bend a barrel by dropping it?

My Savage 99 .308 was leaning against a chair yesterday, and as reached to move it, it slipped out of my hand and fell over, striking a wooden display cabinet. The top edge of the barrel left a bit of a divot (sort of a half-moon) in the wood but the crown was not touched. I'm a bit concerned if the barrel could be bent from hitting the cabinet. I can't see any obvious sign of a bend, and laying a straight-edge (torpedo level in this case) along the barrel also indicated no obvious damage. I even compared how the level lay against my .243 99 and saw no difference. What are the odds that I did not do any harm? Thanks for any help; I feel pretty dumb about the whole episode.
Gary

I want to add that I've looked down the barrel from both ends with a bore-light and can see nothing unusual regarding the rifling. I used a dental mirror to inspect from the breech end.

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Originally Posted by Texgunner

My Savage 99 .308 was leaning against a chair yesterday, and as reached to move it, it slipped out of my hand and fell over, striking a wooden display cabinet. The top edge of the barrel left a bit of a divot (sort of a half-moon) in the wood but the crown was not touched. I'm a bit concerned if the barrel could be bent from hitting the cabinet.

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Its fine. It would take a lot more than a little bump to bend a barrel. Now if you used it as a pry bar digging out rocks.....:p

Bill

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Originally Posted by BillPa

Its fine. It would take a lot more than a little bump to bend a barrel. Now if you used it as a pry bar digging out rocks.....:p

Bill

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+ 1

You know how many bent 99 barrels there would be if it happened every time a guy leaned a gun against a tree and it slipped off!

I've dropped my Win94 30-30, from 4 feet, onto concrete, right on the muzzle, and it didn't affect it's shooting ability whatsoever... put a big concrete gouge/imprint in it though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps19421848.jpg

That is it at the top.

These things are a lot tougher than you might think.

Recently saw a Mythbusters episode and they bent a barrel 180 degrees and it still shot, albeit the aim was a little off.
Does this answer your question, no. Does it make you feel any better, no.
Have i waisted my time and yours in typing this out, yes.

Do i need another coffe............................yes.

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Originally Posted by BillPa

Its fine. It would take a lot more than a little bump to bend a barrel. Now if you used it as a pry bar digging out rocks.....:p

Bill

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Thanks for helping put my mind at ease Bill. It seemed to smack that wood pretty hard, but it didn't have far too fall I reckon and didn't have all that much weight behind it when it hit. It did luckily miss the glass doors on the cabinet by about 1/2". That and the fact that the Butler Creek lens cap on the rear of the scope kept the scope from hitting the floor was a lucky break. Lol, nah, I'm not gonna be using her for a pry bar either!

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Originally Posted by Mad Dog

You know how many bent 99 barrels there would be if it happened every time a guy leaned a gun against a tree and it slipped off!

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Mad Dog, I had thought of that actually, but figured the floor of the woods would be softer than that ash it did hit! My Swiss K31 did in fact slip out of my cold, gloved hands last season, but the leaves cushioned that too.

Thanks to all you gentlemen for easing my mind; you know how you can start imagining all sorts of things in a situation like this. Gunome, get yourself that coffee mate! She'll be apples!:cool:
Gary

[QUOTE=110_Tactical;25778 These things are a lot tougher than you might think.[/QUOTE]

Think bayonet :p

Just think of the pressure pushing the bullet out of the barrel!

Wasn't it the Germans during WWII that developed a curved barrel to shoot around corners? It worked, but heated up the barrel so much that each one only got 50 or 100 rounds before it was useless.
Was it here that someone posted; they leaned their rifle against the truck, got in the truck, forgot the gun, and ran it over?
Get a new barrel for that one.
dc