I'll preface this with the fact that no one from this site, besides myself, is involved in the following issue. Looking for input with the understanding that I believe that the issue described is my own, and I'll have to eat the cost of fixing it - if you think other wise, or agree that it's on me, please say so.

I purchased a gently used shotgun - Beretta 686 12ga Sporting Model, original owner purchased new in March and said no more than 250 shells through it - from another individual from another state. Pictures indicated everything was in excellent condition, and the payment, shipping and transfer went without a hitch. Looked everything over when it arrived and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary - it seemed as described. Eager to try it out, I took it to a local 5-stand course on Saturday morning with some Winchester AA factory loads. After 100 shells, I looked down the barrel and noticed there was some "crap" - looked to me like melted plastic - on the inside of the choke on the bottom barrel. Tried to remove the choke, but it wouldn't budge. I also noticed a small bulge in the side of the barrel on the side of the choke. Took the gun over to Bowers, where Rob pronounced it "fucked." Apparently the choke cracked and is expanded into the bulge in the barrel.

I sent a message to the seller to asking if they were aware of any issues, and they said no. Beretta Customer Service is closed until tomorrow, but reading their site I don't think they're going to be much help since I'm not the original purchaser. The seller included the blank warranty card, but I haven't filled it out. It seems wrong to me to claim to be the original owner. I'll call them tomorrow to see if there's anything they can do to help, but I don't expect much. I'll also reach out to Winchester - Rob said the best he could think of was that we had a partial squib where a hull got stuck in the choke and another load was shot behind it - I don't recall seeing anything, but I suppose it's possible. I don't recall any odd recoil or reports while shooting, and I've shot tens of thousands of shotgun shells in my life. I'm not expecting them to do anything either, and the seller has not offered additional assistance. A new barrel set according to Beretta's website is just shy of $1300 - just a few hundred shy of what I have into the whole gun.

I presume I'll make calls to the respective companies, only to then be directed to the local sand pit with compacting instructions - anyone have an idea I haven't considered? Am I hosed here?

Thanks for the help!