"Ripples" in Win. M70 Barrel!!!??

[matttyson]

Hey all the gunsmiths out there; at the range today I noticed that there are 4 "ripples" in my barrel.  They are visible with the naked eye because of the slightly discolored metal (stainless steel barrel) and you can easily feel them when you run your fingers down the barrel.  Anyone got any ideas? Here is some more info:

Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless 30-06
Bought new in 2001 or 2002
Shot 300-500 times since new
Ripples are felt 360 degrees around the barrel
The rough location is where the barrel is engraved with caliber
The barrel was cleaned prior to shooting today.  Obstruction in the barrel is unlikely.
While shooting today (and in the past) I always let the barrel cool after shooting 3-5 times max.
I quite shooting after noticing the ripples.


Again, any help is appreciated and let me know if I can answer any more questions.  Thanks!

[Kittman]

Not a professional gunsmith here, but stainless steel can easily be galled.  Without pictures I would guess that the tooling at the factory was a bit on the dull side when your barrel was milled.  I don't know that I would worry too much about it unless it is going pretty deep down into the metal, or there is something drastically changing with the affected area all of the sudden.

[WoodlandShooter]

is it a hammer forger barrel?

[matttyson]

Here is a picture.  You can see the dark lines.  I have no idea on the hammer forged question.  I talked to Winchester/Browning and a local (Wenatchee) gunsmith and they both think it could be a bulge due to obstruction, without seeing the rifle.  Which would hurt my ego a bit as I am meticulous in my cleaning/maintenance practices.

[Kittman]

If there was an obstruction inside the barrel, quite possibly you would not be here on this forum discussing it now.

[YukonHunter]

Is there a chance oil got in your barrel and not removed all the way.  The exact thing happened to a friends rifle.

[matttyson]

Update:  I had the barrel scoped by another gunsmith and he didn't see any budging on the inside. On his recommendation I opted to send the rifle back to Winchester so they can examine.  I will let everyone know what I find out.  Thanks for the replies.

[jmscon]

Any updates on this?

[NW-GSP]

?

[jmscon]

?

Said it was sent to Winchester to get examined, well what did they say?

[thinkingman]

I'm going to guess it's a result of hammer forging.
No concerns regarding safety.