I have a 2" Mod 36 that shows a very faint "halo" near the frame. There is no bulge at all. I have fired many standard pressure 38s from it with no ill effects. Am I at risk doing so? How safe/unsafe is this condition and is replacement a must?

There is no danger in shooting the gun. The only problem that could cause is diminished accuracy. I wouldn't worry about it.

I have a ringed barrel (two on the front) and I don't think there is any danger that I am aware of.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Your barrel may not be ringed by a bullet, but may have been torqued to the frame a tad much. If you have been shooting it and haven't noticed any problems, then you are probably ok to continue. Can you post some pics?

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On the Oak Savannah

Not on a J frame with a one piece barrel. The frame boss is too thin to take that much torque, it'll split.

It's not unusual to not see any sign on the outside of a barrel if it's been ringed. However, you can always see the ring when looking down the bore. As a couple of others have noted, it may, or may not, affect accuracy.

The very slight "ring" you see which is at the face of the frame is commonly referred to as a "thread choke", but it has nothing to do with the barrel being "over-torqued"! It is an artifact of broaching of the rifling in barrels from the days when they were rifled by this method. The barrel is already profiled before broaching and the thinner shank section stretches during broaching more than the thicker portion, then contracts leaving the apparent ring. Until sometime post WWII barrels were lapped after rifling which removed this choke. Lapping ended sometime in the 1950s.

A truly "ringed" barrel, a result of firing the gun with a lodged bullet in the barrel, will be usually very obvious on the exterior of the barrel. Even if hard to see this can be easily felt. Neither a thread choke as OP sees, or a barrel ring, is any safety hazard. A barrel "ring" usually has no effect on accuracy, where a thread choke can affect accuracy and promote leading.

The type of ring being discussed - the non-squib related type - is a new subject to me.

Pictures would be most helpful.

Barrel rings?

What causes it?
What if it's near the muzzle?

I gots to know......

Read the complete thread. Inspector Callahan's comment is merely showing a fine firearm and had nothing to do with the OP's question. Apparently there are several things that can cause an apparent ring inside the barrel. Most common, just from my experience, is cause by the bullet from a squib load lodged in the barrel and then another round is fired which usually expels the lodged bullet and causes a ringed barrel (visible on the inside of the bore) and usually a bulge on the exterior of the barrel.

While the condition is not desirable, it does not create a safety problem. As others have noted, accuracy may be adversely affected.

I apologize if your comment is sarcasm and I missed the point.

Thanks for posting this info. It concurs with my informal observations, none of which I have been able to positively confirm, but have long suspected.

Jim

I have an old Colt Model 1917 with a bulged barrel that still shoots well. The gun was bought by me in 1964 as a complete newby. Only noticed the bulge decades later when I got deeply involved in guns and shooting sports. A bulge will affect sale price but I've only got $23. in it.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I'll give you $24 for that ruined old gun!!

A way to identify "thread choke" is to take a nice, soft bullet (swaged WC is ideal), insert it into the generously oiled bore at the muzzle, and push it thru to the breech end, using a 5/16 brass rod or hardwood dowel. If thread choke is present, you will feel the increase in pressure required to pass that portion of the bore. A "squib ring" would have the opposite effect, but would likely be shorter than the bullet, masking the easing of driving pressure. Try it and let us know what you find.

Larry

Your replies helped me to decide that it would be SAFE to try 5 or 10 rounds of Speer GDHP Short Barrel in my Chief. I learned much from this discussion and feel confident that my fingers will remain in place!