Well - I think I ruined my rifle: NO - Gunsmith says its OK!!

[Tangle Eye]

 

In an effort to get the maximum accuracy out of my new .30-30 Uberti low wall I got one of those Meister Slug Your Barrel kits to see what size the bore really was. I follow the instructions exactly.  About 10 inches in, the hardwood dowels they send to drive the slug started breaking.....to make a long story short, the slug is stuck in the barrel to the point that I have bent a steel rod that was slightly less than bore size trying to drive the lead out.  I'm pretty sure at this point that I have damaged the barrel with the steel rod and the lead is still in there.  I've tried to drive it out from the muzzle and the receiver end to no avail. And, not thinking clearly in the process, I managed to $%*(#* up the stock too!

I don't really know what to do at this point short of just calling it quits or buying a new rifle.    Needless to say, I am extremely upset about this. As I understand it, this kit is supposed to be just the thing to use and the lead is supposed to be so soft it can't possibly get stuck.  But it did.

If I had the cash I'd just go buy another rifle and call it an expensive lesson learned.

I guess my options are to:

1 - Replace it
2 - Repair the stock myself and have a new barrel put on (would probably take months)
3 - Repair the stock myself and have the barrel drilled out somehow.
4 - Repair the stock myself and have the barrel drilled to .38-55 and give up on the .30-30.

I'm really in a quandry about this and feel real stupid about now. 

[Howdy Doody]

I'm confused a bit. I would think that if you lubed the heck out of the barrel with something like Kroil oil that you could get that slug moving one way or another. How do you know you hurt the rifling until you get that slug out of there and use a bore lite. Take it to a smith if you feel you can't do it yourself.
Also if the gun is new what happened to the stock?
You know 38-55 is a pretty good caliber. I shoot a marlin in that caliber and I like it a whole lot out to 200 yards it will shoot really great and that is on BP too.
I hope your rifle turns out OK, you are probably just tired and a bit perturbed. A gunsmith might be the best way to go for you.
Good luck.

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

The mental image I am getting is of you standing over your rifle, with the muzzle in the air and stock on the ground, a steel rod down the barrel and hammering on the rod. The rod bends as you hit it, sending it off center and against the barrel, so now you are pretty sure you've gouged the barrel with the rod, and once you had the rod wedged in there, you hit the rod so hard, the stock of the rifle cracked.

OUCH.

It's morning here, so hopefully you've gotten some sleep and are more relaxed.

I'd take it to a GOOD smith. Get the slug out and assess the damage. Like you said, barrels and stocks can be replaced. As long as you haven't damaged the receiver beyond repair, I would not replace the rifle.

Just my thoughts,

AnnieLee

[Sergeant Smokepole]

I doubt that the barrel is damaged. They are harder than you think and if no sharp edge contacted the rifling, you should be ok. Pour penetrating oil, like KROIL or something similar into the barrel and let it sit standing vertically overnight. You should see the level go down by that time and this means that it has crept past the lead obstruction.  Next, try another rod and a smaller hammer. Take your time and add more lubricant on the side you are pushing the ball towards. Be patient and you should be successful. I don't know what the extent of the damage to the stock is but if it is dented wood, it can be raised by applying a wet cloth to the surface of the wood and heating with a soldering iron. A couple of applications like this will raise the dent and then you can refinish the stock.

[Delmonico]

I use round balls to slug barrels, they go through much easier.

[Tangle Eye]

Well - I took the barrelled action to a gunsmith this morning. Oddly enough, he said the lead slug was no problem as he could melt it out.  The wood dowels that are also stuck in the barrel ARE the problem.  According to the gunsmith, they will absorb moisture and swell (of course they are already smashed on the end) and will be difficult if not impossible to remove. He said he might be able to drive them out with a brass rod. You can't burn them out for fear of destroying the heat treating of the barrel according to him.  Anyway - I may have to be as drastic as getting a new barrel but at least the whole thing isn't out the window.

What a mess!

[gryffon2004]

He can melt out the slug but trying to burn the wood out will damage the barrel? 

[Lars]

For whatever it might be worth to someone, I thought it was SOP to have clean barrel that is well lubed BEFORE any attempt is made to slug bore with bullets or conical slugs. That way one greatly reduces friction twixt bullet/slug and bore. I have seen several wooden rods busted trying to get bullets out of revolver barrels.

Normally, I do as Delmonico, use pure Pb round balls to slug bores.

Anyone have any experience using a "penetrating" oil to make hammered in wood doweles eaiser to get out?

Lars

[Tangle Eye]

As I understand it, lead melts at a bit over 400 degrees.  Wood starts to burn around 680 degrees so it would be hotter. Now I have NO idea how hot a sustained temperature would need to be to start to damage the barrels heat treatment - those things are something akin to black magic to me.

Anyway - I got the stock dings fixed and the refinishing started today.  Unlike metal - wood is something I know something about! 

I should hear from the gunsmith (who has a good local reputation) by next weekend.  I guess now the worst it could be is I'd have to get a new barrel from Taylors (or somewhere - they are listed at the Taylors web site) and have him install it.  I'm assuming the barrel will be threaded and blued since it is specifically for this gun. That should cut down on repair cost.

Oh and BTW - the barrel was very clean and newly lubricated. I also put a liberal amount of the special grease that comes with the kit on the slug.  My theory is these things are really made for doing pistols. Trying to get the slug down a 30 inch barrel is a lot different. 

I guess I found out what I wanted to find out though -- the groove diameter must be around .308 since the bloody thing got stuck!!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

You may have a point, Tangle Eye. When I slugged my old Marlin, I used a lead ball for my C&B .44. The 1893 has a 26"er on it......Buck

[Tangle Eye]

I talked with my gunsmith this morning. The rifle is OK!  He said there was a tiny spot or something in the barrel that, he didn't think, had anything to do with this little episode. His opinion was it was some artifact from making the barrel in the first place and shouldn't affect shooting at all.

I just had to ask him how he got the lead and the wood out.  He said he was unable to melt the lead out so he put a sleeve into the barrel to protect it and drilled a pilot hole in the slug. Then he screwed something in it to attach a puller (that's what he called it) to it and used that to pull the slug out.  To get out the wood, he used lots of lubricant and a brass rod to tap it out - again with a sleeve to protect the barrel from the brass rod. He described it as "a lot of work".  And - as you might imagine - he didn't have any kind words for that Meister kit. According to him the slug is way to long to use for slugging a barrel.

Anyway - a prayer of THANK YOU goes up for the barrel not being damaged. I was sure dreading trying to order a barrel (I already checked the obvious sources and they don't carry these in stock). Now I just have to put it back together, wait for the sight to get here from MVA, and continue developing the perfect cast bullet heathen smokeless load for the "modern" .30-30.

BTW - I emailed Meister about this and got back a reply that basically said there must have been a tight spot in the barrel that cause the problem. They suggested I take the barrel to a gunsmith to have the slug removed and then to have the barrel measure using electronic means. Well duh!

I've sent the kit back to Midway for a refund.

[44caliberkid]

Those of you considering slugging a barrel, go to Walmart, fishing department, get the assorted sizes egg shaped sinkers pack. Pick one that almost goes in the bore, lube the bore and the slug, and drive it through. Works pretty well and you can put the unused sinkers in your tackle box.

[Cuts Crooked]

His opinion was it was some artifact from making the barrel in the first place and shouldn't affect shooting at all.

Howdy Tangle Eye! Do you savvy the Fire Lapping proceedure? If so, I highly recommend it fer gunz wat have a rough spot in the bore frum the factory! The are a couple of outfits that make fire lapping kits, but I cain't think of who they are at the moment. But the essence of the deal is to but put bore lapping compound on a soft bullet and fire through your barrel, Do this a couple of times and it will really smooth things out nicely......BUT DON'T OVERDO IT!

[Tangle Eye]

Cuts I heard of fire lapping back years ago when I fancied myself a long distance varmint shooter.  Never tried it though. Might be worth a try.  I'm planning to shoot nothing but cast bullets in this rifle at fairly low velocity.  I wonder if there is a difference in the effect of some small irregularity on slow lead bullets and faster jacketed ones?

Thanks for the idea.

[El Paso Pete]

Depending on who made the barrel there may be a choke in it.  Some barrels have up to a .002 choke in them.  The way I slug a barrel is to drive in a ball from the chamber end 3" or 4" deep, take that one out and drive another from the muzzle, again 3' or 4".  The one you drove in from the chamber end is the one to use for a custom mould.  I normally will send both balls to the mould maker.  He should know more about what size I need than I do.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Glad ta hear the barrel was not damaged.

Slim