Barrel Damage or Gunsmithing?

Today I shot my first handloads for this rifle, a Savage 340e in 22 Hornet. Maybe because I was paying extra attention, I noticed the gouge or cutout shown in this photo:

Attachment 294591

If you zoom on the photo you can see right above the feed ramp there is a depression. I wasn't able to capture all of it in the picture, but it's almost exactly 180 degrees. I'm trying to determine if this is damage to the chamber or if it was cut there intentionally. My hypothesis right now is this is an extractor relief cut.

I have been doing some "Google-fu" but haven't turned up a picture of one of these to compare. Any shared expertise would be greatly appreciated!

Looks like it was done to improve feeding!

It appears th e smith "blended" the barrel edge there to the feed ramp to relieve scraping rounds be chambered and smooth feeding. Other wise when the round comes up the ramp it will grab on that corner and lock up,

Looks like it belongs there, like the similar ones you see on auto-pistols.
Without knowing its history, or being real familiar with that model of Savage, I'd guess the factory made it that way.

Don't Think it is detrimental ...It should shoot fine!

Shoot it. You will be fine. I agree with others. Looks like it was done to feed smoother. My 340 is a blast.

Are there any witness marks left on the brass after firing?

1. Does it feed reliably? If yes, move on the the next question.
2. Does it extract reliably? If yes, move on to the next question.
3. Does it deform the brass? If no, move on to the next question. If yes, will it shorten brass life? If no, move on to the next question.
4.Is the gun accurate? If yes, forget about, If not then consider replacing the barrel or the gun.

Not sure - but I can shoot a pic of the same rifle when I get home from work

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Originally Posted by deltaenterprizes

Looks like it was done to improve feeding!

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Yep, I've done it to several rifles to solve feed issues. As long as it doesn't go beyond the web of the case, you are good to go.

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Originally Posted by country gent

It appears th e smith "blended" the barrel edge there to the feed ramp to relieve scraping rounds be chambered and smooth feeding. Other wise when the round comes up the ramp it will grab on that corner and lock up,

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Thank you country gent. It feeds extremely well.

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

Looks like it belongs there, like the similar ones you see on auto-pistols.
Without knowing its history, or being real familiar with that model of Savage, I'd guess the factory made it that way.

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Thanks.

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Originally Posted by JWFilips

Don't Think it is detrimental ...It should shoot fine!

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It does!

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Originally Posted by Outer Rondacker

Shoot it. You will be fine. I agree with others. Looks like it was done to feed smoother. My 340 is a blast.

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Thank you. Might be my favorite rifle to shoot, especially once I finish working up cast handloads.

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Originally Posted by deltaenterprizes

Looks like it was done to improve feeding!

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It feeds great!

My one question if this was done to improve feeding: is it likely the portion of the chamber that was removed leaves a less supported area of the case head that could cause a problem?

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Originally Posted by DougGuy

Are there any witness marks left on the brass after firing?

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None to speak of. I've read that the 340s are "brass wreckers," but I'm shooting reasonable loads right now, not putting a lot of strain on the brass.

I think you are overly concerned over something that isn't an issue at all. If it feeds, there is no risk of unsupported case where the feed ramp is chamfered, I don't see a problem at all. I would use it and shoot it to your heart's content!

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Originally Posted by ulav8r

1. Does it feed reliably? If yes, move on the the next question.
2. Does it extract reliably? If yes, move on to the next question.
3. Does it deform the brass? If no, move on to the next question. If yes, will it shorten brass life? If no, move on to the next question.
4.Is the gun accurate? If yes, forget about, If not then consider replacing the barrel or the gun.

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Thanks ulav8r. Answers:
1. Never once had a feed problem.
2. Extraction has been sticky. The first 20 or so rounds I put through the gun, there were 4 or 5 cases that stayed in the chamber when I opened the bolt. I would have to cycle the bolt several times to get them out (or just use a rod from the muzzle end). That issue cleared up, mostly, after the gun was fired and cleaned a few times. But today it happened once out of about 30 rounds. I also had a few rounds where the bolt didn't want to open. It unlocked easily but didn't want to pull back. I'm inclined to say these were also stuck casings.
3. No it doesn't seem to be deforming the brass.
4. It's been accurate so far, but I've shot it using different ammo and under different conditions so I don't have extensive data yet. I was getting a dime-sized group at 25 yards when I first sighted it in. That was shooting off my elbows.

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Originally Posted by waksupi

Yep, I've done it to several rifles to solve feed issues. As long as it doesn't go beyond the web of the case, you are good to go.

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Thank you waksupi.

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Originally Posted by DougGuy

I think you are overly concerned over something that isn't an issue at all. If it feeds, there is no risk of unsupported case where the feed ramp is chamfered, I don't see a problem at all. I would use it and shoot it to your heart's content!

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Thank you. I was just concerned about the possibility that it was damage to the chamber, and not any kind of gunsmithing at all. I'm treading carefully since I've had few used rifles, and this one is getting on 50 years old. Just making sure before I get comfortable with this sweet rifle.

Yup.
Extractor cut. Mine has the exact same thing.

Thanks very much to everyone who responded.

Load development can continue!

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It's good that you were concerned...………

Once upon a time, at a LGS I bought an excellent condition, but used, Sako L46 chambered in .222; BUT, when I pulled the barreled action from the stock for a going over, there the bottom of the barrel under the stock was roll stamped "Remington".

Ya never know, until you investigate deeply.

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STOP SHOOTING IT AND SEND IT TO THIS ADDRESS TO BE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF!!!!!:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

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Originally Posted by todd9.3x57

stop shooting it and send it to this address to be properly disposed of!!!!!:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

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Best response yet :grin: