Ring in Barrel

[Dale Allen Raby]

Got a T/C Hawken in .45 caliber with a "ring" or something about half way down the barrel. When I clean the gun, there is a pronounced notice of less resistance for an inch or so. The gun shoots fairly well... or at least better than I can shoot it offhand.

The bore was in pretty rough shape when I got it and this defect was there from day one. After quite a bit of shooting, most of the barrel has smoothed out, but this "ring" persists. I'm guessing that it is the result of rust maybe from a wet patch or something left in the bore by a previous owner since there is no obvious barrel bulge.

This is something I have never encountered before in a muzzleloader.

Questions: Do rings like this generally remain stable or will it get worse? Would this be a good candidate for a rebore to make a smoothbore out of it? Has anyone had any experience with TOTW's drop in replacement barrels?

Thanks!

 

[bubba.50]

A lot of times 'rings' are actually slight bulges in the barrel usually caused by firing with the bullet not fully seated on the powder charge.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

That's what I thought, but wouldn't it then cause a bulge in the exterior? The barrel is mirror-finished and shows no optical distortion in it's surface, but I can feel a sort of rough area about halfway down the bore.

 

[rafterob]

If there is no measurable bulge on the exterior then it is unlikely from a short started charge. Machining defect, previously polished out rust spot, etc..

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

If there is no measurable bulge on the exterior then it is unlikely from a short started charge. Machining defect, previously polished out rust spot, etc..

Yup, that was my assessment as well. Now I gotta decide what, if anything, to do about it. It kills empty milk jugs just fine and I don't really need it to do anything else.

 

[ord sgt]

It will buff out.

 

[Timber Wolf]

Yup, that was my assessment as well. Now I gotta decide what, if anything, to do about it. It kills empty milk jugs just fine and I don't really need it to do anything else.

I just shoot it myself as long as it shot like I wanted it to. But then, I would get a replacement barrel like I did from TOW, one of the slow twist .45 barrels. I had a .45 factory barrel I could not get to shoot for anything. The Green Mountain Track barrel (Muzzle loading rifle barrels, IBS by Green Mountain for T/C Hawken - Track of the Wolf) is kinda pricey, long, heavy and currently out of stock, but it sure is purty. Have not shot it yet though so can’t say how it shoots..

 

[Quicksilver]

What do your patches look like? Any sign of patch slip or blow bye?

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

What do your patches look like? Any sign of patch slip or blow bye?

Not that I noticed, but then I haven't really looked at them... and finding them in the snow can be a problem. I'll shoot it tomorrow and see if I can find anything out of the ordinary. but last time I looked they were lightly smudged and looked fairly normal.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

Shoot it. If it shoots well and cleans easily leave it be.

 

[pacanis]

That's what I thought, but wouldn't it then cause a bulge in the exterior? The barrel is mirror-finished and shows no optical distortion in it's surface, but I can feel a sort of rough area about halfway down the bore.

I believe you are thinking of modern firearms and squibs. But I could be wrong.

If a squib (too light of a charge to send the bullet out of the bore) happens and another round is shot into it, you will get a bulge in the barrel. And most likely both bullets will exit, but not without first bulging the barrel.

It will look like a shadow in the bore and there will be a bulge on the outside of the barrel itself. If you happened to be shooting a semi-auto pistol the bulge will most likely lock up the slide.

But ringing a barrel is like said, shooting the ML without the projectile fully seated. The halfway down the barrel has me confused though. It would be pretty obvious when loading if the ramrod is only going halfway in. Ringing would likely occur closer to the charge. Or say... after using a short starter. 6in or so below the muzzle. No bulge outside, just a shadow inside and a ring where the ball was that leaves a groove in the bore.

 

[2 shots]

friday or a monday gun

 

[dragnetbill]

When you send a moderately tight patch down the barrel and get to a point where the resistance to the patch increases and then returns to the same amount I would suspect that you have found a rough spot due to corrosion/damage. If the resistance decreases and then returns to the same amount I would suspect a bulge.
If you have a bulge and cann't see it on the exterior you may be able to feel it. I have a CVA Mountain Rifle barrel that looks fine on the outside to the naked eye, but, when I run my fingers down the barrel with a very light touch I can feel the bulge. When I did this I marked the barrel with pencil where I felt the difference and then sent the patch back down and sure enough the lightening of resistance was right where I had made the pencil mark. I would suggest that when trying the feel test that you don't look at the barrel so as to avoid having your eyes convince your fingers that your feeling something because they see that the fingers are in the area of concern.

 

[French Colonial]

Bore scope from Amazon around $50.00, mystery solved.

AND you can reuse it over and over.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Bore scope from Amazon around $50.00, mystery solved.

AND you can reuse it over and over.

Actually one that works off of your phone is a about $21 and you can make videos or shoot photos of what you find to see what other think of the situation.

LD

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Well, took it out today and looked at the patches as Quicksilver suggested. Patches are being shredded... even with light loads... and accuracy has gone out the window as well. I suspect that the "ring" was partially filled with carbon deposits which broke loose at some point recently. This is mildly irritating, as I now have a bunch of projectiles that I cannot use... but I knew it was a marginal barrel anyway when I acquired the gun.

Bummer.

Come March I will probably ship it off to Mr. Hoyt for a rebore and I will have my smoothbore. Then there are those TOW drop ins....

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Actually one that works off of your phone is a about $21 and you can make videos or shoot photos of what you find to see what other think of the situation.

LD

Probably wouldn't work in MY phone. I hate cell phones in general and smart phones especially so. I look forward to the day when I no longer need one.

 

[Whiteoak15]

I think Mr. Hoyt is your best approach. A rebore to whatever caliber you wish will give you what you want.

 

[Kansas Jake]

You might try a piece of a copper scrub brush on a less than bore size barrel brush with something like PB Blaster and scrub the heck out of the rough area to smooth it. Others have also used the 3m scrubbing pads for the same purpose. I’ve had decent luck doing that in rough bores. If you think your going to have it freshened or re bored nothing will be lost by trying except some time and a few bucks.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Have you miked the outside of the barrel? There may not be a visible bulge to the naked eye, while a variation of only a few thousandths might be felt in the bore. If I were concerned about a possible bulge, I would mike the barrel in multiple places almond its length, including the spot with the loose area. I would compare the readings from the micrometer.

You have shot the rifle without any mishaps, so we assume it is safe to fire. If accuracy has deteriorated, boring out or lining may be the best options for salvaging the barrel.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob