Bent barrel

[jollynator]

Anyone here know an easy way to see if a barrel is bent.

I have a new to me Savage 110 .30-06 that shoots 10" to the left at 25 yards.  That seems a little much to me.  Groups could be better.  I checked all the usual stuff like loose and misaligned sights.

Any ideas?

Sorry to take up the forum for this but I figured I would at least try the people I work with first.

jon

[cannonman61]

Jolly,

If you bring it to Hinesville, I'll disassemble it and check if for you. The unique barrel/nut/reciever system Savage uses allows for some "interesting" things to sometimes happen.

Dave-CM61

[AZRedhawk44]

Pull the bolt, remove the stock from the action.  

Treat the barrel like a pool queue you pick up at the corner bar.

Lay the barrel (but not the receiver) on a perfectly flat surface in such a way that the receiver hangs off the edge.  Rotate the barrel, and look for two things:
1.  The receiver wobbling.  This would mean the barrel isn't true to the receiver.
2.  The gap between the barrel and the counter (the chamber section of the barrel is thicker than the muzzle section and creates a light gap between the counter and the middle of the barrel) varying in thickness as the barrel rolls.


Frankly... if the barrel/receiver were off by 10" at 25 yards, you'd visibly see a warp or misalignment somewhere.

I suspect your rings are the culprit.  If they are inexpensive rings that lack extensive (and expensive!) QC, you can try reversing one of the rings.  Just unmount the scope, unmount ONE of the rings, rotate it 180 degrees and stick it back on.  I had a set of Millet rings that needed me to do this.  Either the mounting holes or the internal finish of one of the rings is off.  If rotating the first ring doesn't fix it... return it back to its original config and rotate the other one.  Then try with both rotated.  Then swap them front/back with each other.  And so on and so forth.

[jollynator]

Sorry.  The rifle has no scope on it.  Just factory iron sights.

Thanks guys.

[Sprocket]

Jon,
Here's a suggestion:

Examine the front blade and see if the blade is offset to either side - even a small amount.

Next examine the rear sight - I'm not familiar with Savage irons (yet) - does it look to be off?

Next - do a bore sight:
pull the bolt and support the gun firmly pointing at a target - as if you were trying to bore sight a scope - now check the sights - the view down the bore should be close to the sights - or in your case 10" off before adjustment.

Good luck and post results
Todd

[kool aid]

Checking to see if a barrel is bent is one of those things that once you see it done, it doesn't require you to remove the bbl.

The bad news is it's one of those things that takes some practice.

Try this:
Make sure it's unloaded.  

Remove bolt

look down the bbl from the muzzle end. center your eye so that the reflected light makes a series of concentric rings. if it doesn't look round, you got a bent bbl.

The good news is that I have regularly seen rifles with bent bbls shoot the lights out. I am talking stupid sub 1/4 minute shoot the lights out.
If it is as far off as you think, just remember rule one: Assume nothing

I would say check the bedding first.

reason being that if the action is being distorted it the stock by the action screws (and as we all know, a screw is just a coiled up wedge). I see it on springfields. the first sign is that the front screw is alternatly difficult and easy to turn.
As JB tells us, one thousandth of an inch variation equals inches at 100 (and no, I forget what it is off the top of my head)

Anyway, I have a picture of a bedding check some where on my hard drive. and I can't find them at the moment.

Also, see how much lug contact you have.
Sharpie leaves afilm 50 millionths. Take out the bolt, put the sharpie on the degreased aft lug contact surface. Put it in the rifle with a dummy round or a live round if you remove the striker assembly. do two lifts on the bolt.

Open and check.

If you have full contact on one lug, and partial or no contact on the other, you have problems.

WHAT EVER YOU DO, NO GOOD IS GOING TO COME BY LAPPING OF THE LUGS. This is because the outer portion of the lug moves faster than the root section by the bolt. The result is that you round the lugs off.
Far better to machine the action and bolt with a really sharp micro 100 carbide tool.

Failing that, next year in july I will be cheif cook and bottle washer for my boss when we teach the tube action accurizing class at Trinidad State Junior College. Come on down and partake if you want. Or contact me via PM for further diagnosis. word to the wise- the second week is going to be 10/22 accurizing and up grade. Hope to see some of you Jr. Smiths there!

The only sin is to Fret about this. Most firearms are simple, if you have the algorithum to know them.

Cheer.

[LayloPro]

As JB tells us, one thousandth of an inch variation equals inches at 100 (and no, I forget what it is off the top of my head)

Bro.....

.006x" = 1" @ 100 yds.......just like IMC.....

Good report!

[kool aid]

Yeah, the bredth of two human hairs, unless you are a red head, then it's three!

(Line removed by poster)

<nothing to see here, keep moving>

LOL

here is the set up i use to check bedding.
tighten snugly, break the front screw loose and look for the action of the indicator needle to first rise then fall. take a back bearing, and you'll have an idea if your action is tweaked in the stock.

PM me for more detail.

kool

[LayloPro]

Yeah, the bredth of two human hairs, unless you are a red head, then it's three!

Uhhhh, yeah.....that's why we use the thickness of a dollar bill as the example, so we stay away from the other discussion....

Play nice now, we're not in the shop.....

Interesting bedding rig, tho'.....

[asminuteman]

.

[The Kid]

0.004in=1 MOA.  25 yards-10 inches-40 MOA-.16 inches.  Math might be wrong please correct me if so.

Good luck

[Wade]

0.004in=1 MOA.  25 yards-10 inches-40 MOA-.16 inches.  Math might be wrong please correct me if so.

Good luck

Can I give you home work instead ? how far does the rear sight move on an M-1 Garand  with 1 click of the windage knob.



Wade

[kool aid]

Fuzzy?

Fuzzy Math, where are you when we need you?

Folks, its ARITHMATIC in public. <spelling too>

Math is the MOA problem from hell that JB likes to give. Sounds fiendishly simple, but......

Enough of this old boy chit chat. Much as I love it,  can we please get back to bailing already?

Any questions for me or MisterHat can be handled via PM.

[LayloPro]

Ahhhh, we return to the "visible math problem"....some folks have been on this already, including in the instruction manual 

Try the link @ : http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=10216.msg85224#msg85224

If nothing else, it's interesting, and informative!!
Good luck, all!

[jollynator]

Okay, I dropped it off at the store I bought it from which BTW has an in-store gunsmith.  After he put it on his sight jig he told me the rear sight was not centered.  He then removed the rear sight to find the drill and tap job was, in his words, "done by a shade tree mechanic".

He said he would repair it free of charge.

Well, we will know the verdict in a couple days.

Thanks for the responses guys.  You never cease to amaze me with the depths of knowledge you guys have.


Meanwhile, back at the ship the bailing continues...

[kool aid]

In the vernacular, we call that 'Gun Plumbing", or my boss would say "are you a gunsmith or a framing carpenter?"


LOL.

Sorry for your trouble.

And FYI, the going rate is about 30 bucks a hole for reciever work. You don't charge that for the one's that are easy. You charge that because you gotta use nitric acid to remove a busted tap once in awhile.

Don't even ask me how I know.

Not as easy as those guys make it look.