I have two Remington 12 ga shotguns my Dad gave me, a Sportsman 58 and an 1100. Both have bulged barrels near their muzzles, he claims they were from “reloaded shells” he fired.
Both have nearly identical bulging, both about 1” from the muzzle. I think he got a bit of brush or debris in them while chasing quail and chuckar around the desert southwest. (He was a fanatical bird hunter for many decades.)
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The 1100 also has a dent in the rib. There are no nicks or scratches on the metal, it looks like something heavy fell on it and struck the rib. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened while it was bouncing around in a soft case in the back of our old Jeep Wagoneer on the way to a hunting spot, that poor old beast was his favorite hunting rig.
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Stuff happens. Hopefully the SA-22 gets fixed, or the barrel replaced, so the owner can go out and enjoy it again.
Stay safe.