AN A320 PILOT REPORTS AN ACFT'S PREFLT RUDDER CTL CHECK PRODUCED AN UNUSUAL RESISTANCE PRIOR TO THE FULL RUDDER PEDAL THROW MECHANICAL STOP.

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ON TAXI OUT FROM GATE; I DID THE FLT CTL CHK. ON CHKING THE RUDDERS; I FOUND THEM TO NOT BOTTOM OUT THE WAY THE AIRBUS NORMALLY DOES. NORMALLY; THE BOTTOM OF TRAVEL AND FULL DEFLECTION ON THE FLT CTL PAGE ARE AT THE SAME POINT AND THE FEEL IS AS THOUGH YOU HAVE PUSHED A STEEL PEDAL UP TO A SOLID STEEL STOP. IT REQUIRES NO MORE PRESSURE TO REACH THE SOLID STOP THAN IT DOES TO GO ALMOST TO THE STOP. THERE IS NO MORE TRAVEL; AND THERE IS NO MORE RUDDER MOVEMENT. ON THIS PARTICULAR ACFT; THERE WAS NO SOLID STOP. THE RUDDER PEDAL JUST STOPPED MOVING WITH THE SAME PRESSURE; AND REQUIRED A LARGE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO HIT THE SOLID METAL STOP; WHICH WAS ABOUT 1/2 TO 1 INCH FARTHER (AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT IT SEEMED LIKE TO THE FO AND ME) TO HIT THE METAL STOP. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. THE AIRBUS NEXT DOOR WAS CHKED BY ME; AND WHEN GOING TO THE R; IT WAS NORMAL; AND THE L WAS A LITTLE LIKE IT WAS ON OUR ACFT; ALTHOUGH NOT AS PRONOUNCED. MAINT CHKED THE ACFT; MAINT CTL WAS ALSO CONSULTED (BY US). I FELT; AS DID MAINT CTL; THAT IT WAS A MECHANICAL OR RIGGING PROB; WHILE ZZZ LINE MAINT FELT IT WAS A COMPUTER PROB. I REFUSED THE AIRPLANE AND WENT TO ANOTHER ONE. THIS ONE (AS DO ALL THE AIRBUSES THAT I DON'T WRITE UP) HAD THE PROPER 'BOTTOM OUT' THAT WE NORMALLY FEEL. IT MAY BE THAT THIS SITUATION IS OK. IF SO; WE NEED NEW GUIDANCE IN OUR FLT MANUAL. IF IT'S NOT OK; I WOULD SUGGEST A PLT BULLETIN EXPLAINING THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO GET A 'FALSE BOTTOM' FEEL TO THE RUDDER SYS DURING A FLT CTL CHK; AND THAT THIS SHOULD BE A NO-GO ITEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THAT THIS ACFT WAS RELEASED FOR FLT WITHOUT ANY MAINTENANCE FINDINGS. HOWEVER; ON A PREVIOUS ACFT WITH THIS TYPE OF RUDDER FEEL ANOMALY; MAINTENANCE FOUND DIRT AND DEBRIS IN A RUDDER CABLE PULLEY. THE REPORTER IS THEREFORE ASSUMING THAT THIS EVENT IS SIMILAR; BUT SINCE THE ACFT WAS NOT REMOVED FROM THE LINEUP AND INSPECTED HE DOES NOT KNOW FOR SURE.