I talked to JP rifles today. I think the employees name was 'gunner'. I'm not sure if its his nickname , but thats what I got.
The gentleman was very nice over the phone, but we haven't found a definite resolution yet. One of the things he was concerned about is that I used butch's bore shine one of the times to clean the bore and that it could have corroded it. I assured him that it cannot be the problem since
1. I used it AFTER the problems started, in an attempt to get a thorough cleaning
2. It was put on, wiped out and oil was put on after. Then it was shot within 24 hours, which would clean out any kind of remnants of anything. So it didn't just 'sit' there and have time to corrode.
He was still very concerned about it though.
The other thing he said was that they would not be able to service the rifle with an after market brake on it (my thunderbeast brake). So that before they continue troubleshooting, I would have to take it off, put on the factory brake, go to the range and try it again and then let them know. I can't imagine a high quality brake being the problem, but I do understand their concern. This will be my next coarse of action. I will install the factory brake back on and try it out. I doubt it will change anything, but if it does I will be just as happy ( I just want this rifle fixed already)
They said if that doesn't help, I can send it in and they will take a look at it. General turn around time is 2 weeks, as long as the rifle doesn't have to be rebuilt from scratch. He said that he doesn't know what could be the problem but his best guess would be imperfections on the bore, which would account for the inconsistency. Copper could fill the imperfection and the rifle shoots great, then the copper breaks loose and it shoots bad. He said if its the barrel thats the problem it will most likely be from the corrosion from the cleaning solvent or damage from cleaning, in which it wouldn't be covered under warranty. I really don't see how it can be from the solvent or from the cleaning, considering its a very low count rifle with very few overall cleanings through it. I used a Dewey rod and nylon pieces on it. I totally agree that they should not pay to fix a problem I caused, but it worries me a little that this can be used as a 'cop out' reason to not service it, even if it wasn't user error.
Anyways, I will keep you guys updated.