I just bought a used 223 barrel that has had some heavy handed "fitting" work.
Since I wanted to practice fitting, I am not that disappointed, (although the condition was not disclosed before the sale). There is no bluing left on the pivot point, so I suspect that it has been worked on. The latch shelf is no longer flat. The barrel does not latch. The gap between the barrel and the frame looks square, but it is greater than .010
The "brinneling" on the under side of the latch extension is greater than it is on my other barrels.
The face of the underside of the latch shelf is .244 (a). On my other barrels it ranges from .236 to .240
My thinking is that I can square the latch shelf and take it down to where the barrel does latch. Then shim the pivot point to fit.
It seems like the alternative is to use it for a fishing weight, since I wouldn't want to drop it on anyone else.
Comments, cautions, concerns?
Modified Aha!?! It dawned on me that if the under side of the latch shelf is the problem then when I push the barrel back in the action the alignment will get screwed up. So I put in a test shim and held the action closed.
Looks to me like I should start on the under side of the latch shelf. Any expert suggestions?