Do you guys check for tight spots in your barrel

[Bellycrawler]

I'd be more concerned about a loose spot than tight. Any rod could be pushing the skirt out / deforming & it's your brain interpretation what resistance you feel. Is the end of a rod shaped to fit the pellet correctly to push in the required area or flat & not put the pushing force evenly possibly deforming the skirt.

[harvey_s]

Why bother unless the accuracy isn't there...?

[Barryg]

Just checked the Diana and TX to my surprise the Diana is OK except a really tight choke this explains the power lose with the green exact's even though no loose spots for the air to go around the pellet like the .22 80 with the loose area in the middle of the barrel.
As expected, the TX was fine even with the dreaded greens.

You need the greens to test as they don't deform when pushing through but keep their shape in the loose spots where they have been resized by the tight spots.

So I might give the .177 barrel a go on the 80, I did the crown with the help of Mick and others with a ball head screw some time back and have not tested it yet so will be interesting in more way than one

[evert]

Why bother unless the accuracy isn't there...?

Because its interesting to play with and understand mechanical stuff?

[laverdabru]

Returning to the original post, can't say I have. But even cleaning barrels is newish to me...As I now just plink for the main part, I'm not obsessed with pin point accuracy.
Can understand why people do it, especially if they hunt/do FT & HFT/target shooting.
And it is, as evert said, of interest if you like playing with mechanical things.

ATB

Bru

[maximus]

I have always struggled to get my old Airsporter S 177 to be accurate. I tested the barrel when it was in pieces by rodding a pellet down it. It seemed to barely touch the sides all the way down! Despite that, a change of spring to a Titan no.5 (the one for the meteor) resulted in a change of preferred pellet to FAP and excellent accuracy if I do my bit. Also I have been shooting paper targets with one of my Diana 34s over the last couple of days as I couldn't get it to group. The gun has shot very well in the past with FTT, but seems to hate everything else! I have been trying every pellet in my collection which is all the decent round heads in all head sizes but to no avail, I even swapped scopes but still no joy. Last resort I cleaned the barrel which is not often done on springers by me but it seems to of worked! FTT are grouping nicely at 35 yards now, could of saved myself about 500 pellets if I'd done it sooner!

[Barryg]

I have fitted the .177 barrel and quite pleased with it but it's down on power but shoots very nice.

Mick if you are looking in the ball screw crown worked fine very accurate

[Muskett]

Why bother unless the accuracy isn't there...?

This in heaps ^.

In fact some right ropey old barrels can deliver extraordinary accuracy. No two barrels are exactly the same. Remember pellets are plenty plastic/soft enough to conform and accommodate a whole lot of barrel irregularities. Even the voodoo science of those that tune barrels can only take out some of the most obvious "possible" issues. And then we get into the harmonics, the spring system, transfer ports, and buffering of the piston. Usually the barrel is the least of the worries.

Maybe a Olympian target rifle, or high end PCP, might benefit from ensuring micro accuracy from having a near perfect barrel.

If a rifle is shooting great then leave it alone; be happy.

[harvey_s]

Because its interesting to play with and understand mechanical stuff?

But if the accuracy is there - playing with it might well ruin it and there's nothing to understand

If it isn't, then knock yourself out...

[evert]

But if the accuracy is there - playing with it might well ruin it and there's nothing to understand

If it isn't, then knock yourself out...

How will pushing a pellet through a barrel ruin the gun??
And why would learning something about the barrel on an accurate gun be stupid?

[harvey_s]

How will pushing a pellet through a barrel ruin the gun??
And why would learning something about the barrel on an accurate gun be stupid?

You said "playing with it"... I took that to mean something more than pushing a pellet through the barrel.

No-one said anything about being "stupid" - only you said that.

Please tell me what you would learn by pushing a pellet down the barrel of an accurate gun

[angrybear]

To answer the question,
No, never have & can't see the point so never will.
If the projectile does what it should, aim & power wise, then I'm happy with the barrel.

[Barryg]

Please tell me what you would learn by pushing a pellet down the barrel of an accurate gun

You could learn if the barrel had a loose area where air could pass the pellet but would not affect accuracy because of the choke only but could lose a slight bit of power and you could not remove the choke IF you wanted to for some reason.

Would you really knowingly buy a gun that had a tight and loose area in the barrel even if it shot ok.

[Muskett]

Pushing a pellet down a barrel with a rod doesn't simulate a pellet fired down a barrel.
Have you lubed the barrel and done the same exercise and got the same results?

The only thing that might show the true straightness and sizing along a barrel would require laser measurements.
Most rifled barrels, cut or hammer forged, are wobbly. Bullet design and placidity ensures gases are generally kept behind the bullet, well by the time they are about to leave. The deep rifling is a gas escape possibility, though the acceleration of the bullet is what keeps it ahead of the game.
Modern barrels get better and better because of lasers. Old barrels really were never that groovy/precise. It's why modern rifles can shoot so well, but when "well enough" is good enough anyhow why worry?

Most break barrel air rifles are bent. The cocking action almost guarantees it.
Most barrels will get blown/bulged from continuous firing. Steel expanding and contracting will eventually take on a new shape.
The above only matters when accuracy drops to unacceptable levels.

Do have some fun thinking up issues, but I suspect there is no real conclusions to be had. If the rifle shoots well, then it's not an issue.

[TonyL]

Pushing a pellet down a barrel with a rod doesn't simulate a pellet fired down a barrel.
Have you lubed the barrel and done the same exercise and got the same results?

The only thing that might show the true straightness and sizing along a barrel would require laser measurements.
Most rifled barrels, cut or hammer forged, are wobbly. Bullet design and placidity ensures gases are generally kept behind the bullet, well by the time they are about to leave. The deep rifling is a gas escape possibility, though the acceleration of the bullet is what keeps it ahead of the game.
Modern barrels get better and better because of lasers. Old barrels really were never that groovy/precise. It's why modern rifles can shoot so well, but when "well enough" is good enough anyhow why worry?

Most break barrel air rifles are bent. The cocking action almost guarantees it.
Most barrels will get blown/bulged from continuous firing. Steel expanding and contracting will eventually take on a new shape.
The above only matters when accuracy drops to unacceptable levels.

Do have some fun thinking up issues, but I suspect there is no real conclusions to be had. If the rifle shoots well, then it's not an issue.

I'm no barrel guru, but I like this post.

Re the break barrel cocking action causing bending, I've often wondered about that. Especially when you see some shooters repeatedly slam them shut harshly. I always unlatch and close them in a more careful, gentle and respectful manner. It's also one of the reasons why I like manual latches so much.