Tight spot in barrel

[rhbrink]

It doesn't really sound like to me that you have drove a ball through the barrel Yet? Do you have some .440, .451 round balls? I think that I would try some with various patching well lubed just to see what happens before you do anything else. I'm beginning to think that it is simply a rusty spot in the middle of the barrel that you cannot see looking form either end. This would be easy enough to do and wouldn't cost you much and you can always melt the balls over again so nothing lost. If you don't have a selection of 45 cal balls PM me and I can fix you up some .440, .445,
451.

RB

[Goose]

I've been following this post as I have two guns that I built that have the same problem. I have since replaced the barrels on both guns. What I'm wondering is, does any one know what causes this condition? It seems strange that a cutter would cut to "specs" for a length of barrel get tight and then go back to proper dimensions. Just curious.

[EC121]

Home Depot has a battery powered 4ft. camera in the plumbing dept. for about $80 or so.  It has its own screen but also has a video output that might hook up to a monitor or pc.  I have one of the $20 bore cameras.  It works OK for looking at breech plugs but there isn't enough light to get a good look at the bore on the way down.

[okawbow]

It doesn't really sound like to me that you have drove a ball through the barrel Yet? Do you have some .440, .451 round balls? I think that I would try some with various patching well lubed just to see what happens before you do anything else. I'm beginning to think that it is simply a rusty spot in the middle of the barrel that you cannot see looking form either end. This would be easy enough to do and wouldn't cost you much and you can always melt the balls over again so nothing lost. If you don't have a selection of 45 cal balls PM me and I can fix you up some .440, .445,
451.

RB

I have .440 and .451 balls. However; I can easily see the length of the barrel, and it's smooth and clean all the way. I can run a slightly smaller jag and patch through the barrel, and not even feel the tight spot. It's only when I use a jag and patch that I can just get started in the bore, that it gets stopped in the middle of the barrel.

I'm going to start on the build. I've already cut the stock blank out, and the barrel Chanel. I probably should go ahead and lap the bore before I get any more work into the barrel.

[okawbow]

Well, I slugged the barrel, and found out the following..
The groove diameter is .464. The land diameter is .448.
When a slug is pushed all the way through the barrel, the measurements are the same.

The rod and jag with which I first noticed the problem, is almost the same diameter as the bore. I don't feel much difference when I use a smaller rod. I also don't feel much if any resistance when I push a slug through the middle of the barrel.

What's going on? I can't see anything wrong when I look through the barrel. Is it possible that the bore is not straight? It is centered on the muzzle and breech.

If the bore wandered off in straightness, it would explain why the rod jams.

[hammer]

I would forget the patch and jag and work a bronze cleaning brush backwards and forwards through that 'constriction'.       Give it a lot a elbow grease and cleaning solution.   May take a good while to clean out old, burnt in fouling.    Don't rely on looking down the barrel and seeing shine as an indication the bore and grooves are thoroughly clean.  If you wear out a tight brush and the constriction remains move on to more drastic means.

[bob in the woods]

Give it the thread test. Passing a taught thread through the bore will assist your eyes in detecting the slightest variance. It really works.

[L. Akers]

Since you don't feel any constriction with a slug or a smaller diameter rod, perhaps your bore diameter rod is of inconsistent diameter and it's not the jag that is sticking at the center but the rod sticking at each end.

[Acer Saccharum]

My two cents: Don't be in a rush to building the gun using a barrel like that. Fix the barrel before you build on it. It's MUCH more work to fit a new barrel to an existing rifle.

A thousandth doesn't sound like much, but lapping it out can take hours of hard labor.

[okawbow]

Since you don't feel any constriction with a slug or a smaller diameter rod, perhaps your bore diameter rod is of inconsistent diameter and it's not the jag that is sticking at the center but the rod sticking at each end.

Give the man a prize!
That's exactly what is happening. The larger rod is so close to bore diameter, that a slightly larger or crooked place in the rod is jamming when I push it down about halfway.
It seems the bore is just fine, and I created a problem for myself when I used a different rod to check the twist rate. The twist is about 1 in 56 by the way.

[GANGGREEN]

It must have been a great relief to figure that out.  I always love to learn that issues I was concerned about weren't anything really.  Good luck on the build.

[Acer Saccharum]

Great news!

[rhbrink]

Good Deal!!!! This was really bugging me and it isn't even my barrel glad that you found the problem.

RB

[Daryl]

lol- good find!