The Problem With Bore Lights

[Majorjoel]

After spending the entire morning reading the thread about LVL, I would like to thank all who contributed in this very educational topic on bore lubricants! I thought I would start a new topic regarding bore inspection. A bore light is a very useful tool, but it doesn't hold a candle to a good tight dry patch run slowly up and down the bore with a sensitive hand. The main problem with the bore light is in it's design. Like a flash light it has a body length that takes up just about the same length of barrel space as a loaded charge. Therefore you never get a look at the breech face and that important last inch of bore area. I have seen a lot of nice shiney barrel bores that had problems with rust and pitting in that little last one inch of space. A friend of mine owned a very nice custom built longrifle that he took great pride and care in. His big mistake was he stored his loading rod down bore with a greased patch for months on end. Moisture got the best of that little space and it pitted badly.

[northmn]

I have a Nock breeched  12 ga with very shinny bore that a bore light assists with as I can check out the breech.  Note it is a 12 bore and also only has about a 30" barrel.  Otherwise the best bore inspection is a routine swab with a rust preventitive patch as you state.  Rare that one gets the bore clean enough not to rust over time, at least until after a couple of swabs.  Even do so on the 12 bore.

DP

[arcticap]

But conversely, couldn't a visual inspection detect something that a patch won't feel?
I recall at least one gunshop where the owner dropped a coin into the bore to help reflect some light so that I could see inside there.
Perhaps we should all carry the right items in our cars for whenever we're out traveling to where there could potentially be some new out of town gunshops just waiting to be discovered? 
Sometimes I'm only wanting to know the muzzle dimensions of a smoothbore when there's not any markings present to determine if it's choked at all. There's a handy wallet size gauge for that too, although not very useful if it has a jug choke. 
 

[R. Hare]

If the face of the breech-plug is polished and case-hardened, then re-polished bright, it'll reflect light very well.
The case-hardening stops the face getting scratched up with a cleaning worm or whatever.
I have a 'jaeger' I did this way, and you can see the bore very well in daylight with no bother at all, even specks on the breech-plug face if any are present.

Seems (in England at any rate,) breechplugs were hardened, and polished, so it's a historically 'correct' thing to do...

All best,

Richard.