Lyman Bore Scope

I have one, what I have learned is, I can't tell if a barrel will shoot, but I might be able to tell you why it won't shoot.

I also learned that my cleaning regiment needed some rethinking.

And that factory barrels are almost comically horrible looking, but some still shoot pretty well. And also that Remington's quality is poor inside as well as out.

Of the numerous factory barrels that I have looked at they would rank as follows.

Best CZ.
Howa
Savage
Browning
Marlin
Winchester
Remington
Hi-Point
Rock Island
The Rock Island and Hi-Point I have only seen one example of. But whew they were bad.

I honestly haven't seen a new Remington that looked decent, of the nearly a dozen that I looked at.

So Pro's,you'll probably do a better job of cleaning.
Con's, you'll spend more time cleaning.

I really think it's a good and useful tool for the money, I won't be without one.

 
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I bought one on sale from Midway a few years ago. Price was pretty inexpensive so I kept my expectations in check with what I was spending. Was pleasantly surprised when the image turned out to be pretty decent. On mine, the light is almost to bright or maybe it's how the light is positioned, but it creates somewhat of a glare. It'd definitely be a plus if it worked for the little .17 calibers but overall, I've found mine to be acceptable.
 
They are great when you are buying a used rifle. That is when you find out "hardly shot" means the throat is 4" long.
 
Quote:I have one, what I have learned is, I can't tell if a barrel will shoot, but I might be able to tell you why it won't shoot.

What biggen0_8 said.

Biggest + is the ability to see exactly which solvent actually does what in spite of manufacturer's claims, making it a lot easier to get the bores clean. Using best solvent for the particular barrel's issues shortens the process a lot. ETA: For instance, my Savage barrels all are copper collectors due to lots of tool marks (even after lapping barrel).
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This is fouling accumulated after just one round:
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Fortunately the fouling does not affect accuracy as I seldom fire more than 4-5 rounds per hunting trip or 15-20 at the range.

Found the best regimen is to clean with Tactical Advantage to remove powder fouling, then follow w/Patch Out until clean. Both usually work best if left overnight.

Quote: On mine, the light is almost to bright or maybe it's how the light is positioned, but it creates somewhat of a glare.

I had the same issue until I read the instructions and found the brightness is adjustable with the ^v button. Wife says it's a man thing....I NEVER read instructions.
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Sometimes it is still a bit bright but dimming does improve it a lot.

Regards,
hm
 
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Heck, I misplaced my instructions...thanks for the tip, hm1996!
In larger bores (45 Cal) I do find it to be a bit dim, though.

Agree that one cannot tell if a rifle will shoot or not, as well
as being able to tell why it does not. I now know why my Montana
Rifle Mod 1999 would never, and will never shoot with the
horrible chamber job they did on it.

My most prestine appearing factory barrel is on a RAP .204R, but
it doesn't come close to the accuracy as any of my Savage
barrels, which LOOK bad.

The only "con" I have with mine is that I managed to get a very
small piece of patch lint in it and have not found a way to
remove it. It's in the hole ahead of the light, not on the
mirror. The bore can still be clearly seen but the lint is an
aggravation much like a speck on eyeglasses.
 
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Just picked one up recently on sale from Brownells. So far it's allowed me to refine the cleaning process for each gun, knowing exactly what each gun requires to be clean. It has eliminated hoping and guessing my cleaning process is enough. I like that. Only thing that would make it better is if it worked on my 17H.
 
The light, brightness, is adjustable? Well don't I feel like a dumba$$!
crazy.gif


Hmmm, maybe I, SHOULD, actually read the instructions, who knows what I could learn. lol
 
Yeppers, this Lyman is a real dandy! I feel as if it will give a guy longer barrel life because the carbon will not build up to where it can not be removed.


The biggest shock is that some of the solvent manufactures must have someone in marketing smoking some pretty good dope because of what they claim their solvent can do.

Another shock is that barrels do not have to look that good in as far as tooling marks in the barrel vs how they shoot, but they DO have to be cleaned more often and effectively.
 
Gee thanks, guys. I feel better having company in the "not reading instructions" field.
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Quote:The only "con" I have with mine is that I managed to get a very
small piece of patch lint in it and have not found a way to
remove it. It's in the hole ahead of the light, not on the
mirror. The bore can still be clearly seen but the lint is an
aggravation much like a speck on eyeglasses.

Yep, Danno, that little inverted vee in the pictures above falls into the lint category. I'm going to try and blow mine out with some canned air next time I think of it.

Regards,
hm
 
When I got mine I figured my shooting buddies would be wanting to see what their barrels look like.
One did but the others said they didn't want to know.

We did look at several new barrels from several makers which was interesting.
 
Well I'll be dipped in doo doo, as long as I've been playing with this thing and I did not know you could turn the light down, you can even turn it clear off.
 
Bait, that is a bad one.

I have seen lands with half the width missing quite often. Also, seen where the barrel lost it's index when it was being rifled, ending up with a real mess. Holes in the barrels that are voids from the foundry are quite common, I just ignore those...nothing you can do. Common problems are really rough leade angles. Over size reamer pilots will gouge out the tops of the lands. Too loose reamer pilots will beat the lands oval shaped.

Rust is common, looks like the bore has had battery acid in the bore, Flitz on a good bronze bristle brush is often needed. 1" back from the muzzle, often has rust pitting from rain and humidity.

Probably the worst is a "plug" of carbon fouling, you can deal with the bad copper fouling with little effort, but the cooked on carbon fouling is a barrel killer.

The main purpose in buying a Lyman bore scope is to verify your cleaning regiement, secondary purpose is to grade your barrel quality.
 
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Hate to hijack the thread, but if I am having trouble getting a 223 patch on a 223 jag through a 223 right at the start of the barrel, am I experiencing the dreaded carbon ring?

I think my 223 patches are 1" or 1 1/8", I know I can't get 1 1/4" through.
 
Punch the patch way off center, this will help a lot. No way of knowing if you have a carbon ring without a bore scope.

Carbon will get so hard that it will not leave any black or grey on a patch.
 
hm, I tried canned air (have some right on work bench). All it
did was move the lint, but did not dislodge it. I'm pretty
hesitant to use the air compressor, though.
 
Just checked mine and the lint did not seem to be there. I don't think I'd use compressor either as I'd be afraid of a trace of oil in the air???

Regards,
hm
 
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