!#$@ there's a bulge in my barrel

Definitely a bulge caused by some sort of blockage/obstruction in the barrel when a live round was fired and pushed out the blockage along with the bullet fired. Or at least it looks like one, from the pictures provided and identical to the 20 or so bulged barrels I've seen. Nope, none were mine.

The manufacturer will also say the same thing. Whether or not they will replace the barrel will depend on their good will. I doubt it, and as already mentioned the border will present a problem.

Not a hugely (is that a word?) expensive lesson, but more a pain in the butt.

I've seen a lot of guys continue to fire guns with bulged barrels and not even notice/realize the barrel was bulged until they had a look inside. It didn't affect accuracy at all, and there was some good shooters. As to the issue of it being safe, I've never known anyone to say it's unsafe. But then I'm just another opinion on the interweb.
It does a mind screw though, once you know it's there. It ain't fixable, so you have to decide, shoot it and live with it, or spend the money.
 
koldt said:
Definitely a bulge caused by some sort of blockage/obstruction in the barrel when a live round was fired and pushed out the blockage along with the bullet fired. Or at least it looks like one, from the pictures provided and identical to the 20 or so bulged barrels I've seen. Nope, none were mine.

The manufacturer will also say the same thing. Whether or not they will replace the barrel will depend on their good will. I doubt it, and as already mentioned the border will present a problem.

Not a hugely (is that a word?) expensive lesson, but more a pain in the butt.

I've seen a lot of guys continue to fire guns with bulged barrels and not even notice/realize the barrel was bulged until they had a look inside. It didn't affect accuracy at all, and there was some good shooters. As to the issue of it being safe, I've never known anyone to say it's unsafe. But then I'm just another opinion on the interweb.
It does a mind screw though, once you know it's there. It ain't fixable, so you have to decide, shoot it and live with it, or spend the money.
Click to expand...

This is a MUCH more sensible post than many others in this thread.

I have seen dozens of bulged barrels. Yes, this one is bulged. Look at the photos - there is rifling in the bulge. The bulge was created after the barrel was finished. The chance that this bulge is the result of a manufacturer's defect is negligible.
Regardless of whether accuracy is affected or not, as a matter of principle replacing the barrel is likely the best course of action. Fortunately ARs are modular, which makes replacement much easier. If a Noveske replacement cannot be obtained, there are other options.
 
iamcanadianeh said:
I highly highly doubt that this was caused by a squib since I've only shot factory ammunition out of the rifle; Blaser, Remington, and Winchester. Does being LEO or CF only have to do with the short barrel length, or am I going to have issues sending a barrel to the US no matter what the length it is?
Click to expand...

I've had squib loads with factory ammo, so that in of itself is not a specific telltale.
We have several squibbed barrels we have EDM'd in half to examine, all look remarkable similar to yours.
*all where with factory ammo.
I've also seen barrels ruputred from squibs (well the round or rounds after) and they had a similar sort of ring.

You should be able to send the barrel back for repair without a whole lot of hoopla, however one can never know.

As koldt stated a number of barrels go on to shoot well after that.

HOWEVER, since you are unsure of how it happened, I would strongly recommend you consider the barrel U/S and attempt to get it replaced.
 
Well, I just got back from the range. I decided to put a few rounds downrange to see if any accuracy was affected by the indent. It shoots just as well as it has in the past. I shot 10 rounds at ~50-60 yards and got this resulting group (I realize there are only 9 holes, but the missing one was my fault). It's a pretty tight group considering I was using an Aimpoint M3 and the red dot covered the entire black area of the target, and the fact I have slight 2x vision in my dominant eye (still have 20/20 even with that though!).

DSC02044.jpg


I fired off an email to Noveske detailing the indent, I'm still waiting for their response, but it may be a few days since I'm sure they get their fair share of inquiries. Other than that, if I'm stuck with it I think I'll just get a smith to do a once over, then keep on shooting it!
 
Accuracy is largely dependent on the last inch, or so, of the barrel and crown. Usually if the bulge is mid barrel, the shooter doesn't notice any change in group size.
 
koldt said:
Accuracy is largely dependent on the last inch, or so, of the barrel and crown. Usually if the bulge is mid barrel, the shooter doesn't notice any change in group size.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. I think I may have gotten lucky, that's a pretty good group for me. Short of throwing a scope on, that's about what my groups look like with using that type of setup/optic.
 
If the barrel no longer shoots well, and the bulge is close to the muzzle, you can get it counterbored to restore accuracy.
 
iamcanadianeh said:
I highly highly doubt that this was caused by a squib since I've only shot factory ammunition out of the rifle; Blaser, Remington, and Winchester. Does being LEO or CF only have to do with the short barrel length, or am I going to have issues sending a barrel to the US no matter what the length it is?
Click to expand...

Ive had several squibs and they have all only been with factory ammo. Factory ammo can have defects to you know :)
 
iamcanadianeh said:
Update: Just got an email back from Joel at Noveske asking for some photo's of the barrel. I sent the same ones I used on page 1 of this thread, so I guess it's just a wait and see now.
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Keep us updated, please.

I'd really like to know how they treat this case.
 
tiriaq said:
This is a MUCH more sensible post than many others in this thread.

The chance that this bulge is the result of a manufacturer's defect is negligible.
Click to expand...

Why do you think that? Bad heat treatment or impurities in the steel can cause this and you wouldn't know it till after the rifling was cut and the barrel was tested hard. I agree with you that he should replace (or at least cut down) the barrel. A few hundred bucks is not worth the risk of killing or blinding the guy in the next shooting lane... It might be me!

Jeff
 
Ok, I just got an email back from Joel at Noveske. They want the barrel back!

Now, can anyone with first hand knowledge please tell me, what do I need to know about shipping the barrel back across the border in terms of legalities etc?
 
well make sure THEY have they required IMPORT permits and YOU need canadian EXPORT permits(very easy for you to get)

and be SURE they CAN EXPORT a replacement barrel as you may send it down only to be told it cant go back....


was the barrel legally exportable to canada to begin with....

if this was bought from a dealer maybe get them to do it
 
I sent a scope to the US for repair.
I included the original emails between me and Burris as well as my receipt (having bought it in Canada).

For documentation I said it was REPAIR/WARRANTY work... I didn't get any more paperwork than that. I had no problems, but that was my experience with a scope.

It seemed like the common sense approach.

Good luck!
 
G37 said:
I sent a scope to the US for repair.
I included the original emails between me and Burris as well as my receipt (having bought it in Canada).
Click to expand...
You didn't get caught, so time to go and buy a lottery ticket to take advantage of your winning streak.

Importing and exporting barrels to and from the US is controlled, even for spares / replacements.

http://www.losttarget.com/importing.htm
 
Ask the nice guy at Noveske.
If he says "just mail it to us" you can reasonably assume that they are aware of all the required legalities and have taken care of all the requisite approvals beforehand.
Let's remember, Noveske isn't run out of some guy's garage, selling on eBay.

The same with the answer to "Are you sure you can send me back a new barrel?", if they say yes, believe them, these guys do it for a living.
 
Splatter said:
Ask the nice guy at Noveske.
If he says "just mail it to us" you can reasonably assume that they are aware of all the required legalities and have taken care of all the requisite approvals beforehand.
Let's remember, Noveske isn't run out of some guy's garage, selling on eBay.

The same with the answer to "Are you sure you can send me back a new barrel?", if they say yes, believe them, these guys do it for a living.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the nice guys at Noveske will take the "heat" for just mailing it.....
 
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