Bore Scope - New Toy

[mycanoe44]

Just got a Teslong 0.2" rifle borescope HD camera from Amazon and have been checking out (3) M1 barrels. It's pretty cool and a lot of fun looking into places you can't normally see.

This is what you get for $49. Includes a mini USB adapter, directions, camera cover, and 3 mirrors that screw onto the end of the camera to see at right angles. This one plugs into your device using USB and works with Windows, Mac, and Android phones. There is an $80 model that is wireless bluetooth and works with iPhone and Bluetooth devices. The rectangular box in the USB cord is a brightness adjustment. For all these pics, I had it turned down as low as it would go.





For the .30 barrels, I wrapped masking tape around the camera and mirror attachment to steady and center it in the bore and keep the mirror from spinning on the threads. You focus the mirror by screwing it in or out on the threads.








First up is a 4,638,1xx IHC with an Excel/Gardner import marked LMR 6-53 barrel. Readings are MW 3.5+ and TE 3. I found some big deep pits under the front hand guard and the barrel has been freshly reparked, so I figured the bore wasn't going to be pretty. I brushed and patched over and over with Hoppe's #9, Kroil, and Foaming bore cleaner. Nasty looking patches, finally gave up, it never did patch clean.

Starting from the muzzle end using the right angle mirror here is the crown and end of rifling. That's what 3.5+ MW looks like. This barrel was obviously shot with corrosive ammo without proper cleaning.








Moving down the barrel is the gas port. Starting to look nasty and pitted.

[mycanoe44]

The round circle is the mirror and tray. You can also see the bore to the side of the mirror. Farther down the bore, the lands and grooves. Those are not bumps, but pits. You sometimes have to refocus your eyes as the pits look like bumps and the lands look like grooves. All of a sudden your eyes will adjust, like those eye illusions.








This is the Leade and start of the lands. We will compare this to better barrels and you will see this is worn but not horrible.





Next is the end of the Chamber. That line of corrosion is between the end of the brass and the front edge of the chamber.

[mycanoe44]

This is the start of the lands, looking towards the receiver without the mirror attached. This is a good overall view of the bore, but the area in focus in front of the camera is narrow.





Now we are moving from the receiver towards the end of the barrel without the mirror. First up is the chamber. This is a nice view of the shoulder and end of the chamber. Again the focus area is narrow.





As we move down the bore, I tried covering the end of the barrel in different ways to improve the view and lighting. This is the start of the lands.





Midway down the barrel. Don't know what those patches are.





This is getting close to the end with the gas port in view. I used a yellow silicone plug in the end of the barrel.





Here is the very end and I'm covering the crown with my black iPhone cover.





This IHC rifle was imported back into the US by Excel/Gardner who I assume reparked it. From what I've read, they were known for having pretty corroded shot out barrels. Other than that, It's a beautiful rifle with all IHC parts in a beautiful factory scallop repaired IHC numbered stock with matching hand guards. If I find a decent LMR replacement barrel, I may replace it someday. I have plenty of others to shoot.

[mycanoe44]

Just messing around now. This is the gas port and threads in the gas cylinder.





.257 A.I. case without mirror. This is Nosler brass, all prepped and ready to load right out of the box. Max of 6/10s gn weight difference in this box of 50, 70% are within 2/10s gn. This one has been fired 6 times. Very nice brass, better even than my Lapua match .223 brass.





With mirror looking at side of .257 case. This was SS pin wet tumbled. They look very shiny with out the camera. With the camera it looks somewhat mottled.





30'06 case out of the scrap bin. I think this was ultrasonically cleaned before chucking it.





The mirror in as far as it will go. Seeing the start of the perforation.





Inside a nasty .303 milsurp Berden scrap case.





This is a 7.62 Berdan milsurp case. There was a green corrosion spot on the outside of the case in this spot.

[mycanoe44]

Back to comparing barrels. Next up is my CMP Toelle Arsenal built M1D. SA 3,377,8xx with a new SA 11-52 barrel. MW 1.5, TE 3.0. I didn't think it had been fired but there was a little copper residue in the grooves before I cleaned it.

I forgot to mention that the camera was plugged into my MacBook Pro set to full screen. On the bottom of the camera screen is a button to take a picture of what you're looking at. It saves thumbnails along the bottom which you can save to a folder on your computer. On a mac, this is in an application called Photo Booth. I didn't have to download anything, when I plugged the camera in it just came up as Teslong camera.





Before cleaning





After cleaning





Leade and start of lands. Pretty rough machining, must have been a dull tool.





This is the area at the end of the brass and the very end of the chamber neck area. Moving towards the receiver.





This is a rough machining area in the body of the chamber, just back of the shoulder.





This is the crown and lands.





Not perfect, but much better than the IHC. I have not shot this rifle, so I have no accuracy data.

[mycanoe44]

Last is my CMP .308 Special HRA 5,724,7xx. Brand new Criterion 1-10 barrel. MW 0.0, TE ? (no .308 gauge).

Here's the crown and land. Nice!!





This is the gas port. Looks like some erosion? I've only shot maybe 40 rounds through this rifle. It went from a 5" 8 shot group at 100 yards out of the box, to 3" 8 shot group after some stock fitting and accuracy mods. I'm sure it will do better with some more fitting, the CMP stock is quite beautiful but the fit was horrible. I should put it in a different stock set and see if it shoots better.





Nice bore here!





Some residue here. Not sure what it is, it's not fibers, cracks or indentations. I brushed the heck out of it with Hoppe's #9 for the pics. Not sure how to get this out. Need to shoot it some more, clean and recheck.








Leade and start of lands.





Forward chamber edge.





Chamber area, very shiny!!

[mycanoe44]

I'm really happy with this rifle bore camera for the money. For $49, you can't go wrong. I think it will have many uses besides bores. I like the fact that you could check your much fired brass to see if there's any sign of head separation from the inside. Better than scratching around in there with a dental pick feeling for rings.

With the new vehicles with coil packs on each plug which are recessed way down in the top of the engine, this would allow you to look down into the cylinder if needed.

It says it's highly moisture resistant, so you could maybe check out a drain, look inside the Thanksgiving turkey, your nose, throat, or check to see if there really is a bug up your a**.

[pmiya]

I had to get a new mirror piece after I lost the mirror. When I ordered it I saw that they had a kit with several different size mirrors. It's a set of 4 size: 12mm for .45, 8.3mm for .35, 7mm for .30 and 5mm for .22. I don't remember how much I paid for the mirror kit but it was fairly reasonable.

[mac1911]

i have one of the $14 ones. The mirror was awful.
I still like using it.

That strange "fiber" looks more like a flaw in the alloy of the steel ? Maybe send a pic off to Criterion and see what they say?

[mycanoe44]

Originally Posted by pmiya

I had to get a new mirror piece after I lost the mirror. When I ordered it I saw that they had a kit with several different size mirrors. It's a set of 4 size: 12mm for .45, 8.3mm for .35, 7mm for .30 and 5mm for .22. I don't remember how much I paid for the mirror kit but it was fairly reasonable.

I'm going to order that mirror kit. It's $20 + free shipping. Much easier than wrapping and unwrapping tape.