Al,
Why would anyone use the parts of the barrel that are belled from lapping to indicate from? Before (and even after) the Grizzly (or Gordy) rod came along, some used Interapid type indicators with very long contact points, or range rods of various types. I have even read of the use of precision ground pins. After chambering, the barrel is reversed in the headstock and dialed in the same way before cutting the crown, so that it is square to that end of the bore.
Here is a good thread on dialing in a barrel. Gordy Gritters wrote some good information about his method in post #19.
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/indicating-in-barrel.3746886/
If you feed a reamer into the end of a bore inches away from the indicated portion, using it "as a drill," it will generally be wallowing, lapping bell or not. This is (has always been) hard on the pilots and on the reamers. Which is why the commonly accepted method has devolved to hacking off the lapping bell, centering up the bore between centers "to get the reamer started good" and driving on....preferably with lots of fluid.
I repeat, if anyone has another method for indicating bores which is even remotely as good as Gordy's, I'd like to hear of it.
I've Deltronic pins, hollow ground pins, ground rods with and without ground bushes, the longest test indicators made...... all useful tools in their places but they serve no function for dialing in barrels
IMO
Regarding ground pins......I've pins in lengths from 1/2" to 3" and I'll NEVER AGAIN try sliding a tight-fitting pin longer than the typical reamer bushing into a barrel.
You wanna' find out barrels is crooked???
hooahhhhhh, nasty like two dawgs stuck together and me without a water hose...