Throat erosion of 6?

[levallois]

Looking at a Garand with this reading on the gauge. What does this mean in terms of wear and tear? I was told early on that for every tick on the gauge it meant that 1000 rounds had been fired through the barrel; is that still the prevailing thought? Is this a barrel that will have to be replaced pretty soon? Thanks!

John

Information

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[levallois]

I found something at the Scott Duff website where he suggests a TE of 6 is fine for collecting but undesirable for shooting. Since shooting is what I want this Garand for, I guess that I'll pass.

[Tom in N.J.]

In WWII '10' was the reject point for the barrel.

[Devil Dog]

A Muzzle Wear reading is more important than a Throat Erosion reading, however, readings mean nothing if the gun shoots well. How does it shoot?

[togor]

A Muzzle Wear reading is more important than a Throat Erosion reading, however, readings mean nothing if the gun shoots well. How does it shoot?

Uncle Sam, and Scott Duff, disagree with you. And for good reason. Long TE reading means more opportunity for bullet to yaw before it engages the lands. Whereas, a barrel with a good throat if worn muzzle is more likely to result in a bullet spinning on axis when it exits the bore. Gyroscopic stability is important for bullets and motorcyclists alike.

[Devil Dog]

It's difficult to argue with Uncle Sam and I have read Scott Duff's books on collecting M1's but have never read his books on shooting M1's.
Your premis "Long TE reading means more opportunity for bullet to yaw before it engages the lands" can be discounted when you look at all the Weatherby series of magnums. All have a substaintal "free bore" and if the bullet were to "yaw" their accuracy would suffer. We both know it doesn't.
I'm sure that somewhere along the line someone has free bored an M1 barrel and it probally shot quite well even though it would swallow a T.E. gauge. Brand new M1's can have T.E. readings from zero to as much as 3. The tollerance is much tighter on the M.E. readings.
M.E. readings usually run between zero and 1.
T.E. readings are usefull, but M.E. readings are far more important.
Here's the test: Barrel (A) T.E. = 5 and M.E. =1 Barrel (B) T.E. = 1 M.E. = 5 Which should be the better shooter when everything else is equal? There is no question (regardless of what Scott or Sam say).

[levallois]

I don't own the rifle so I don't know how it shoots. I asked about the muzzle wear reading - it swallows the gauge - so I'll definately pass on this Garand. Thanks for all the help and education.

John

[bearhunter]

Devil Dog, new Weatherbys shoot extemely well. The first versions, were a whole different story. Excessive freebore is the bain of consistent accuracy. If it weren't, bench rest shooters wouldn't worry about it so much.
I remember well the days in the sixties, when Weatherby shooters were quite happy with 4-6 inch groups. A lot of that also had to do with inconsistent jackets on the bullets of the time period but most of it was from excessive freebore.

[218bee]

I have to agree with DevilDog.....I have first-hand experience with a NM Garand barrel I once had...It had a throat erosion of an easy 9....But a muzzle of 1. This was off a "Club Gun", that was shot alot, but also well cared for.... Even with a 9 throat, it still shot a little over MOA. The other side of the coin is an old 1903 Springfield rifle I have with throat of 2 or 3...and a muzzle that also swallowed the guage.....probably a 5 or 6....That rifle had all it could do to hit a 9" pie plate at 100 yds.....

Not disputing the freebore theory, but all things being equal, I think muzzle wear is a much big factor in accuracy...in my experience...

[Calif-Steve]

Muzzle wear is important. But as the throat grows accuracy decreases. SO, what is the muzzle wear? You need both readings to know. Find out how it shoots. Then decide.