What to do about this crown?

[Garandy]

Short version of the story (long version may come later):

BSA No 4, been like this for ages I'm sure, does not look fresh.

Rifle is a pre-1968 import to the US. Ding appears to protrude into the bore slightly at the edge of a rifling land.

Rifle is not terribly accurate (nor is the operator), bore is dark and frosted but may clean up, etc.

Do you:

Ignore it?

Remove it with a small stone, file, etc. and hope for the best?

Hit it with a round head brass wood screw and some lapping compound?

Buy one of the commercially available hand crowning tools and "touch it up"?

Take the rifle to the local guy to touch up the crown on a lathe?

Send it to a 'smith that isn't local?

Or some other option I've not yet considered?

[browningautorifle]

Take the rifle to the local guy to touch up the crown on a lathe?

That would be the most accurate way. If the bore is dark and frosted, you may never get it to hit a barn door.

[MAC702]

Remove it with a small stone, file, etc. and hope for the best?

For what this rifle's serviceable life left is, that's what I would do. You can't really screw it up, unless the new shiny spot is going to bug you; and it might make a noticeable difference in the accuracy.

If this was a precision rifle thusly damaged, I would have the entire crown redressed in the lathe.

[Mk VII]

Counterbore it, the Soviets did the same on all those M-Ns they refurbished.

[Peter Laidler]

Cet it re-crowned so that the plug bore gauge runs freely. That's what we would do. Then accuracy test it according to the EMER. THAT is the final arbiter of a barrels condition

[Claven2]

I would debur carefully with a needle file, shoot it, and if it groups well then it’s good enough.

[steveu]

Needle file, then lap it. Won’t cost much if you have the tools.

[browningautorifle]

So there.

That's every single way you could do some sort of repair mentioned sequentially. No two alike. Well, Peter and I are saying the same thing...

[Garandy]

So, more details and information.

Rifle in question is really a BSA No4, it just so happens to be a T. Rifle matches itself but the No32 Mk1 scope (serviced some years back by Peter) and bracket while real, are not originally from this rifle.

I might have another reason for lack of accuracy besides the crown. The at least twice staked in service front pad screws loosened up again and the front pad came loose from the receiver so I actually have two issues I need to fix.

The current sorry state of "gunsmithing" in my local area is pretty dire unless you need the sights changed on a Glock or an AR-15. I'm not sure the few I know of even own a lathe or have a backlog I'd grow old waiting for them to burn down to get to my small crown problem.

So with that in mind, I have not issues buying some tooling and getting after it myself IF I'm not wasting my time and money or creating new issues. They are out of stock at the moment, but I'd think something of this nature (but maybe not this specific item) would potentially address my crown issue: BROWNELLS 45\ Cutter Steel Pilot Fits .311 Muzzle SKU: 080587311

Or something along these lines: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...253&pid=334892

Thoughts?

[browningautorifle]

Either one as long as it fits the bore. Good luck with the front pad.