Brown streaks in a new bore - normal?

[gunsrfun1]

I was about to buy a rifle today - older but never fired - and looking down the muzzle with a flashlight shining on the lands and grooves at the muzzle, I noticed some brown, regular streaks in the grooves. However, with a bore light shining from the breach end of the barrel, the barrel looked just fine. I didn't see any pitting or what looked like rust per se. But I passed until I know more.
The gun has been stored barrel-up in a gun cabinet in a living room for probably 15 years. I don't think the bore was ever oiled or swabbed with any type of rust-preventive.
I know that bluing is "controlled rust," but is the bore of a blued barrel also blued, so that it might show some brown streaking?
I guess I had never really thought about it, but what is a new (non-chrome lined) bore supposed to look like as far as color?
Thanks

 

[rodregier]

Some new factory barrels come with grease or other "stuff" in the bore.

If it was mine I would clean the bore and then evaluate.

 

[gunsrfun1]

Kinda what I was thinking, but unfortunately I am not able to do so before I buy it.

 

[Jackal]

Could be copper from the factory.

 

[JohnKSa]

Could be copper from the factory.

That would be my guess.

 

[Gtscotty]

Obviously I haven't seen the barrel you're talking about, but I would be pretty confident saying it's copper. I could go pick a few rifles out of the safe right now and see something similar.

 

[tark]

Grab some copper remover and see if that fixes the problem I'm betting it will. A little copper buildup is sometimes inevitable. It won't hurt anything as long as it wasn't put there by corrosive ammo.

 

[gunsrfun1]

Thank you all. Just confirming, from what you all have been saying (before I would buy this gun) -- this could be normal for an UNFIRED gun, correct? I think what you are saying is that it could have been test-fired at the factory, right?
I assume that "rust" (and I have seen a rusty barrel before, this does not look like it) would not leave a "regular" pattern like I am seeing, correct?
Thanks again.

 

[Fremmer]

I would think it's grease or oil from the factory.

The factory wouldn't test fire enough times to leave copper in the bore, would it?

If it is copper, I'd guess the rifle was shot by someone, and more than just a few times.

 

[gunsrfun1]

Thank you and good point. The gun is around 15 years old, has been sitting in the cabinet since he bought it. I know the guy to be honest, so I do believe it is unfired. I was just concerned it could be some type of rust. Seems like the consensus is that it is not.

 

[rsrocket1]

If he bought it new and never fired it for 15 years, it may be decomposing grease or oil. At first I thought this was at a store, but since it is at a friend's house, offer to run a cleaning patch down the bore and then offer to run a patch with lubricant/protectant down the bore. By looking at the patch, you should be able to tell whether it is gunk or rust and even if you don't buy the gun, you are doing this guy a favor in protecting the bore for another few years.

He really should know how to protect his guns a little better.

Unless that stuff is cosmoline...

 

[Sunray]

Won't be copper from anywhere. Copper doesn't turn brown and not all rifles are factory test fired.
More likely just a bit of grease. Could even be a cob web or spider web after sitting in what would be assumed a warm, dry, place for 15 years.
Like rodregier says, clean it first.

 

[Snyper]

Thank you all. Just confirming, from what you all have been saying (before I would buy this gun) -- this could be normal for an UNFIRED gun, correct?

There are very few "unfired" guns in the world, and some discoloration in a barrel is normal in all guns

I wouldn't assume it's anything detrimental without cleaning it first.

Most likely it's just dried oil or grease residue

Even some 100+ year old military surplus barrels with horrible looking bores can shoot quite well

 

[Gtscotty]

Won't be copper from anywhere. Copper doesn't turn brown and not all rifles are factory test fired.

Not true, copper in the bore has a light-brown orange-ish look, I just checked a couple of my rifles, and the .243 has some visible brown-ish copper streaks near the muzzle. I couldn't get a decent picture, but there are some online.

OP, do the brown streaks look anything like this?



or this:

 

[Malamute]

I believe its copper also. All guns are proof fired. It doesnt take lots of rounds to leave fouling. Most brand new barrels have some tools marks that will quickly collect copper in the roughness. This is part of what "breaking in" of a barrel is about, to remove that fouling and let succeding shots help polish the bore surface rather than just add fouling to the first bits.

A good cleaning with a copper capable solvent should show blue/green on the patches.

 

[Jackal]

Remember, there is no such thing as an "unfired" gun.

 

[gunsrfun1]

GTScotty - I would say it looks closer to your second picture, but if I recall correctly, the coloring is in the grooves, not on the lands. Thanks.

 

[tark]

It is quite possible for a bullet to leave copper fouling in the lands. It would depends on how the barrel was rifled. I don't know what the predominant method is today, but the are two main ways that I know, cut and hammer forged. If it were cut rifling and the cutter was near the end of it's service life, it may have been a but worn and rough on its high surfaces; which would be the LOW surfaces in the barrel, which are the grooves. If the grooves are rough and the lands aren't guess where the fouling will be.....

As others have point out, there is no such thing as an unfired gun. If it leaves the factory it has been proof tested and almost certainly fired several times afterward to make sure everything is working properly. Also, with modern ammo (as in clean, non-corrosive) most manufactures do little more than a quick swab of the bore, which won't remove anything but unburned and burned powder residue.

The best thing you can do is get a hold of the gun, give it a good cleaning and see what you get. If you still see the streaks, but the rifling looks clean and sharp, I wouldn't worry about it! I would be far more concerned about pitting. If the brown was rust, you will see pitting. If you see pitting I STILL would not necessarily panic.

I have several rifles with pitted bores that shoot very well, indeed. My 1898 Krag has the worst bore I have ever seen on a rifle that was still shootable. It was so bad I even did a thread on it a couple of months back.

Yesterday I shot a near MOA group with it at 100 yards. It shot exactly to point of aim. Go figure....