks". I have seen worse. However, I didn't think that they were so rough that they would "catch" a fingernail. One could feel a very, very slight bit of unevenness. This is typical of Winchester octagon barrels of the period.

Rust? Then, to me, that's a shooter. Might be a very good shooter, but it ain't fine condition.

[Bruce]

I have seen actually the very "grain" you are talking about and I have only seen it on Commemorative barrels. I have only seen it on one barrel that was installed and that was a Classic. The other few I have seen were either take off barrels or ones that were sold as replacements. I am not sure which as they were being sold as barrels only. It appears to me to be tooling marks, but for the life of me, I can not fiquire the lengthwise cut pattern out. Not like normal tooling marks.

[Hobie]

I have seen actually the very "grain" you are talking about and I have only seen it on Commemorative barrels. I have only seen it on one barrel that was installed and that was a Classic. The other few I have seen were either take off barrels or ones that were sold as replacements. I am not sure which as they were being sold as barrels only. It appears to me to be tooling marks, but for the life of me, I can not fiquire the lengthwise cut pattern out. Not like normal tooling marks.

Those are just grind marks as they must grind the flats lengthwise on the barrel and they don't ever put a good polish on the flats.

[sullkat]

At least they are very straight and uniform, gives it that corduroy effect.
I bought the barrel the guy took $25 for it so now I can put all my spare parts together and see what I get.

[Sixgun]

No big deal. I don't think many people look that close at other people's guns anyway.

If it does bother you, go buy several sheets of 220 grit and 400 grit sand paper. The get yourself a 1/4" chunk of pane glass. Lay the sandpaper on the glass and sand it 'till the cows come home or until its smooth, paying attention to not sand off the roll mark and keeping the edges sharp . Then blue it.

With what you are describing, it should take no more than an hour or two to make it right--------Sixgun

The 1892 below was rusted junk. The average guy don't need no million dollar jig--just about $10 worth of sandpaper.

[Hobie]

At least they are very straight and uniform, gives it that corduroy effect.
I bought the barrel the guy took $25 for it so now I can put all my spare parts together and see what I get.

As Sixgun says, NOW is the time to polish it up.

[damienph]

The average guy don't need no million dollar jig--just about $10 worth of sandpaper.

Ten dollars worth of sandpaper and ALOT of patience

[stickfred]

Ten dollars worth of sandpaper and ALOT of patience

I thought that ALOT of patience was kind of a requirement for having a gun .

[Griff]

As Sixgun said... a little sandpaper, a block to keep it flat, and some patience. I'd used 200 grit to start, the up to 600 and lastly a wet sandpaper and lots of water.

Here's a before & after of one of my '94 receivers I'm in process of saving money to have refinished:

4288388 RS.jpg

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