Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Maybe Cerakote in my bore?

Okay, so I'm hoping this rifle is not totally snake-bit, but I don't know...

It's built by a very reputable tactical/precision rifle shop and the barrel is a new stainless Rock Creek I ordered from Bugholes. When I got the barreled action back a few months ago, I noticed that there were several surfaces of the action that were still bare steel. It went back on their dime and they fixed it. So I finally get around to bedding it, installing a trigger, mounting the scope, to sight it in this weekend. I take a look at the bore and see solid copper everywhere. Worse copper than I've ever seen on a factory test-fired rifle. So I start patching it out, blue goop pouring out continuously and the patch feel is not very smooth. I shine a light in there and there's still loads of copper but I also notice the bore is jet black. Odd for a SS tube......





Wondering if that same Cerakote operator that screwed up the first time forgot to plug the bore? The chamber is bright silver SS, but the bore is super dark black. Would also explain all the copper in a brand new, high-end, cut-rifled barrel?

And here are a dirty Lilja SS and Pac-Nor SS for reference. Light gray bores present.

Should also add that I have no borescope, but can see gleaming copper in the first inch or two of the bore with a flashlight.

Going to send the photos to the shop tomorrow and see what they say.
When I say "snake-bit", I'm not kidding. The donor 700 came about because the lug was so canted that it was going to have to go back to Remington, the new Timney 510 wouldn't adjust and had to go back, the laminated handle I bought for it got seriously cracked in the mail, and this may be the barreled action's third trip to the smith. Don't anybody say "Should have bought a Tikka...."

I have to go look in the bore of my rifle now.

I won't . . . . but the next guy might

From your description, I bet money on Cerakote in the bore. At the least, I'd find a new guy to do my Cerakoting.

Send some rounds down the tube and clean it out. Whats the big deal?

Would that even work?

So much for that if it is indeed ceracote in the bore. No excuse for that or the first time they screwed up the finish for that matter.
I don't care what shop it was but I'd like to know the resolution if you don't mind posting that up when the goat roping is complete.

He shouldn't have to.

Yes, just run a couple rounds down and it will be gone.

Pat, thanks for the good info. I'm going to see what the shop says, but some Google searching shows other folks shooting out Cerkote bore oversprays without incident or harm. If that's what happened, it was indeed a sloppy job and should not have happened. I'll update the thread regarding what I find out.

Only giving an opinion based on my personal experience.

That's copper & fouling after it was shot or cerekote in the barrel. Try cleaning it and then take a look. If it's cerekote....well that's a big screw up and non acceptable.

Let us know what you find out Jpro.

might try the Tubbs final finish system to clean out the bore.

+1

It's no big deal.

I sent the photos to the smith to see what they had to say before I start shooting it. As I mentioned before, I did find some threads on other forums where a bit of Cerakote found its way past the crown and 10-15 rounds took care of it. I also found a thread where Gordy Gritters mentions getting two rifles in his shop that had some pretty serious amounts of Cerakote in the bore and he had to lead lap them both to get it out. The owner of one had attempted to "shoot it out" to no avail and both rifles had poor accuracy considering the quality of the barrels.

Interesting scenario anyway and decent topic for discussion.

I suppose I could also try about 50 passes with JB bore paste and see what that does, if anything. The photos I took were after about 5 copper-solvent patches, 40 strokes with a nylon brush and solvent, and another 5 or so copper-solvent patches, letting the bore soak a few minutes between each patch. That usually gets a rifle bore reasonably clean unless it's just been neglected. So I doubt it is powder fouling making the bore look black like that.

Curious to hear the smiths response.

I wonder if the grooves in the Barnes TSX bullets would do a better job of scraping the cerakote out than a regular jacketed bullet?

Rocket science, eh? Certainly easier than shipping it back with, as I often read here, the risk of loss and/or damage due to the various shipping companies...

Absoutely not! Not in a premium barrel.