[HunterFisherman]

Using a barrel scope, and recording the video results, one of our South African national shottists, followed each of the individual rifling in the barrels of brand new rifles.

Unfortunately he only did 3 rifles. This sample is obviously not representative. Of the 3 Tikka was the best, followed by Howa. Their rifling cut was crisp, edges sharp and polished.

The third rifle, a well-known brand, was dreadful. For up to 3 inches, in the middle of the barrel, the rifling vanished! The rifling edges were poorly cut, of differing height, and still with burrs on.

This exercise was done in part to settle an argument around Howa, a Japanese brand, that has taken the South African market by storm, using what appears to be a copy of the Sako 579 action. Being the cheapest rifle on our market, the argument went around "cheap can't be good"!

The point I want to make here, is that a buyer should have the barrel examined with a bore scope before purchasing.

I found the videos fascinating. He even showed what a carboned up barrel looks like - the bore becomes smooth! Carbon is apparently harder than steel, and one should pay far more attention to it, than copper fouling!

I was wondering if anyone out there could undertake a proper statistical sample of the quality of rifling cut in brand new rifles, of the different manufacturers. Barrels could be given a score out of 10. Possibly these videos could be posted as supporting evidence. One day, manufacturers could add a memory stick video of the barrel rifling with each rifle sold!

 

[JBelk]

Welcome to the forums!
There is no way to visually determine what barrel will shoot the best. Harry Pope figured that out a very long time ago.
The difference between factory barrels is astounding when seen through a bore scope, but you can't predict anything by looking. They have to be shot.
In my experience, Howa is one of the roughest finished barrels in the world but nobody can argue how they shoot.

First, only very few barrels are rifled by 'cutting'. Most are 'button rifled' and the condition of the edges is without doubt consistently good. Hammer forged barrels are near foolproof and work well.
"Roughness" is almost always in the bore finish before rifling takes places and those defects are easily seen as radial scratches, but don't seem to make much difference in 'hunting rifle' accuracy. You pay more for a well-finished barrel because it takes longer to make it.

I have a bore scope and can show a bunch of different bores if you like.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

When I was a young lad I used to stop in at the "Trading Post" in uptown Racine, WI to ogle guns and accessories that I couldn't afford. This gunshop was owned and operated by Barrett "Boots" Obermeyer and his father and brother Al.
Boots and his dad were normally down in the lower level "cutting" lands and grooves into barrel steel. Only because I was in that shop so often, Boots asked me if I'd like to see how they make barrels. Geez! Does Mickey Mouse have ears? I got to watch him actually shape a single carbide cutter used on the old Pratt & Whitney rifling machines they used. At that time Boots and his dad were cutting R5 rifling, one groove at a time with very light cuts until the grooves reach around 0.006 thousandths deep. Then, they would laboriously lead lap the rifling with compound to remove any burrs caused by the cutting process. I have two Obermeyer R5 barrels, one on my VZ Mauser action in 7mm Mauser caliber and another in .270 Winchester on a Model 70 action. Both are very good shooters:

 

[Darkker]

I was wondering if anyone out there could undertake a proper statistical sample of the quality of rifling cut in brand new rifles, of the different manufacturers. Barrels could be given a score out of 10. Possibly these videos could be posted as supporting evidence. One day, manufacturers could add a memory stick video of the barrel rifling with each rifle sold!

Of course someone can. The question is never "IF" it could happen, but "What is it worth".

Is it really worth paying a competent person, a justified hourly wage for his time, buy however many barrels you'd like examined. Then knowing that from the moment those documents are published, that you will forever be paying a company to pay their employees that fee plus their mark-up and slow-down of production, to be able to "supply" said info on every single barrel that is ever sold?

While perhaps a nice idea by itself. There are always unintended consequences to anything.

Cheers

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Of course someone can. The question is never "IF" it could happen, but "What is it worth".

Is it really worth paying a competent person, a justified hourly wage for his time, buy however many barrels you'd like examined. Then knowing that from the moment those documents are published, that you will forever be paying a company to pay their employees that fee plus their mark-up and slow-down of production, to be able to "supply" said info on every single barrel that is ever sold?

While perhaps a nice idea by itself. There are always unintended consequences to anything.

Cheers

I could imagine that it would be an unending endeavor. Ideas don't cost much. Putting some ideas into play could be overwhelmingly expensive.

 

[JBelk]

You might as well wave the checkered flag for the fastest LOOKING race car. How a barrel looks has very little to do with how it shoots. A very prominent custom barrel maker shoots one of his own barrels in competition. Half of one land is missing. A mistake for sure but the barrel still wins matches and shows no deficiency....except in looks.