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I saw similar muzzle decoration on an original gun at some gun show 50 yrs . ago. I liked it enough to copy the idea on a gun or two , over the years. Your effort is a lot neater than mine was. :thumb:
 
I'm finishing a .32 barrel for my SMR and was considering putting some dimples on the end of the muzzle. Would it be as simple as using a center punch?
Post up some pics of what y'all have done.
If you cut patches at ball seating or ever plan to then leave the muzzle decorations to those who prefer art to accuracy ! A square and properly profiled barrel muzzle is like certain parts of our anatomy that are created to function not look pretty!
Most serious competitors cut their patches at ball seating to insure they are equal all the way around the ball and muzzle decorations are not suited to this technique as the knife must stay flush with the muzzle when cutting the patch.
 
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If you cut patches at ball seating or ever plan to then leave the muzzle decorations to those who prefer art to accuracy ! A square and properly profiled barrel muzzle is like certain parts of our anatomy that are created to function not look pretty!
Most serious competitors cut their patches at ball seating to insure they are equal all the way around the ball and muzzle decorations are not suited to this technique as the knife must stay flush with the muzzle when cutting the patch.
Frankly … I call ‘BS’ on that one …

They might do that, yes … but there is NO WAY it hurts the accuracy!
 
Whether it affects accuracy or not is not an issue if the metal displaced by the stamping or punching is dressed down to the same level as the original surface. The knife will glide over the surface as it did before and the patch will be cut the same.
 
Frankly … I call ‘BS’ on that one …

They might do that, yes … but there is NO WAY it hurts the accuracy!
You will not find any file cuts made by hand and or machine angled into any bore of a match rifle . Dimples dressed down properly can probably be made to work satisfactorily for off hand shooting but any metal displacement on a crown is not conducive to good accuracy dressed flat or not because of metal displacement and induced stresses. Read Ned Roberts book on precision match rifles with false muzzles and you can pick up some good knowledge about what works and what doesn't.
Same deal with deep tapered bore crown to facilitate ease of loading. Won't find it in the most accurate bench rifles.
 
A little hard to see, but this is one I made years ago. Simple engraving.

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Punch marks are so far from the bore and very near the end of the barrel. With this being the case, the relatively small stressed region will have no impact on accuracy. At least this is my opinion as a metallurgical engineer.
But, but, but.....can't we just stick to uninformed opinions and speculations? 🤣
 
Just a point of interest on muzzle crowns. Years ago, on the Accurate Reloading Forum, Saeed took an accurate cartridge rifle, and proceeded to test by cutting the barrel off with a hack saw, leaving the muzzle raw, and shooting for group. Although the center of the group moved around the target, the group size remained the same.
 
Did a full rebuild/customization on my Pedersoli Frontier recently and finished it off by dimpling the muzzle. Really easy to do, just stay away from the outer edge and bore/crown because it CAN/WILL displace a lot of metal if struck really hard or very close to the edge. The trick for me was just (light, repeated) taps with a hammer, then file smooth, done.

Here’s a pic of the set up. Wrap tap evenly around your ram rod so it fits snug in the bore then shim and tape a center punch to it in the desired position. Simply strike it once and rotate, repeat, repeat, repeat until satisfied with the depth, diameter of the dimples. Be sure to strike the punch only once then rotate. Multiple strikes can cause the punch to jump and make an oblong dimple or double dimple. Then file the raised ridges smooth if desired. Be sure to post pics!

View attachment 147347View attachment 147348
I like that idea and will give it a try except use pipe clamps to hold the punch.
 

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