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Barrel Shot ?

TorinoTorino Member Posts: 27 ✭✭
edited May 2002 in Ask the Experts
How can I tell if my barrel is good without a GO-NO GO gauge?
Symtoms include cases sticking in chamber and pattern goes to s**t out beyond fifty meters.
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Comments

  • CS8161CS8161 Member Posts: 13,596 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You can check for wear at the muzzle by using a bullet of the correct caliber and seeing how far it will go into the muzzle. If it drops in past the cannelure on the bullet than your barrel is worn out. I am not an expert on rifle barrels, but I have been told that the muzzle, especially the crown, is the most important contributor to accuracy or a lack thereof.

    Chris8161
    Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    No, you need to check the head spacing, look at the end of the chamber at the lands, thats where you check to see if your barrels at the end of its life.

    But yes, the crown is a major contributor to accuracy.

    Visit me http://www.geocities.com/gunsmithlee
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    As I understand it, go/no go gauges check headspace. If the rifle once shot well and has matching parts, this probably isn't the problem. Check muzzle and crown wear and get a throat erosion gauge to measure wear at the breech.

    "...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf
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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,035 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS PROPERLY CLEAN THE BARREL AND CHAMBER. CASES STICKING USUALY INDICATES A DIRTY CHAMBER, PITTED CHAMBER, HIGH PRESSURE LOAD, FOULED BORE, IMPROPERLY RESIZED CASE (RELOADS). LACK OF PRECCISION CAN BE CAUSED BY ALL OF THE ABOVE PLUS WORN THROAT/MUZZEL, PITTED BORE, BAD BEDDING AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.
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  • TorinoTorino Member Posts: 27 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    It has a flash hider on it so the bullet test is'nt going to work. Just got it and it was advertised as excellent condition. Thing is went to the range put about forty rounds through it had two stuck cases with Winchester 55 Gr. ammo.
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The reason I don't think that the bullet and the cannelure trick isn't very good is because not all bullet have cannelures, different barrel may have sallower rifling.

    Also Go-NoGo guages check headspacing, not rifling lands. They aren't any good for seeing if your barrels worn out, the best way would be to look with you own eyes.

    Now this is just from my understanding, I could be wrong.

    Visit me http://www.geocities.com/gunsmithlee
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  • TorinoTorino Member Posts: 27 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like a gun smith is in order, thing is would'nt all the cases stick? I've never encountered this with this ammo in my other AR.
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not all the cases would stick, but yea, a gunsmith is definatley in order.

    What kind of gun are you having these problems in?

    Visit me http://www.geocities.com/gunsmithlee
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  • coyote-mancoyote-man Member Posts: 78 ✭
    edited November -1
    Two things come to mind as what is causing the cases to stick; 1) The chamber could have rust in it. 2) The chamber could be under sized, there by a case could stick every now in then if the case my have a little heavier powder charge. A idem that is very usefull for checking case expansion is made by RCBS, it is their Precison Micrometer, this thing is very handy for checking cases.
    If the throat is worn enough then maybe the bullet is "jumping" to far before reaching the riflings, this can cause serious accuracy problems. Then the next thing to check is how much pressure might be on the barrel, side pressure and under the barrel pressure. I have seen many of rifles not shoot good only because the person would tighten the forearm screw down to tight, causing to much strain on the barrel.
    Let us know what you find out.
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  • TorinoTorino Member Posts: 27 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    leeblackman,it's the Sendra XM 15-E2 that went the other day. When I tore it apart a primer fell out.As far as the chamber it appeared to be in good shape short of some powder. What does a blown out primer indicate ? This means that the primer was from a previous round as the primers were in the jambed rounds. The only rounds that I'm familiar with that this happens on is the 80Gr. that the military uses at 600 Yds.

    coyote-man, as noted above.
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  • groundhog devastationgroundhog devastation Member Posts: 4,495
    edited November -1
    The problem is not at the muzzle!! Once had a friend who to prove somebody wrong, took a hacksaw and sawed an inch a week off off a perfectly good accurate barrel then proceeded to outshoot their perfectly crowned guns each week for 4 weeks in matches!! The oter guys were so sure that the crown made a tremendous difference they were having their barrels re-crowned to cure accuracy problems!! Accuracy problems almost (99.9% of the time ) always are at the chamber end!! GHD
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  • TorinoTorino Member Posts: 27 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I taked with a guy that builds competition AR's and he said it sounded like an extractor problem. Checked it against another setup and sure as heck it was beat to death and the spring was half the length. I've exchanged the parts so hopefully this should take care of that malfunction. Just goes to show you can learn something new every day. Alittle 100 round test should verify this and then onto the accuracy issue.

    Thanks for the input.
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