Barrel issue on a FEG PA-63

[BrittB]

I was looking at getting a FEG PA-63 with around a 4" barrel on it. After test firing it around 20 times using out of the box 9X18 shells, I took it home and cleaned it up. While cleaning the barrel I noticed a inside out bulge in the bore about 1/2" back from the crown. It's only about as deep as the rifling, maybe less, but you can see the bulge on the outside of the barrel too. Apparently, he knew about it before giving it to me but didn't think it was an issue because it had been that way for some time. The fact that he didn't tell me before hand really pisses me off and now he says he won't lower the price any so I'm walking away from the whole mess.
My question is, will this barrel last or is it a ticking time bomb? Also, what could have caused this?

 

[James K]

It sounds like a barrel obstruction (probably a bullet) was shot out, bulging the barrel. Usually the bulge is enough to interfere with slide movement, so someone likely enlarged the slide hole or filed down the barrel bulge.

I doubt the gun will blow up; usually the bullet just expands a bit then is sized down again, but if the previous owner was aware of the problem, it was not very ethical to sell the gun without informing the purchaser.

As a practical matter, you have little recourse and walking away may be the best bet. If you want, try www.gunpartscorp.com for a new barrel.

Jim

 

[BrittB]

It's such a nice little gun and it shoots very well. I may shop around and see if I can find an inexpensive replacement barrel for it first. The 9X18 is just like a high performance .380 which is kinda nice.