Crown, bore, throat check?

[Transplant]

Hello All,

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster, found my way here from Frugal's.

I have read on several occasions that when inspecting a rifle to purchase, you should pay particular attention to the crown, bore and throat condition.

I think I have the bore part figured-out - ideally you want a bright, shiny bore with crisp rifling.

The crown - if I understand correctly this is the 'exit' from the barrel - I would expect this to be free of dings or burrs that could upset the trajectory, but is there something else? I read that it shouldn't be counterbored, but why?

The throat - beyond headspacing what should you look for here? - a smooth chamber, what else?

Can anyone point me to some sort of checklist that you would ideally look through before you make your purchase?

Thanks,

Transplant

 

[Houndawg]

The throat is the space in front of the chamber just before where the rifling starts. The beginning of the rifling erodes with use lengthening the throat and theoretically allow the bullet more room to go cockeyed as it exits the casing. It's not as important as the muzzle. Muzzle erosion is usually caused by poor cleaning practices. You want to look for low throat erosion, low mozzle erosion, clean crown, and a nice shiney bore with sharp rifling.

 

[DMK]

The throat - beyond headspacing what should you look for here? - a smooth chamber, what else?

Basically, you're looking for the same thing as the crown. It's just harder to see. You want sharp edges on the rifling all the way to the chamber.