Model 63 - Bad spot inside barrel?

[mudtoy67]

A couple years ago I dug a Model 63 .22LR out of my grandparents old camphouse and started using it. Being irresponsible I didn't clean it at all. It started to misfire more often than not recently so I decided to give it a good once-over. Pulled everything apart, cleaned the action, and reassembled. Went to clean the barrel and as I was running the swab in and out I find an easy spot about 1.5" from the crown. Got my trusty flashlight and it looks as though there is some sort of relief inside the barrel. It almost looks too perfect (as well as I can see) to be something created by accident.

Is this a bad thing, or is it really something that would have been done from the factory? If this is bad is there anything that can be done to fix it? Is it possible for a .22 round to tumble once it's that far down the barrel?

Kinda looks like this:

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1863/barrel6ip.jpg

Thanks in advance

[DANA]

Sounds as though you had a low powder shell and the next one drove the stuck bullet out. I had a 22 Springfield rifle that did the same.

DANA

[Mooseman684]

Honestly, there are several ways it can be repaired...first it could be re-barrelled if a replacement could be found. Second, it can be bored out and sleeved with a replacement liner by a competent Gunsmith. Third, the barrel could be machined from the crown to a point just beyond the bulge to remove the rifling to say a diameter of .250 by a competent Smith, and last, If you have the 23 inch barrel, it could be cutoff to 20 inches like the older models,recrowned, and remachined for the front sight. Re-barrelling with a replacement barrel will least affect the Value of the rifle than will the other 3 methods, which will lower the value. Talk to your Local Gunsmith if you have one and let him Inspect it and go from there !
Rich