Quote Originally Posted by jepho View Post
Thanks for this response. The cleaning was carried out with Napier and patches on a pull-through. I guess the point about corrosion in the barrel through moisture is a possibility. The house is kept at an even temperature and does not suffer during the cold weather. Moving from well heated to a cold environment could potentially provoke condensation and that may provide enough moisture to corrode the barrel. When I inspected the barrel from both ends against a strong light source, I could see no variation in lands or rifling grooves. Good point about the action block. It is very firmly bolted together.
Think the barrel has got to come off! And what I would call "a good proggle about".
Looking at one of the earlier posts I would suspect something in the barrel. Either a patch of corrosion or very stuck lead.