Do you think I got screwed, or is it just part of the hobby?

Ok guys, sorry I haven't updated you, but with the holidays and work travel I've been busy the last month. I pulled the engine out and stripped it down to the shortblock. After pulling the heads I immediately saw what I thought was the problem. On the number one cylinder, there is definite piston scuffing that has taken place on the cylinder wall. It is a wide vertical scuff that is probably 1/2" wide that has removed the crosshatch. It is not on the thrust side of the cylinder, but on the header side (side of block). Upon further investigation, I found that all the cylinders had some degree of scuffing, however this cylinder was the worst. After talking to the machinist, he said to go ahead and pull the #1 piston (the one with the 30% leakdown) and see what the problem was. So I pulled it, but there is no visible problems to me with the rings or piston, other than that scuff marks on the skirts. Also, with the piston removed, I could see the scuffing goes all the way down the cylinder. So that is where it currently stands, as the engine is now at his shop being disassembled to see what the problem is. I do not know what all can cause this to happen, but I have a feeling since it has been this way since built that it may have been a machining or tolerancing error, and now has so much slop that the noise was actually the piston instead of a bearing. Any other people have 416 strokers who have experienced this?