Postman, I feel your pain! That description clears this up some! This is the only area in the bore where a cold hammer forged barrel could show tool marks. However these marks can be polished out, by a knowledgeable smith without any ill effect.

These cuts are, IMO, the result of an over used chambering reamer, or a tiny shaving getting hung in the reamer and not noticed by the tech doing the chambering. In any event it should have been polished out in the lead, but if the rifle shoots properly it really doesn't matter to anything but a perfectionist's mindset! I fully understand your thinking, as I'm guilty of that mindset as well. I think all rabid double rifle people are just a little on the perfectionist side!

I must admit that I haven't personally looked that close to the lead in any of my Merkels. You have me looking for a bore scope as we speak.