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Bulge in rifle barrel

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8 comments

  • MIKE WISKEY
    "Is it safe to shoot"..........no, not realy....... "and does this cause an accuracy problem? "..........yes very much so. the barrel could be cut in back of the bulge and a new front sight installed.
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  • RCrosby
    My experience with barrel bulges has been limited to rimfire rifles and centerfire handguns (not centerfire rifles) so I'll defer to Mike's assessment, and if it were mine I'd probably shorten the barrel as he suggests and relocate the front sight.
    That said, if I'd had the chance to respond before reading his response, I'd have said that, "dangerous", probably not, less accurate, again, probably, but not necessarily. The bulges I've enountered have meant the necessity of more cleaning, but except for solid bench work, only minimal degredation of accuracy as I'm able to judge from field positions. As I recall, most of my bulges have been mid-barrel, though, and not near the muzzle, which could might make a difference. Mostly I hated knowing they were there and ended up trading them away or rebarreling.
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  • Hawk Carse
    I had, of all things, a Remington 788 .223 with a bulge near the muzzle. It didn't blow up before I realized I had been sold a dud, but it didn't hit much, either. Cutting off two inches helped only a little and I had it rebarrelled. But it might be all an iron sight hunting rifle would need.
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  • leeblackman
    Several years ago a buddy of mine, don't ask how, bent the barrel on a sporterized british no. 4 .303brit. A good 45 degree bend too. I think somewhere there is an archived post about it here on the board, but I'm not taking the time to look for it. Anyway, so I kid you now, he straightened it out himself in a vise at the autoshop he worked using who know what kinda of method and tools. Probably a hammer, lolz. Anyway, long story shot, we went to the range and I didn't realize it was what he was shooting next to me, but he was hitting the paper plates we had stapled to the target board at the 100 yard line... Don't ask me how or why it worked, personally I would have considered it unsafe to shoot and had the gun rebarreled, but he still shoots it, even today. In fact i think he took it on a couple of hog hunts.

    Can you see any bulge inside the barrel? If so I'd definitely either have the barrel cut back and the front sight reinstalled, or see if numrich gun parts has a new barrel all together.

    Can I ask, did you cause the bulge, or did the gun come with it? Just wondering how it might have happened. I've seen where someone squib loaded a cartridge, and was lucky enough that it has enough powder trickle in and a strong enough primer to kick the bullet almost to the end of the barrel, that the next round shot with a little extra kick but didn't blow up, and left that nice pretty bulge at the end kinda like your explaining. Wondering if it was similar.
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    bulges in .22 rim fire rifles and shotguns arn't so much of a hazzard but high powed rifles make me very nervous. a bulge at or near the muzzle will through shots all over the country side. any obstruction in the barrel, when fired will cause a bulge (snow, mud, bullet). bends are entirely different, if the barrel can be straightened without changing the bore dimentions they should be ok.
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  • Chic
    The Germans even made barrels with a smooth (i.e large radius) 90 degree bend to shoot around corners.
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  • USN_Airdale
    i once had a Win. M 92 rifle that had a bulge in the barrel just forward of the rear sight, it's accuracy was no different after the bulge than before, to my best method available, i determined the bulge INSIDE the barrel was no more than 1/8th inch long and the bullet spanned the 1/8th" gap, the rifle was just a "plinker" and i was still pushing tomato juice cans out to 100 yds. and beyond.
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  • v35
    A good gunsmith can cut the barrel, machine away the barrel from that ramp sight and silver solder it back on the shortened barrel.
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