1938 S/42 P08 - Pitting Barrel?

[cyanghost]

Hi all,

While cleaning and lubricating my P08 after a fun range session, I decided to look inside the barrel for the heck of it. I noticed that it looks a little rougher than my other guns of a similar age.

Pictures are attached, I now they aren't great since I had a hard time getting my camera to focus properly. Is the barrel pitting or do they normally look like this? Thank you!!

[DavidJayUden]

The rifling looks a bit worn, especially in the first 2 photos. Are the first 2 actual photos of a Luger barrel from the chamber with the barrel extension attached?
I believe that the consensus around here is that if it shoots well, no harm, no foul. Some pretty rough bores seem to shoot accurately.
dju

[DonVoigt]

Yes, the barrel is pitted, and worn; not "normal".
But as DJU said, if it shoots , just keep it brushed and clean and enjoy it.

[Doubs]

It appears to have quite a bit of fouling that may clean up some with a tight bore brush.

Your last pictures shows strong rifling but the bore certainly has some pitting.

As already said, if it shoots well then it's good to go. Lugers with peppery bores often shoot better than they look.

[Freischütz]

My Steyr

[Freischütz]

Trying it again. My Steyr 1912's bore is rougher than that. And it still shoots well with jacketed bullets. But there's lots of leading with cast. After shooting the bore will never clean up the way an unpitted bore will.

[DavidJayUden]

I wonder what just a smidgen of lapping compound would do for it?
dju

[rhuff]

I own a 1921 DWM alphabet Luger with a bore like a sewer pipe(worse than yours), and it remains very accurate at the distances that I shoot. I shoot both lead and jacketed bullets through it.

[cyanghost]

Thanks for the answers! With your replies in mind, I have two more questions:

1) How can I prevent it from getting worse?
2) Will aggressively and repeatedly running the bronze bore brushes through make it worse? Or is there no harm in doing this?

As for the first question, I'm assuming the best thing I can do is a) run only clean ammo and b) run a few patches of Ballistol through it after each range session.

For the second question, I'm assuming that it won't since there is a lot of dirt buried within the pitted areas and the bronze brush is helpful in "digging" it out. I noticed that I was able to keep going on this, but I wanted to stop just in case I was doing it too much.

Am I correct in these assumptions? Thank you!

[Sergio Natali]

Just clean it properly after every use, avoid heavy loads and corrosive primers.

I've been using BALLISTOL, brass brushes, clean patches and a lot of elbow grease for decades and never had an issue.

[4 Scale]

I think your barrel is in fair condition with moderate wear/corrosion. Typical.

Originally Posted by cyanghost

1) How can I prevent it from getting worse?

2) Will aggressively and repeatedly running the bronze bore brushes through make it worse? Or is there no harm in doing this?

1) Apply lubricant after cleaning. IMO thicker lubricants, such as greases ( I use Rig) provide more protection.

2) Generally barrels are not harmed by bronze brushes as they are softer than the steel in the barrel. But why bother with 'aggressive'?

When I began collecting Lugers I was concerned about corrosion. I now believe my concern was misplaced. Corrosion cannot be reversed. It does not seem to affect accuracy. I own one shooter with a perfect bore, one with a badly worn/corroded bore, and cannot tell the difference in accuracy. This actually makes sense when you think about it, as corrosion only removes metal and the remaining oxide is soft. As long as enough of the rifling remains to spin the bullet, why would metal removal via corrosion impact accuracy?

As far as 'dirt in the pits' I don't see how a bore brush will help beyond a few strokes at an initial cleaning, as such material is by definition below the average bore surface.

My approach now is to clean and lubricate thoroughly at purchase then stop, then clean occasionally (shooters) or grease the bore of collectibles that I don't shoot, once or twice a year. I find I'm now a happier collector than when I used to furiously scrub and clean worn/corroded bores.

[cyanghost]

Thanks for the answers and reassurance, all! For the record, I am less concerned about this gun as a shooter than I am about it being an important piece of history that needs to be preserved for as long as possible. I have a strong interest in history and archiving/preserving it and older guns are certainly no exception to that rule.

Ultimately, it sounds like the best way to go is to keep treating it the same way I treat all my guns: keep it cleaned and lubricated after each use or a few times per year if I don't shoot it.

[Major Tom]

The only problem with bore pitting and/or 'frosting' is that it will bother future buyers and lower selling price. My 1924 P08 caliber 30, has serious frosting and some pitting, but is very accurate. Now if I were to consider buying a $25,000 gun, then YES, pitting/frosting would concern me.