Savage Barrel Problem?

[dbo]

I just bought a new 116 in .338 (replacing the stolen Ruger) and I'm in the process of cleaning it.  So far I've used Outers foaming bore cleaner and there is a TON of copper fouling, is this normal?  
 
The second possible problem I see is that inspecting the barrel, it seems like the crown is messed up.  By that I mean it's not smooth, it's slightly jagged in a couple of spots.  
 
To me it looks as if either:  a) it was test fired at the factory and they didn't do a very good job of cleaning it (hence the deep blue patches coming out the muzzle) or b) they cleaned it half-assed and damaged the crown in the process.
 
What's your take on this?  
 
Thanks

[mjbgalt]

my take is, if it puts three shots into an inch or two at 100 yards, who cares. i mean, they test shoot em at the factory and none of mine look like they were cleaned afterward. and they always do the job. so shoot it and let THAT make up your mind.

[handirifle]

Yea I agree with the test fire advice.  I've seen some barrels that looked screwed up make one jagged hole before.

If it scatters bullets, send it back, but test it first, it might save a lot of hassle and down time.

[safetysheriff]

I've seen some Remingtons that didn't look particularly clean, nor perfectly crowned.....and they were Shooters !     With the Remingtons, however, the forged barrels may be smoother and ultimately will foul less from metal than the Savage button rifling which can be rather rough until it gets smoothed out from shooting.  

If you do start shooting it, as the guys have said, then clean it Very Frequently so you don't 'iron' all that copper into the pores of the barrel.   It will not help with barrel life if you get that copper pushed into the pores.    

See www.long-range.com for postings re: problems and successes with Savage rifles.    

Good shooting.

SS'