M48A Mauser Borescope Pics

[Qball]

This is a followup to another thread I had started about a 50-60 year old M48A Mauser. The other thread was concerning repairing the broken and split upper handguard. Anyway, I decided it would be a good idea to run a scope down the barrel to make sure I got all of the cosmoline out of it before I go shoot it. The barrel bore is quite pitted but very clean. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it really doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. The pits just make it more difficult to clean but the rifling looks very good. I ran the scope all up and down both ends of the barrel and except for the pitting, everything else looks okay. Here are a few pics:

 

[Qball]

A few more:

 

[mulletmaster]

Do you know what the magnification is of the scope is? I have not used one for a rifle barrel before but they can make things look worse on screen than to the naked eye.

 

[Qball]

Do you know what the magnification is of the scope is? I have not used one for a rifle barrel before but they can make things look worse on screen than to the naked eye.

I'm not sure right at the moment. But when I was using it today, there was a tiny little piece of fuzz or fiber from a patch near the chamber, and it looked like a tree on the screen. Looking down the barrel in the right light, you can see some of the pitting, but it doesn't look near as bad as it does with the scope. My guess is this rifle had a lot of corrosive ammo goe through it without the proper cleaning. But you can go out and buy a brand new gun and run a scope down the barrel and be surprised at what you see.

We'll find out this Sunday how it shoots.

 

[John]

Be interesting to hear how it shoots. What kind of scope are you using?

 

[Qball]

Be interesting to hear how it shoots. What kind of scope are you using?

It's a Lyman digital borescope. I think I paid around $200.00 or so for it from MidwayUSA.

 

[bones92]

Have you fired it much yet? Some rounds through it tends to have a bit of a lapping effect, I believe.

 

[Qball]

Have you fired it much yet? Some rounds through it tends to have a bit of a lapping effect, I believe.

Not yet and you are exactly right. That is what I'm expecting to happen. A few rounds through it, it may smooth out the barrel, at least some anyway. We plan on taking it to shoot on Sunday.

 

[Qball]

My son and I hit the range today and fired this Mauser for the first time. We ran about 60 rounds through it. We were using cheap ammunition. The first 5 or 6 rounds we didn't even get on paper at 100 yards. After those first few rounds, it steadily got better until we finally started getting some groups, not respectable groups, but groups nonetheless.

After we were done, I took the bolt out and looked down the barrel while holding it up to the sunlight. The pitting I could previously see with my naked eye was no longer visible. I'll give it a good cleaning this evening and run the scope back down the barrel and see if anything has changed, for the better, hopefully.

 

[John]

Thanks for the report. Post some pics of the barrel if you can.

I'm a borescope nut and always like to learn more.

 

[Qball]

Thanks for the report. Post some pics of the barrel if you can.

I'm a borescope nut and always like to learn more.

Will do. It'll probably be tomorrow. I kind of got sidetracked with some other things this evening.

 

[Qball]

Thanks for the report. Post some pics of the barrel if you can.

I'm a borescope nut and always like to learn more.

Here ya go John. I'm fairly pleased with what I'm seeing in these pics. I'm figuring that if I run some good quality PPU ammunition or similar through it, the barrel will continue to improve. Yesterday we were shooting PW Arms ammo through it. But time and trips to the range will tell.

 

[John]

Good to see it improving. It looks like a good candidate for some firelapping.

 

[Qball]

Good to see it improving. It looks like a good candidate for some firelapping.

Yeah. I thought of that. Not sure I'll go that far. I may do something similar however. For now, we'll just keep putting some rounds through her to see if we get any further improvement in the way it shoots. Take care....... Dave