Need help with my new barrel!

[triggerman300]

So long story short I sent my brand new Noveske 14.5" barrel to Marvin Pitts to get dimpled. He also assembled my complete upper (Noveske gen 3 receiver, NSR rail, RCA LW carrier, Lantac Dragon brake). I took it out yesterday to test fire and it shoots HORRIBLE! I'm talking 5-6" groups at 80 yards with 77gr match that shoots amazing through my other Noveskes. Only thing I can think of is that the dimpling somehow introduced stress into the barrel. I read on another thread that a guy had a similar problem with his krieger that he had fluted. He got his barrel cryo treated and the accuracy returned. Anybody think Cryo treatment is my answer? Any other ideas?

[JohnRodriguez]

check the crown. cryoing may be your only option

[openclassterror]

+1. depending on how it was fixtured for dimpling, it requires a LOT of downforce against the barrel to plunge cut with a ball cutter. If the barrel is held between centers it can thrash the crown pretty bad. Get a magnifier and look at the crown for damage first. I am assuming you got the stainless match barrel and not the hammer forged Chrome-moly? Hammer forging creates a lot of stress itself, and dimpling a hammer forged barrel usually leads to bad JuJu.

[Nick S]

Shoot it. Mine didn't group that great at first but tightened up after 200 rds or so.

[triggerman300]

Yes it's the stainless. Marvin Pitts is very reputable, I wouldn't think he'd let a barrel leave his shop with a bad crown but I'll check it. I'll let you guys know if cryo works.

[dauntedfuture]

I would not spend another 100 to cryo and introduce another variable. I would send the barrel back after checking things over. Is it possible that something is loose when you put the barrel back on the rifle? Check the thing out from front to back and check the scope too. Could your parallax be off? As an easy check for the bore, clean the bore as well as you can and try pushing tight oiled patches down the bore and see if you can feel anything. the other option is to check with a bore scope. It complicates things that you did not test the barrel before you sent it off, but I should think that after checking the rifle over and testing with a few weights of bullets that Noveske and the dimple guy would stand behind their work.

[StravIs09]

some of the noveske barrels may be polygonal if i am not mistaken. fluting should be done before the bore and rifling is cut with a polygonal barrel. I learned the hard way. my button rifled noveske noticed no change after rifling. the polygonal barrel that I machined using the same process as the first one(same program, depth, fixtures)was absolutely worthless after being fluted. I thought it was the barrel and then questioned my ammo which ran good in other guns. I spend $$$ working up loads with 53s 68s 69s 75s 77s. with n133, varget, r15, 2230. and had no sucess. questioned the barrel nuts torque, the gas block, the buffer/lock up, the comp, and the crown. i took it apart and put it together. until i realized i should just scrap it and start over. it has to due with how polygonal is produced, relieving the Outside DIAMETER, also relieves and from my experience warps and destresses the inside bore.

the 14.5 afgan barrel is awesome, heavy like a 20" but such a good shooter for me at least.

So long story short I sent my brand new Noveske 14.5" barrel to Marvin Pitts to get dimpled. He also assembled my complete upper (Noveske gen 3 receiver, NSR rail, RCA LW carrier, Lantac Dragon brake). I took it out yesterday to test fire and it shoots HORRIBLE! I'm talking 5-6" groups at 80 yards with 77gr match that shoots amazing through my other Noveskes. Only thing I can think of is that the dimpling somehow introduced stress into the barrel. I read on another thread that a guy had a similar problem with his krieger that he had fluted. He got his barrel cryo treated and the accuracy returned. Anybody think Cryo treatment is my answer? Any other ideas?