Ok...stupid question time.

[Glock 'em down]

I found a three inch model 65 in a local shop. The price is pretty good - $350, but it's got a little rust here and there (on stainless? I know!) but nothing major...except.

There's one pit inside the bore. It's not huge, but it's there. The guy also has a beat up 4 inch model 10 (can't remember the dash number) and it has considerable pitting in the bore. However, it's a bull barrell model.

My question is...what does this do to the revolver? Are they unsafe to shoot with pitting in the bore(s)? With both of them being heavy barrels, does that make a difference? I really want this 3 inch 65 and the model 10 was only like 150 bucks. I could probably talk the guy into $450 OTD for both. THat model 10 has been there for a long time. Well over a year - damn near 2 years.

So. Whatcha think guys? Are pitted barrells safe to shoot? And if so - for how many rounds?

 

[M29since14]

Don't worry about it if you are buying the gun for a shooter. I remember a Colt Gold Cup a friend bought that he didn't bother to check the barrel before the transaction. That gun's barrel was pitted over probably 50% of its bore area. He cleaned it thoroughly and to the surprise of both of us, it was one of the most accurate Gold Cups we had seen. He quickly determined it wasn't worth the expense of buying a new barrel because he was concerned the new one might not shoot as good.

The barrel on that gun (the M65) has a very heavy profile. As long as the bore is clear (no obstruction), I can't see how a minor pit could have any effect on safety. As long as the pit is not in the forcing cone or the muzzle areas, no problem, IMHO.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Don't worry about it if you are buying the gun for a shooter. I remember a Colt Gold Cup a friend bought that he didn't bother to check the barrel before the transaction. That gun's barrel was pitted over probably 50% of its bore area. He cleaned it thoroughly and to the surprise of both of us, it was one of the most accurate Gold Cups we had seen. He quickly determined it wasn't worth the expense of buying a new barrel because he was concerned the new one might not shoot as good.

The barrel on that gun (the M65) has a very heavy profile. As long as the bore is clear (no obstruction), I can't see how a minor pit could have any effect on safety. As long as the pit is not in the forcing cone or the muzzle areas, no problem, IMHO.

What about that model 10. It has significant pitting. Not REAL deep, but deep enough that I saw it.

And yes, these would both be shooters.

 

[OKFC05]

Check it is just a small pit and not a big one filled with rust.
Also check for other damage.
A small pit is safe to shoot, but the closer to the muzzle, the more likely to affect accuracy. Some old blackpowder guns are gruesome toward the breech but still shoot OK.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I have an old Model of 1905 that still shoots straight and the barrel has some slight pitting. I should bench rest with some good wadcutters and see if it really does anything at all. I would snap up a 65 at that price tag. Some Mother's polish, a rag, and some elbow grease and you could make it look new again. If they really will sell them both at that price then I would double snap!!!

 

[Glock 'em down]

Check it is just a small pit and not a big one filled with rust.
Also check for other damage.
A small pit is safe to shoot, but the closer to the muzzle, the more likely to affect accuracy. Some old blackpowder guns are gruesome toward the breech but still shoot OK.

It would be hard to tell on that model 10. The entire gun is covered in an ugly dark brown patina. It would probably turn out to be nothing but a money pit.

 

[OKFC05]

It would be hard to tell on that model 10. The entire gun is covered in an ugly dark brown patina. It would probably turn out to be nothing but a money pit.

If you can clean the bore thoroughly with Shooter's Choice, it will start pulling the rust out of the bore pits and you can see if any pits are deep. I cleaned one old gun that looked fairly decent until the cleaning brought out huge amounts of rust; the barrel looked like the craters of the moon after cleaning, and was red-tagged for a wallhanger (it had been shot with a lot of blackpowder and frequently oiled but not properly cleaned).
I don't worry about surface patina and light external rust; just the bore for a rough shooter. I have some old blackpowdr reproduction revolvers that are rust-finished on purpose and have been shot a bunch; really look authentic.

 

[IslayMalt]

There's never a 'dumb question', although I've found that not to be the case on other gun forums. Luckily you've gotten some good responses. Me, I'm just learning about revolvers, so I'm guessing I'll be asking a few really stupid questions from time to time. All I know is 1911's, what can I say?

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Old military training, a pit was OK, unless it was across BOTH a land and a groove. I have no idea how the Glockenspeilers deal with pits.

Geoff
Who would make the offer for both, had he any money left...sigh...