What's wrong with this picture? (Sako Vixen)
- Thread starter A-zone
- Start date
I have two 7mm AV action rifles that have that ring on the outside of the barrel in almost exactly the same spot on each of them. Don't know if they are both ringed or if the barrels were turned that way, but they shoot awesome. Don't have targets from the one, but here is how the one shoots.
Northern Boater
CGN Regular
- Location
- Northern BC
I owned a Sako AV with similiar rings on the exterior, I believe it was normal as the inside of the bore didn't show signs of bulging.
Well, the seller insisted that it was in "excellent" condition, that there was nothing wrong with it and that it shot very well.
Unfortunately, the ring is really obvious when looking from the muzzle end.
I'm glad I cleaned the bore (the slipping cleaning patch was the first clue) and looked down the bore. I've seen this once before and it sucked to see it in a Vixen.
FWIW, the seller was an older fellow and was quite defensive about the problem. Who knows, maybe it shoots like a house on fire. It's still got a bulge in the bore.
Word to the wise: Insist on an inspection period. Failure to do so cost me $100 (retained by the "gracious" seller for his "trouble").
A borescope would be the ideal tool for seeing this thing. As it turned out, the ring was surprisingly obvious just on looking down the bore from the muzzle.
Here's another shot taken from the muzzle. The ring appears as a circular shadow (viewed with the naked eye it looked like it had about 1/2 an inch of depth to it).
Wookie: Yes it's an L461
Here's another shot taken from the muzzle. The ring appears as a circular shadow (viewed with the naked eye it looked like it had about 1/2 an inch of depth to it).
Wookie: Yes it's an L461
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a good L461 action and stock is still worth a fair bit...If the price were about $600 or less I'd buy it even with a bulged barrel.....they make new barrels every day....and I'm sure there are a few take-off barrels out there.....
If only.
The seller was in some pretty serious denial. Once he accepts that the barrel is bulged he may price it to reflect that fact. Unfortunately, I don't think he could actually see it, so getting the news from his own gunsmith is probably what's called for.
That's hilarious.
Fortunately I have a minty Vixen in .17 Rem to console me (alas, no brace of Vixens, though...)
Time to go make ammo.
I too have a Sako AI in 17 Remmy......hope to introduce some gophers to it this summer...
That's hilarious.
Fortunately I have a minty Vixen in .17 Rem to console me (alas, no brace of Vixens, though...)
Time to go make ammo.
Here's two pictures of a Sako Vixen that I almost bought.
Can you see any problem ?
Inside the bore (from the muzzle):
Outside view (looking along the barrel):
The swelling inside the bore is a bad thing, but the appearance of the small corrugations or swelling of the exterior of the barrel is very common in hammer forged barrells, several of my factory barrels have this quite noticably, though the bores are good. With a borescope you cannot tell slight variations of a bores diameter, you can see pits, voids, toolmarks, fouling and general barrel quality and condition but you cannot tell if the bore has a few thou of diameter variation, it is useless for that, it is similar to looking through a scope or binoculars at a wall a thousand yards away and being able to tell if it is a 1000 or 1001 yds, borescope would have to have a rangefinder in it calibrated to the nearest 10 thousands of an inch it is easier to tell a consistent bore by slugging it or even pushing a tight patch on a cleaning rod to feel variations in resistance that will indicate inconsistant bore diameter.
