Is this normal? Tikka barrel

bcsteve

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Just got a Teslong bore scope and I was playing with it, looking through various barrels of my rifles. I have a Tikka T3X Lite in 6.5x55 that I bought new three years ago. I’ve never been able to get it to shoot like the internet Tikkas I’ve seen and I’ve spent $100’s in components to find a load it likes without great success. I even sent it back to Stoeger for an assessment and it came back within specs. This is what the first couple inches past the chamber looks like. Fire cracking after only a few 100 rounds?

IMG-6127.jpg
 
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Fire cracking can happen as low as 100 rounds - shoot hot load - fast - is a way to do it.

That's the thing, I haven't. All of my shooting has been load development. Shooting 3-5 rounds at a slow pace, let it cool down, shoot another 3-5 rounds.
 
OP - you will about choke to see chunks missing - I have a 308 Norma Magnum that way - was fired "way too often" - I understand whatever you are getting for accuracy can go away with one shot, when a fire-cracked chunk lets go and turns up missing.
 
The teslong is an interesting tool. Sometimes you don’t want to see what a good shooting barrel looks like.
That barrel looks good to me. 120 ballistic tips are the easiest to get to shoot from a 6.5 ime.
 
I hear they make a 6.5 Creedmoor ;)

Kidding!

Man I wish that barrel a long life and that you find some food it enjoys
 
The teslong is an interesting tool. Sometimes you don’t want to see what a good shooting barrel looks like.
That barrel looks good to me. 120 ballistic tips are the easiest to get to shoot from a 6.5 ime.

Buckmaster nailed it.
A shiver travels up my spine when looking at factory barrels with my Teslong, but most do shoot decent and don't pick-up excessive amounts of copper.
 
I have owned and used a bore scope at least 5 years - still can not predict how the thing will shoot from looking inside - the most that I used it for, for "real" - is cleaning - can see carbon rings or build up along the edges of the riflings - and whether the "latest and greatest" magic juice does anything or not - do not need a marketer's story - I can see for myself whether there is progress or not. But, as others have mentioned, is some barrels that look pretty gruesome through a bore scope - scratches and pits, but shoot very well for me. Maybe my expectations are not high enough. But was a new, never fired McGowen barrel that I bought, and an unused Shultz and Larsen Palma barrel - so I got a chance to see what "good" looks like - but means about nothing for how well can I shoot with it.
 
This is fire cracking to me, right at the mouth, erosion looks different, like your rifling starts fading.
7mm Rem
20-02-12-09-14-55.png

These 2 pics are a couple different hammer forged barrels.
20-02-12-09-15-03.png

20-02-12-09-18-20.png

Back to the 7mm, it's cut rifling, definitely rougher.
20-02-12-09-21-53.png
 
I hear they make a 6.5 Creedmoor ;)

Kidding!

Man I wish that barrel a long life and that you find some food it enjoys

I have one of those too, a Kimber Montana recently rebarreled by Gary Flach. And two .260 Rem. I don't think that barrel will be with me for very long, whether or not what I'm seeing is bad or not. I've already spent a new barrels worth in components to try to find a good load.
 
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