Honing a barrel?

B

bluechip

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I've got a savage 17 HMR that I looked into the barrel with a stereo microscope. With the barrel at about a 45 degree angle, you can easily see about 3/8" or so into the bore. It is awful! Radial tooling marks that look like the finishes I used to get in junior high machine shop on an atlas lathe. I could probably get over it if the marks went lengthwise with the barrel, but they look like they were done by an old dull drill. The gun still shoots average, but any thoughts on maybe a swab on a cleaning rod with honing oil and a light abrasive? I'm thinking 600-800 grit possibly. Then check it periodicly with the microscope and also pin gage? Any been there, done that tales?
 
What's done is done, making it larger in some places won't change that.

Contrary to popular belief you can't make a silk purse from a pigs ear. ;)
 
I have been inside enough savages to no that you don't want to look any further. you would have to hone it from about 17 to a 19cal to clean it up .that being said savage has educated me on the tell tale signs of what matters in a bore as far as tool marks go . horrific bores on bigger cal. train tracks, latteral scraps, chatter and gouges in just about every barrel i look at . yet those same rifles are capable of small groups . one 6.5 that i looked at i could'nt believe that any jacket would be left on the bullet till it cleared the barrel . but it shot at 600yds. 1.910,1.920,1.930 and 3.024 and won the shoot . he also shot 5.500 at a thous. . i believe the problem with the 17's is the fact that you got very little choice to improve your bullet quality can't hand load . The Rifler
 
Let sleeping dogs lay

Thanks for the very good answers to my question. Microscopes do have a way of wrecking your day with reality! I'll not only be satisfied with the disaster inside my barrel, but now I've learned, if you've got a gun that you are happy with, DON'T look in the barrel. I do a lot of machining and sometimes, even though the tap or cutter seems to be cutting just fine, after a look through the microscope, it would be hard to continue using them.
I have a 6ppc with a shilen barrel that shoots great and I've thought about taking a peek into the bore, but I just bring myself to do it. Thanks guys!
 
Just get it re barreled and forget the reamer marked barrel, except for show and tell. There Is a web site that specializes in re barreling with Shilen barrels for Savages, just get rid of your head ache that way.
 
How does it shoot?

bluechip said:
I've got a savage 17 HMR that I looked into the barrel with a stereo microscope. With the barrel at about a 45 degree angle, you can easily see about 3/8" or so into the bore. It is awful! Radial tooling marks that look like the finishes I used to get in junior high machine shop on an atlas lathe. I could probably get over it if the marks went lengthwise with the barrel, but they look like they were done by an old dull drill. The gun still shoots average, but any thoughts on maybe a swab on a cleaning rod with honing oil and a light abrasive? I'm thinking 600-800 grit possibly. Then check it periodicly with the microscope and also pin gage? Any been there, done that tales?
Click to expand...

Don't get too caught up in borescope results; how does it shoot? I mean you're talking about a $200+ factory rimfire, not a custom barrel. I have a .17 HMR heavy barrelled Savage that is very accurate with Hornady .17 HMR ammo. I have a borescope which I use for custom barrels but I don't get hung up on what a factory barrel looks like. Shoot it until the barrel wears out which, on a .17 HMR, is bound to be a very long time.

Lou Baccino
 
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