I recently picked up a battered old Marlin M-101 single shot bolt action that I intend to refinish. I figure that it will make a nice light squirrel rifle. The outside is rough but the bore is nice and shiny with the exception of one strange thing- out near the muzzle there is a perfect ring in the bore-the rifling stops, theres the ring and the rifling starts again. There are no bulges on the outside of the barrel, and the ring looks to perfect to be an accident. I had the gunsmith look at it before I bought it and he was puuzled as well. He said that it looked like it was put there by the factory, and would not affect safety.
I have only shot it at 25 feet so far and it holds a ragged one hole group, so it looks like accuracy is not affected. I figured that if the ring starts to affects accuracy I will lop the 1-1/2" off and get rid of the ring and have it recrowned.
Anyone familiar with these guns or seen a ring in the bore like this?
Scott.
