Jim K and Para, thanks for the info and quick response...Short chambering, roger that, I'll pass that on to the smith tomorrow... still not clear as to why they wouldn't have caught that when the weapon went through re-arsenal in '42. Is it possible the re-arsenal job was not USGI... done years later to make the rifle seem to be a Marine build-up?

So basically the chamber is not deep enough to accommodate the round? Will the reaming compromise the integrity of the barrel?

Para... I was an engineer as well, 27th, airborne battalion in a leg brigade, 18th Abn Corp, now the entire brigade is airborne... company B, only Rough/Austere Terrain jump unit in the army... like smoke jumpers