Bought me a borescope

[TimRB]

Years ago, when I got my first real job, my boss told me "Never ask me a question, because I'll give you an answer." Good advice. I would add "Never buy a borescope unless you're fully prepared to be amazed, if not shocked, to see what's inside your barrel."

These things were on sale:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/sto..."_(91_cm)_Long_Semi-Rigid_Insertion_Tube.html

and since I needed to check out a rifle barrel, I bought one. Very, very cool. I don't think I'll ever again clean a rifle without checking afterwards to see if I did a good enough job.

Tim

 

[drband]

Pics?

 

[Dale Alan]

"Never buy a borescope unless you're fully prepared to be amazed, if not shocked, to see what's inside your barrel."

I was amazed and shocked , especially since this gun was supposed to have very few rounds through it . I believe "Mint" was the word the shop owner used.

 

[maxxhavoc]

Mine is nowhere near that clear. More of a blurry mess What is that one, Dale?

 

[Jim Watson]

Looks more like rust than coppering.

 

[TimRB]

Couple pics:

Fairly shot-out AR15 barrel showing carbon and copper fouling. This could be removed with JB bore paste or similar:



Gas port on the same barrel:



Eroded edge is toward the muzzle.

Edit: I just noticed a small note in the instructions. It says this thing is not to be used for medical purposes or human examination. So if you're an amateur proctologist you need a different scope, I guess.

Tim

 

[Nature Boy]

Gas port on the same barrel:

Eroded edge is toward the muzzle.

Looks like mine

 

[I6turbo]

That unit looks like it's the same as the Teslong scope. Even uses the same photos in their ad.

And I agree, you'll find a lot of things that you can't see and therefore don't worry about if you don't have the borescope.

 

[Dale Alan]

Mine is nowhere near that clear. More of a blurry mess What is that one, Dale?

It is a Teslong , one of the earlier models . They make several versions now . They can take some great pictures without much fussing at all .

 

[TacticalSpeed]

Do they not shoot reliably and/or accurately, though? If they still run well, just enjoy

 

[Dale Alan]

Do they not shoot reliably and/or accurately, though? If they still run well, just enjoy

Do you own a bore scope ?

 

[cdb1]

So if you're an amateur proctologist you need a different scope, I guess.

Thanks for clearing that up, I was getting some ideas.

 

[Bartojc]

Years ago, when I got my first real job, my boss told me "Never ask me a question, because I'll give you an answer." Good advice. I would add "Never buy a borescope unless you're fully prepared to be amazed, if not shocked, to see what's inside your barrel."

These things were on sale:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/store/p500/Vividia_GB-5100_USB_Digital_Gun_Barrel_Borescope_with_5mm_(0.20")_Diameter_and_36"_(91_cm)_Long_Semi-Rigid_Insertion_Tube.html

and since I needed to check out a rifle barrel, I bought one. Very, very cool. I don't think I'll ever again clean a rifle without checking afterwards to see if I did a good enough job.

Tim

Now you did it. You'll be trying to fix problems you didn't know you had before. It'll drive you nuts

They are a nice tool to have, with technology now the average guy can get decent pictures relatively cheap.

-Jeff

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

From another site with a thread about "rifling damage", which is showing borescope pics of supposed damage to the lands and lots of comments flying:

"Number one cause of unnecessary worry is use of a bore scope. Clean and shoot. Destroy bore scope. Sleep like baby holding targets with weee tiny groups."

 

[osprey176]

A buddy of mine bought a bore scope. Now he’s convinced that every barrel he owns needs to be replaced. He picked up a heavy barreled Savage in 300 WM that he won’t even do any serious load development for. “That barrel’s no good ,I checked it and it’s nothing like the Bartlien I bought!” At least he has a lathe and is learning how to use it. He’s gonna be busy once he’s retired.

 

[AJC1]

Show your buddies who wait for accuracy to fall off before cleaning what their barrel looks like. That's like waiting for your toilet to clog before cleaning it.

 

[maxxhavoc]

It is a Teslong , one of the earlier models . They make several versions now . They can take some great pictures without much fussing at all .

And now you have done it. One inbound to me as we speak. I have other cheaper borescopes, but hopefully the one I bought will perform as well as yours.

 

[Dale Alan]

And now you have done it. One inbound to me as we speak. I have other cheaper borescopes, but hopefully the one I bought will perform as well as yours.

Excellent choice, keep us posted . I just received one yesterday I will be giving to my son . I noticed they now come with three mirrors ,nice bonus . Just a couple things I do...I use a cleaning rod guide when checking rifles to smooth out the operation ,also for larger caliber bores i wrap a little electrical tape near the head to keep it centered in the bore . Helps with keeping a constant focus . Just small things,tons of good info out there.

 

[herrwalther]

I have a lot of customers that ask me to borescope their firearm. For most it is just a curiosity of how well their cleaning routine is. And only a handful have legitimate concerns about rifling/bore damage that is leading to inaccuracy. There are a lot of things that look like something bad with a borescope, that isn't. At any given point in my life I have had between 2-3 dogs. Their hair can get everywhere. Even inside a barrel. A dog hair can look a lot like a crack with a borescope.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Interpreting what you see with a borescope is just as challenging as interpreting what you see with a microscope, ultrasound, or various means of inspecting weld fractures.

You can see a lot of stuff...but just because you can see it doesn't mean you know what you're looking at or what it means.

A lot of people tend to assign more value to what they see with a borescope that is warranted.

In general, if your rifle/pistol is shooting just fine, then all those tiny little imperfections that may (or may not) exist really don't mean anything in the real world.

They ARE cool instruments, for sure. But I wouldn't use them to go looking for things that don't exist or don't matter.