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

No risk to the shooter. The problem lies in that a barrel split failure can send fragments out sideways towards people in adjacent shooting lanes at velocities that will cause injury. I don't know about you, but somehow taking chances with the safety of those around me is just as a poor choice as taking chances with my own personal safety.

Also remember that with steel it's not static, it does get slightly more fatigued with each shot. Just that proper steel and heat treatment means that the rifle will have worn out long before the barrel fails. Problem is when there's a section of barrel that wasn't properly heat treated OR if there is significant impurities in that section of barrel.

Not saying it's going to fail right at his next range session, but it's still a good idea to have a smith look at it and call Noveske up to let them know what's going on. I don't know if they can do anything about it but if a bad barrel did slip through their QC they definitely want to know about it.

Lets keep in mind this was a muzzle loader. I suspect an extreme over charge is the culprit. With cased ammunition even an overcharge won't produce results such as these as the case capacity is a fixed value. With a muzzle loader the barrel itself becomes the "case capacity" which clearly results in some nasty effects.

As for fatigue. I was under the impression that barrels gain strength with each shot(minus the wear on the rifling). I've heard this from several smiths as well as a couple MIL types who deal with artillery.

The issue is us DOS will want to know how you got it from and how a ITAR restricted item managed to get to a Civi end user.
You may wan to get you paperwork in order before sendign it back.
On the bore stake issue, how it can damage a barrel.
Put oil on snake, drop it into you barrle, pull it fast and it sometimes pool oil in the barrle and its pulled.
I have seen this happen in the shotguns i clean.
bbb


I call complete BS. If a little oil is the difference between safe pressure levels and a KB, your firearm is a lemon. I can't see some oil spiking pressures any higher than a magnum load, sorry. Same goes for rifles. Oil or water short of completely filling the barrel is a non issue.

TDC
 
I would go with Dsiwy.

To me it would appear to be either a defect in the metal, or a pressure "ring" very similar issues have happened with squibs.

You should be able to send it back to Noveske as a repair, and have it sent back to Canada. However the whole ITAR short barrel issues may crop up, so unless the poster is a LEO or CF member that had an agency approved IIC and DSP-83, you may have issues.

For people who talk insignificantly about the "little .223 powder charge" do you know what the chamber pressure or port pressure is of that round ;)
 
Then it's an indent, since I can't detect it from the outside at all. I've just been using a bore snake for cleaning, it's always done a good job.

If there is no bulge on the outside of the barrel you have a better chance of claiming a manufacturers defect. Pooled oil or a squib can't displace metal from inside a barrel without replacing it elsewhere ie a bulge.

Strange looking mark..... seems to be a gouge in the opposite direction of the rifling. Or is that just the pics?
 
Don't worry, cotton and brass is terrible for barrels. Better avoid them like the plague.
 
On the issue of bore snakes, I have never seen one cause a bulge in a CF 5.56 barrel. I have seen them get stuck and had to drill them out. This after buddy snapped off the cord and tried hammering it out with a cleaning rod :( "still no bulge"
 
That looks to me to very close to the gas port?
I would be at least talking to Noveske.
Maybe they can send you a 16" or longer as a replacement?
 
Lets keep in mind this was a muzzle loader. I suspect an extreme over charge is the culprit. With cased ammunition even an overcharge won't produce results such as these as the case capacity is a fixed value. With a muzzle loader the barrel itself becomes the "case capacity" which clearly results in some nasty effects.

As for fatigue. I was under the impression that barrels gain strength with each shot(minus the wear on the rifling). I've heard this from several smiths as well as a couple MIL types who deal with artillery.


TDC

It gains yield strength true, but it looses elastic strength in turn as the metal is worked. Also because of the unforeseen stretching that has occurred, there is a possibility that micro fractures have formed in the barrel's interior. Not a big deal by themselves but microfractures tend to get widened as they are worked, and they travel along the grain structure of the steel. Eventually the fractures join up, boom full on crack. Keep going and eventually the barrel fails.

Now disclaimer, not saying it's going to happen, the working could also strengthen the metal enough and there could be enough meat around that the fractures can't get big enough. But it's not something to be just dismissed idly as well as, "Oh well keep shooting it like nothing's wrong." It should be examined ideally by a smith, or returned to Noveske for warranty work. A defect like that may or may not cause a problem but there's reason to take a chance on it.
 
I would go with Dsiwy.

To me it would appear to be either a defect in the metal, or a pressure "ring" very similar issues have happened with squibs.

You should be able to send it back to Noveske as a repair, and have it sent back to Canada. However the whole ITAR short barrel issues may crop up, so unless the poster is a LEO or CF member that had an agency approved IIC and DSP-83, you may have issues.
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?
 
Get a new barrel. Send it back if you can, or have a replacement sent if possible depending if Noveske honors there warranty . Get it cut if you have too, but definitely have someone qualified take a look at the barrel regardless.

Man that sucks a nut, i feel for ya, but s**t happens!
 
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?

Factory ammo is by no means perfect and I have seen factory Squibs
 
You could try and say its for an AR15 'pistol'. Im not sure if the Department of State would take the bait though...

I really dont think something like that would be safe to shoot. Its at the end of the barrel, which means its not as likely to blow, but it still could.



I guess Noveske might be able to offer you a 16" barrel, or a 12 (or whatever that is) with a permanently pinned on 4" muzzle brake, which you could remove when it got to Canada, and re-thread it... I wouldn't shoot it though, that doesn't look normal in any way to me.


ETA


+1 to Dsiwy. Even factory ammo can have a squib load, although it should be easy enough to detect compared to .223 out of a shorty barrel like that.
 
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