Ruger Mark III Question

[dkizzle49855]

I'm a noob here and I have a question that hopefully someone with a bit more experience can answer for me. I picked up two new Ruger's today and one was the Mark III and the other is the 10/22. I was inspecting and cleaning both of them and noticed the following. On the barrel crown area of the Mark III I noticed a very small indent (nick) at the end of the barrel where a very small bit of material is missing from the barrel. The end is not chamfered and if is was this missing material would most likely be machined away. The reason why I bring up the chamfered barrel is I also noticed the 10/22 does indeed have a small amount of chamfering at the end, so I am a bit confused. Should I return it to the dealer for them to inspect before I fire this for the first time or is this normal? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Tank 57]

Not sure what you mean.Picture would probably help.

[evolution1974]

Welcome. I believe you are referring to the crown. Did you not notice the nick when you picked it up from the gun store? They usually let you inspect it before completing the paperwork.

If I understand you correctly, you are stating that your MKIII has a nick on the crown. If the nick is significantly large then it may affect how the bullet exits the bore. In theory the gas should be escaping evenly as it forces the bullet out of the bore. If it bothers you then send it back to Ruger and have them recrown the barrel. Most shooters, firing off hand, wouldn't notice the decrease in precision. I say test it out first using 500 rounds of good ammo like Wolf ME, CCI or even Federal Automatch. Good luck.

Edit: BTW most of the bull barreled MKIII are not crowned. However, some of the higher end models are recessed and crowned.

[BSlacker]

I would like to see a pic, but just because the mark is on the end of the barrel doesn't mean it will create an accuracy issue. In general the defect would be at the bore crown interface to cause a issue of accuracy. Just a few thousands one way or the other makes a difference. If the finish is not removed at the mark and the mark does not touch the bore rifling crown junction then it won't be a issue. Ruger will take care of it if you call them and return it.