If yer buddy has any experience with using conicals in the Omega hecan remove the breech plug and push a full bore bullet through the barrel. He will be able to tell the difference if there is any bulging. In my Omega from the muzzle half way down it is loose and then it is a fairly tight fit to the breech. If I did not already know how the fit was, I couldn't determine anything from pushing a bullet through. However, at every distance that the bullet loosed up you could very carefully check the exterior of the barrel for signs of stress. Just another thought on how to check everything over before pulling the trigger again.
By the way, the reason I know you can push the bullet all the way through is because when you forget to put the powder in first........