I know darn good and well this topic has been covered repeatedly here, but I've searched high and low, and can't find a thread, so...
Mods, if this topic's in the wrong subforum, feel free to move as needed.
The Bride's TC Cherokee (came with a brand new unfired .45 barrel: the bore was still factory-blued!) has two "tight" spots in it: one about 10-12" down from the muzzle, and one about 20" down; for the remainder of the bore, she can easily load a .440 Hornady RB with a .015 oiled patch.
To get that loading past the two trouble-spots, I have to put a wood knob over the end of the ramrod and tap the load past with the heel of my hand; she'd have to use a rubber mallet (don't worry: she hasn't tried that). Once past, she can push the load down the bore with her ramrod, as God and all good barrel builders intended.
I did, however, snap a new hickory ramrod once, trying to get past the first spot.
With a bore light, I can't see any rust or rough edges at those spots.
As you can imagine, accuracy isn't exactly stellar, either.
I got her some .010 patches so she can continue shooting "her Baby" and not get discouraged, but those two tight spots trouble me: barrels aren't "supposed" to be like that, and I'm a little finicky about barrels.
I'm familiar with fire-lapping a bore in centerfires, but the lead ball isn't going to lend itself well to the exact method I've used successfully in my varmint rifles.
Is this something I can remedy (safely) using some jewelers rouge and a tightly patched ball a few times; is this something best remedied by a reputable ML barrel builder... or is this something I should simply find a patch that'll load well for her, and ignore the rough spots?
