New Saiga 12 barrel issues

[SigSoldier]

I purchased a CA legal converted Saiga 12 from Atlantic Firearms and was able to take it out to the desert a few weeks ago. Everything was flawless shooting 00 buck, Rifled slugs and #4 shot. The issue was discovered when I cleaned it the following day. While inspecting the barrel I noticed that a couple inches in from the chamber there were scratches all around the barrel maybe an inch or two long seemingly where the shot would exit the casing. The rest of the barrel was mirror like perfect.

I did a little looking around on the internet but couldn't find anything related. From my understanding chrome lined barrels are supposed to be extremely durable and I fired less than 100 rounds thru it so I was surprised by the damage. I wrote to Atlantic Firearms on Feb. 23 and got this response:

"Sorry but we do not know the answer to your questions but I will email this
to the importer Russian American Armory and ask them."

I am going back to the desert later this month and would like to shoot the gun some more but don't want to damage it further. Has anyone heard of this problem? What can I do to fix it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Atlantic Firearms]

Yes that was our response and we have emailed the importer again with a copy of your email , we also included their email address and phone number you may also want to call them directly . Sorry but we do not know the answer to your question ,

[SigSoldier]

Yes that was our response and we have emailed the importer again with a copy of your email , we also included their email address and phone number you may also want to call them directly . Sorry but we do not know the answer to your question ,

Sorry I was not trying to imply that your response was insufficient and I did not read you're email with the importer contact info before I posted this thread as I was not expecting a response today. I will be contacting the importer tomorrow.

My reason for posting was hoping that someone here had a similar experience and could let me know what I needed to do as neither of us know that answer. Since it is a foreign manufacturer I don't know if they stand by their product or if the importer does. Is it even a problem or will the gun function flawlessly and accurately with these scratches? Will I need to ship it to Russia to have it repaired? Is it a cheap fix that a local gunsmith can repair or does the barrel need to be replaced? How much (if any) will I come out of pocket to repair an already expensive (for me at least) toy. I know it will be hard telling my wife that my expensive toy will now cost more money after using it just once. Hope to get some advice.

Took some pictures. These are looking down the barrel from the muzzle side.

[ElvenSoul]

Exactly what brand and make of ammo did this?

[SigSoldier]

Exactly what brand and make of ammo did this?

I shot Winchester 2 3/4" 00 Buck and 1 oz Rifled Slugs and Winchester 3" 00 Buck the Super X silver boxes. Also shot Federal Game Shok 2 3/4 #4 shot. Nothing special just the regular stuff from Wallmart.

[Bobula]

shooting any steel shot?

[SigSoldier]

shooting any steel shot?

I believe those shots are all lead.

[SJgunguy24]

shooting any steel shot?

I don't think steel would do that. I think some sand or something like that got in there and that is the result after that first round blew whatever it was out.

[SigSoldier]

I don't think steel would do that. I think some sand or something like that got in there and that is the result after that first round blew whatever it was out.

Could sand really do that to a chrome lined barrel? That would be interesting but I can assure you that no sand or dirt was in the barrel before shooting. The gun was brand new and did not come into contact with anything other than the gun case, table and my hands. It wasn't a windy day so sand didn't blow in either.

[QuarterBoreGunner]

I have to ask the obvious question; are you sure it's scratches? I looks like the residue left by the grex/shot filler. Did you try a bronze brush to see if that removes it?

[tonelar]

that's exactly where the wadding would leave strips of plastic

[SigSoldier]

I have to ask the obvious question; are you sure it's scratches? I looks like the residue left by the grex/shot filler. Did you try a bronze brush to see if that removes it?

I did use a bronze brush and I forgot to mention that what first alerted me to the issue was little flakes of chrome on the patches I pulled through. I thought "hmm that doesn't look right". I used some Break Free the first day to do a quick clean up and the following day I used Blue Wonder.

[Sky_DiveR]

I have to ask the obvious question; are you sure it's scratches? I looks like the residue left by the grex/shot filler. Did you try a bronze brush to see if that removes it?

That's what I was thinking also. That looks similar to my shotgun barrel after shooting it. Lead leaves behind residue that looks like that after you shoot it. As QBG said, try running a brush thru the bore and see what happens. If it is scratches, it won't damage it any further but will start to disappear if it's just lead.

edit: Are you sure it was chrome? Lead looks shiny when pulled from the bore?

[1911su16b870]

Try one of the SS tornado brushes...they work really great at stripping any residual lead in the bore. The lead will come out as small shinny chips. Good luck and let us know what you found.

[SigSoldier]

After reading the comments here I decided to go back and hit it with the brush again and pay special attention to that area. Well I must admit that I feel really stupid now (and almost let this thread die a quiet death) but it was in fact residue and my barrel is now completely spotless. This is the first shotgun I've owned so I was not aware of the plastic residue buildup. Humble pie hmm not my favorite but wanted to make sure that it was on the record for anyone else that had ignorance on this issue.

Big thanks to QuarterBoreGunner Sky DiveR and tonelar for the comments that lead to the re-cleaning and thanks 1911su16b870 for solving the mystery of the shinny chips. This is why I love this forum!