Cartridge in Muzzle pics

[UtahIrishman]

Ok...maybe this is a dumb question...but being Turkey day and I've waded through too much turkey and a chocolate pecan pie I gotta ask...

What's with the pics I see that have a cartridge in the muzzle? This seems particularly prevalent with surplus military rifles. Are they trying to show the barrel isn't shot out? Or?

I'm clueless...inquiring minds want to know.

[MakeMineaP99]

Think of it as a go, no go gauge. The in the field test to see if a rifle has acceptable muzzle wear is to take a round, say .30-06 for a .30-06 chambered rifle, or .30-40 Krag for a .30-40 Krag chambered rifle and so forth, and see how far the bullet will progress in the muzzle, less progression is better. I've seen Garands before that would swallow an M2 ball round to the shoulder!

A good set of gauge is worth the $100 if you do much rifle shooting or buying, especially for gauging throat wear.

I've bought somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 surplus arms, gauges are nice to have. Some people put more stock in the numbers than others, I'm in the tighter the better school.

[Tailgunner]

It's a indication of muzzle wear, which is primarily caused by the cleaning rod rubbing on the rifling.
The taller the lands at the muzzle, the smaller the minor diameter, the less wear that has occurred. As the bullet, where it enters the case, is at groove diameter (.308 for a 30cal), for the case mouth to touch the muzzle the lands are completly worn away.
For the shoulders of the case to hit, would indicate (to me) that the muzzle has been counter bored (drilled to get back to good rifling).

[UtahIrishman]

Thanks guys...that makes sense now...

[Steve Koski]

I think it's some kind of deviant art.

[UtahIrishman]

I think it's some kind of deviant art.

I thought it was only deviant when the bullet pointed up and the muzzle down...