Was eyeballing my frame in the area which stops the barrel by contacting the barrel lugs. I saw that I do have a bowtie, and the lugs are contacting it (now) but in looking closer, I saw a semicircular recess that had been battered into the top edge of the forward part of the frame's bowtie, just above the bow tie. This picture shows it:
In examining the barrel, I saw that there was a corresponding semicircular raised area at the very top of the lugs. This picture shows that:
In the second picture you can also see a bright area on the lugs where they contact the bowtie (underneath the arrowheads).
I don't think that ridge is supposed to be on the barrel lugs, but it now appears that it has created clearance for itself such that both the raised area of the lug and the portion below it are contacting the frame fully, although not in the same plane.
I guess the question is, what, if anything, should I do?
Nothing, that's the way it should be unless the barrel is being held high off the top of the frame. The radius (semicircle) is necessary, if it were a sharp edge strength is compromised and is easier to break. If the barrel beat the frame edge back it's because the front edge of the barrel bed was not mated the final bit. If it beat a flange in the frame I'd just dress it off but change nothing else.
It's hard to tell from the pic, but on the outside rear edge of the left lug behind the botom of the link pin it looks shiny, is this so and a corresponding mark on the frame? If so that should not be touching together.The lower tips are the same but I think it's light reflecting off the left one.There should be 0 contact between the frame and barrel below the bowtie, that's how the lower lugs get broke off the barrel.
Those are both reflections. There is no contact with the lower part of the lugs.
If the raised area on the barrel did not exist, why wouldn't the lugs have engaged completely to begin with? There really isn't a "radius" on either the barrel or the barrel bed. The "step" that has been battered by the barrel is just that - a step.
Oh, I assumed (yeah, I know) that you were calling the radius that should be there a step, sorry. Some have a small radius and some are cut pretty square. It appears they stopped shy or were jigged up off when they faced off the rear of the lugs, or it needed a little hand fit and wasn't done right.T hat's one area a square cut is undesirable, I'd call them and if you can get crisp pics send them to them and see what they say.