Krag Collectors Association Forum

On another forum, a Mauser owner shooting 'crap' ammo was unhappy with his rifle's accuracy.

Photos show his rifle's bore to be a bit rough.

He bought a borescope and posted a scary video. It kind of looks like a colonoscopy!
Immediately, he decided to sell the Mauser.

I know it's a neat tool, but I don't believe I will ever use a borescope.
I'm sure it would discourage me from shooting any vintage rifle.

Here is four bore scope videos I did to compare:

#1 M1917 Eddystone with 11-17 barrel

#2 No 4 Mk 2 Enfield fresh out of mummy wrap (new 1955 rifle)

#3 New Fulton FAR-15 A2 (New 2022 Rifle)


Lastly, a really scary bore scope of my 1898 Krag

#4 Shot-out 1898 Krag

Now I'm going to have bad dreams for the rest of the year!

I better schedule a colonoscopy for my 75th Birthday to see if I'm "shot out"?

I'm blind!

But to be fair I have a 1917 that was choked black with fouling. Wore out close to fifteen brushes. Then decided to blow it out. Still wore out brushes but at least I could see the remnants of the rifling. But son-of-a-gun, don't ya know the rifle can shoot a straight line.

Yeah, I have heard that despite appearances some barrels maintain great accuracy.

My gunsmith says thanks to bore scopes he has a lot of new jobs putting new barrels on rifles. He says shoot the rifle first before worrying about a new barrel. But in spite of this customers insist on rebarreling. I have a ruger no.1 in 25-06 whose bore looks like alligator hide. That rifle shoots nice small groups. I have a bore scope and use it for inspecting my cleaning efforts. I have also used it to lower the price of several purchases of used firearms. Once the owner got a look at what he was selling he was willing to come down on his price. I would not purchase a used firearm without using the scope. It has kept me from making some big money mistakes.

I invested in a nice Hawk eye borescope many years ago and have written about using it and feel certain that it's one of the best investments I ever made for my collection other than specific firearms. Ranks up there in importance second only to my home security system investment. I use it constantly to check all new purchases. I have learned much more about bore condition, damage, cleaning bores, the use of different chemical cleaners and brushes for cleaning, etc. It certainly feeds my OCD a bunch! I know that not everyone would use one much or care as much about bore condition but it has been good for me. I learned years ago about the benefits of rifling over pitting concerns. Heck, even clean bores in many guns don't improve shooting accuracy. But, the borescope I have has definitely allowed me the ability to enjoy my hobby more. (I am one of the few who enjoys cleaning guns, by the way. Great past time!) There are many less expensive digital scopes available now that are easy to use.