New Brocock possible issue..

Just received a brand new Brocock Sniper XR Magnum. The bottle touches the barrel at the front of the bottle. Am I wrong thinking this could cause harmonic issues??

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I would suggest that you call AOA as they are the importer and may very well help you sort this out. They are great people and have been a help to me on several occasions.

They are the ones I have been dealing with. Bought it from them. They aren't exactly blowing me off just hoping I'll keep it and deal with it is the vibe I'm getting. 
 
It just doesn't seem right to me that it touches at all. I don't recall ever having that characteristic on any of my Snipers.

And, of course, the pressure exerted by the bottle on the shroud will vary, depending on whether the bottle is full or not, and is warm or not. So it will have the most pressure on the shroud (and affect POI?) when you have just filled the bottle and it is warm, and it will slowly reduce pressure on the shroud as you shoot the gun, the bottle cools and the pressure reduces.

I don't recall how the Sniper barrels are attached to the action: screwed in or held in with grub screws. Perhaps L.Leon can help out there. If just held in place with grub screws maybe the barrel needs re-alignment into the action?

Good luck and hope that it is a non-issue or that you can get it corrected quickly and easily.
 
I fixed the problem. I decided to loosen the barrel and turn it to make sure it wasn't bent. As soon as I loosened the shroud it went straight. I went ahead and spun the barrel which turns out to be perfect. I then loosened the shroud threaded mount back at the receiver and turned it 180 degrees so now when I tighten the shroud it pulls the barrel up just a little and the gap is perfect. Guessing either the end of the shroud or the face of the threaded mount isn't perfectly square. Should shoot ok I believe.

Thanks for letting me sound off guys!!
 
As you mentioned, the fact that the shroud shifts with the orientation of the base suggests a machining error. It might not prove to be an issue, but it should not be that way. You might try testing it in both positions, as well as without the shroud, just to see what the effect is on POI. If the tension away from the center of the bore results in a noticeable shift in POI, it could result in unexpected shifts in the future. Or, it might never change at all. Just something to explore. 
 
As you mentioned, the fact that the shroud shifts with the orientation of the base suggests a machining error. It might not prove to be an issue, but it should not be that way. You might try testing it in both positions, as well as without the shroud, just to see what the effect is on POI. If the tension away from the center of the bore results in a noticeable shift in POI, it could result in unexpected shifts in the future. Or, it might never change at all. Just something to explore.

This is a concern my son has. If the shroud is exerting pressure how can you count on it being the same all the time through temperature swings. Not an ideal situation.
 
The proof will be in how it shoots... so shoot it and let the groups do the talking.

Not to play word games, but in this case, my curiosity would be not how it shoots, but where it shoots. I had a similar issue with a shrouded barrel once. The groups were dynamite, but the POI would vary, not a huge issue at the range where you always have time for sighters, but not good in a hunting rifle. But, to the OP, I'm not suggesting you have a problem, but I think it's something worth analyzing. Or, simply tell AOA you desire an exchange for another rifle. I'm sure Brocock would never claim this to be their design intent.