Help me diagnose if this Barrel is Clean enough?

[harry_x1]

Hi,

I just got a new 33XC barrel for my AI AXMC. Shot 50 round as part of barrel breakin. I have cleaned the barrel multiple times during the firing process (5 shots strings).

I am not very familiar with how the interior of a barrel should look like after cleaning. I understand there could be differing perspectives on this, but as this is an ELR build every bit of consistency/precision is of utmost value. Can experienced shooters look at the video on below given link and help me diagnose the barrel condition?

Link To Video

1. The space between raised ridges (grooves) looks black in initial portion after breech. Is that black color normal or signs of excessive carbon buildup.

2. I also see some kind of web like structures/cracks in first 10 inches of barrel. What is that?

3. The last 15 inches of barrel look diff vs first 15 inches of this 30 inch barrel. In last 15 inches the barrel is lot more whitish and it is difficult to figure out where grooves are. Is this normal or something else is going on.

4. Any other feedback/readings you have on this barrel.

Grateful for your time and assistance on this.

Link to Barrel Video

 

[Curahee19]

Fire cracking is normal. Happens to every barrel. The stubborn carbon you have will get removed with abrasives. You can try iosso carbon remover with their brushes or jb bore paste

 

[spife7980]

How should we know, we’re just a bunch of jobless assholes.

@geirgelza : Hey Man there is a coordinated group of attention seeking jobless assholes on snipershide who spend most of their time throwing shit around...just ignore them.

It’s almost like we are too stupid to answer your questions with the obvious answers.

 

[Ebar48]

How rapid did you run through those 50 shots? The faster you shoot the hotter the barre gets the faster it erodes. Also consider the 33XC is pretty overbore so firecracking is going to show up sooner. However I would say that is clean enough. I would shoot it like that and see how it groups. If you really want to take it down to bare steel you can use JB bore paste on a patch and jag. But don’t go crazy. Lots of articles on here from frank green at bartlein talking about guys getting carried away with abrasives and polishing the bore so much the land and groove diameter opens up basically killing the barrel. His advice is to only use the JB bore compound with the blue label and only use it with a jag and patch sparingly. Multiple times he has warned about wrapping a patch around a brush and using abrasives as it turned into a lap. If you search for the barrel cleaning threads on here he has replied multiple times with his inputs and what he has seen as far as barrels that come back to him damaged from abrasives and cleaning. Hope this helps.

 

[Cr1775]

Huh what you say i am not familiar with what the interior of the barrel should look like after cleaning.. My best guess would be to look almost like it did before you put rounds down range.

 

[ruts]

There's a bit of carbon it's hard to get that last bit out without abrasives. I have used jb bore paste lots with patch or cloth hockey tape wrapped around a bronze brush with no damage but for the amount of carbon you have I would just shoot it. Also I have seen carbon that I thought was fire cracking disappear with the use of jb bore paste

 

[Huskydriver]

Hi,

I just got a new 33XC barrel for my AI AXMC. Shot 50 round as part of barrel breakin. I have cleaned the barrel multiple times during the firing process (5 shots strings).

I am not very familiar with how the interior of a barrel should look like after cleaning. I understand there could be differing perspectives on this, but as this is an ELR build every bit of consistency/precision is of utmost value. Can experienced shooters look at the video on below given link and help me diagnose the barrel condition?

Link To Video

1. The space between raised ridges (grooves) looks black in initial portion after breech. Is that black color normal or signs of excessive carbon buildup.

2. I also see some kind of web like structures/cracks in first 10 inches of barrel. What is that?

3. The last 15 inches of barrel look diff vs first 15 inches of this 30 inch barrel. In last 15 inches the barrel is lot more whitish and it is difficult to figure out where grooves are. Is this normal or something else is going on.

4. Any other feedback/readings you have on this barrel.

Grateful for your time and assistance on this.

Link to Barrel Video

Looks fine. Fire cracking is a normal part of a barrels life cycle if you actually shoot more than 1 round every 15 min.

The last 15 inches of the barrel most of the powder has been burned up and very little carbon usually gets left here. You may see a little copper near the muzzle on some barrels but usually this is the cleanest part of the barrel. Less heat/no powder less mess.

I would not clean that often personally and barrel break ins are overrated just shoot it.

 

[acudaowner]

invest in a

Amazon.com : teslong borescope

at 60.00 it's a sound investment .And you can see exactly how clean or still dirty your barrel is . Exactly what your are getting and leaving in there I would try to not read too much in it as looking at something you don't fully understand can be problematic when your rifle barrel come down with a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever .
best of luck

 

[swampbuck]

invest in a

Amazon.com : teslong borescope

at 60.00 it's a sound investment .And you can see exactly how clean or still dirty your barrel is . Exactly what your are getting and leaving in there I would try to not read too much in it as looking at something you don't fully understand can be problematic when your rifle barrel come down with a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever .
best of luck

He has a teslong. That is what the video link shows

 

[harry_x1]

Ok...quick update..quiet silly of me to not have realised that soft primers could be a problem...I changed to using CCIs and it has solved most of the issue. I am easily able to get to 3150 fps when craters reappear. Am sending my bolt to LRI for bushing and am quiet sure/hopefully, that should solve the problem. Will update once done.

 

[Forrest84]

How should we know, we’re just a bunch of jobless assholes.

It’s almost like we are too stupid to answer your questions with the obvious answers.

He’s not entirely incorrect though, this site does have a lot of insufferable assholes to wade through these days.

 

[Bender]

He’s not entirely incorrect though, this site does have a lot of insufferable assholes to wade through these days.

Hey, I’m right here…..