Brand New New-model Blackhawk with Rusty Bore

[Cholla]

 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

The custom shop.

 

[Griff]

Those "rings", if there's no slippage with a tight patch down the bore are probably of no concern unless it some form of defect in the stainless.  I only have one stainless gun, a S&W mdl 65 purchased in the late 1980s... it's seen many, many thousands of rounds of both inmate made practice ammo and probably a thousand or more jacketed +P jacketed issue ammo (we had to include at least one cylinder full of duty ammo every qualifying cycle (every 90 days).  

From the muzzle:

 

From the forcing cone:

 

My camera has a pretty narrow field of focus, but... with the naked eye, except for some dust collected over the years of sitting in my safe since its last outing it looks pristine, yet in the bore scope it looks bad.  

[Deacon Henry, SASS #53503L]

5 hours ago, John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 said:

Ruger does test fire their revolvers. Sometimes they run a patch sometimes they don’t. 
I’ve sent back 4 New Vaquero’s in the last 6 weeks. This was unheard of before Covid. Their quality control needs improvement. Who ever is supposed to wipe polishing compound off should be fired. Who ever it torquing the base pin screw until it snaps or is stripped should also get canned. 

That’s not good very sad !

[johnmuir2013]

A few days ago, I convinced Ruger support to look at my borescope photos.  This morning, I got an email response (see screenshot below).  So, I guess I have no choice but to just start using the revolver.  I'm going to respond with, "Then why do my two 13-year-old Ruger New Vaqueros not have the rings?"
 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Have you even fired it yet? 

See what the target sez at 50'.

[johnmuir2013]

16 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Have you even fired it yet? 

See what the target sez at 50'.

No.  I have not fired it yet.  I did not fire it because I did not want to change the evidence while I was working with Ruger support.  

 

Got another response from Tammy at Ruger (see screenshot).  I don't see any reason to send it to Ruger if the bore rings are normal.  If Ruger were to exchange it, the next one would have the same issue.  I'm done worrying about it.  I'm just going to start firing it.  

 

[Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L]

As others have shared the barrels are hammer forged.  Hammer forging process.

A blank is clamped in a rotating holder. The rotation is not used to produce the rifling twist in a hammer-forged barrel; the twist is in the mandrel. Rotation is used to keep the barrel round during the forging operation. The mandrel is inserted into the borehole, and the barrel moves at a constant speed toward a series of cam-driven hammers arranged in a circle. Hammers are paired 180 degrees apart to equalize stresses.  The hammers strike the rotating barrel with tremendous force, bending the steel to contact the mandrel inside.

If the offending machine work bothers you a bunch then you could always lap your barrel. 
 

We shoot minute of plate, not minute of angle in CAS. Most of us accept that fact. 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

I'd be nice to hear from the engineers,what the lines actually are. Sure look like a defect in the barrel steel.

[johnmuir2013]

Interesting that ALL Ruger barrels are made by American GFM, not Ruger.    https://www.agfm.com/   

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

That is BS.  American GFM may have built the machines but I have stood in the Ruger factory in Prescott and watched barrels being made.  You seem to be OCD about this whole thing.  Maybe you should sell the gun and move on.

 

.45 barrel being made.

 

 

[Cholla]

4 hours ago, johnmuir2013 said:

Interesting that ALL Ruger barrels are made by American GFM, not Ruger.    https://www.agfm.com/   

Considering my wife used to work at the Prescott plant and worked on barrels and other parts, I am curious where you got this information. 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Bar stock goes in one side of a barrel making machine at the Ruger plant and completely finished LCP barrels come out the other.  I think Cholla's wife made this one.

 

[Cholla]

My memories were of her complaining about lifting the heavy baskets of barrels, her bringing home the seconds list of guns employees could buy at a discount, and then her picking my new (seconds) gun to pieces as she pointed out all the reasons it was on the seconds list. Good times…

[johnmuir2013]

18 hours ago, Cholla said:

Considering my wife used to work at the Prescott plant and worked on barrels and other parts, I am curious where you got this information. 

From Tammy at Ruger support. See the Ruger email screenshot eight posts prior.

[Cholla]

2 hours ago, johnmuir2013 said:

From Tammy at Ruger support. See the Ruger email screenshot eight posts prior.

I would say Tammy misspoke. Many manufacturers outsource work, especially with the “just in time” manufacturing business model. If I had to guess, they outsourced some of the barrel manufacturing. The east plant may operate differently than the Prescott Plant. But this is interesting information. GFM really needs to finish their website as much of the Wordpress template is still present. 

[Texas Jack Black]

 Not bad, Two pages discussing what? Way to much free time .Spring is here go shoot.

 

Best Wishes