Is this normal?

that looks like a possible weak point in the metal. However seeing as how it goes all the way around the barrel like that, one might assume that is just the metal compensating for the groove around the barrel. Hopefully someone with more experience in this will come along shortly. I truly don't know the cause but it is a bit strange to me.

Looks like inconsistencies in the parkerizing. They'll be less visible if you wipe the barrel down with an oiled rag. Parkerizing is a microtextured finish that holds oil in voids between particles. Your barrel is looking pretty dry.

If there were cracks all the way around the barrel... Do I need to finish that sentence?

Looks like it had solvent or something in that area and you cooked it off.

jim

I think its just the Parkerizing, it got hot, you wiped it off. Did you ever shoot the rifle like that before the Park job? Did it ever show that before? Don't read a lot into things, clean the bore, take it out again and see what she does. If there were any cracks in it, I believe it would be showing more than what you've shown.