Yep!
When Bill Ruger finally decided that the company needed to start making their own barrels around 1990, he did a lot of research and decided on hammer-forging, buying machinery from a company in Germany. The consistency of Ruger barrels immediately improved considerably, but continued to improve: One of Ruger's production honchos told me this was because even though hammer-forging sounds like an "automatic" process, it still requires some experience from the operator(s) for the best results.
All of which is partly why Ruger American Rifles immediately acquired a reputation for grouping very well: RARs appeared in 2012....
One of the smarter things Ruger ever did. Good barrels heal many sins
I bought a used Hawkeye some years ago, and it was an "eye opening experience"
to see the varieties of bore condition in different rifles. I bought a Ruger No 1 in 6mm Remington from 1976, and the rifling looks like the Ghost of Harry Pope and Krieger collaborated, taking a year to make it. An earlier #1 in the same chambering looked in terrific condition on the outside. The bore was burned to a crisp for about a foot in front of the chamber.
A borescope is a great tool. Might have to get a Teslong, just for the picture taking ability.
