Bore quality subjective opinion
At the risk of muddying the discussion, here are a few points that may help in judging a bore (not quite the same way the missus judges THIS bore), bearing in mind better minds and collectors may chime in (this is wholly subjective!), and this in no way is meant to be a certification of whether a weapon is safe to fire or not. Collectors have their own standards and I am no expert. We used this among other factors when checking AK and other series weapons turned in to the Foreign Arms Room before making disposition decisions.
(Empty and clear the weapon), and on the K98, remove the bolt assembly. Look down and through the dry, unoiled, unwiped bore onto a well-lit background. You'll be looking for condition of the lands and grooves of the rifling. In solely my own judgement,
excellent condition if: the spiraling grooves and lands are in sharp and clear definition, and overall should present a mirror effect to the viewer with no darkening, pitting, scars or blemishes, all the way to the end.
good condition if: spiraling and grooves are clear in definition, minor darkened spots on lands, isolated and small
fair condition if: you can see groove spiraling to the end but lands have large dark areas,
poor condition: grooves cannot be seen to reach the length of the barrel OR the bore landings do not show much reflected light over at least 1/3 the barrel length,
OMG condition if: you see light from any part of the barrel other than the muzzle or a slug rattles its way through the length and falls out the bottom....
Note
Some rifles have been counter-bored, where the muzzle end has been bored out larger than the slug diameter to a depth of an inch or so. Sometimes done to keep using a barrel that is about done.
Some rifles with gas ports (not the K98) will have a small black dot where the gas port bleeds off gas.
Beware of spirals that display some lack of symmetry, this might indicate a bulged, distorted or (re-)bent barrel. This can also happen when overheated, effectively destroying the barrel.
Once in a while I would find an older rifle (eg G98) on occasion that had a straight dark line from receiver to muzzle, which puzzled me. Then I heard that a rifle which has sat on a wall for years will still collect dust, which then attracts moisture.
Of course, IMHO!
At the risk of muddying the discussion, here are a few points that may help in judging a bore (not quite the same way the missus judges THIS bore), bearing in mind better minds and collectors may chime in (this is wholly subjective!), and this in no way is meant to be a certification of whether a weapon is safe to fire or not. Collectors have their own standards and I am no expert. We used this among other factors when checking AK and other series weapons turned in to the Foreign Arms Room before making disposition decisions.
(Empty and clear the weapon), and on the K98, remove the bolt assembly. Look down and through the dry, unoiled, unwiped bore onto a well-lit background. You'll be looking for condition of the lands and grooves of the rifling. In solely my own judgement,
excellent condition if: the spiraling grooves and lands are in sharp and clear definition, and overall should present a mirror effect to the viewer with no darkening, pitting, scars or blemishes, all the way to the end.
good condition if: spiraling and grooves are clear in definition, minor darkened spots on lands, isolated and small
fair condition if: you can see groove spiraling to the end but lands have large dark areas,
poor condition: grooves cannot be seen to reach the length of the barrel OR the bore landings do not show much reflected light over at least 1/3 the barrel length,
OMG condition if: you see light from any part of the barrel other than the muzzle or a slug rattles its way through the length and falls out the bottom....
Note
Some rifles have been counter-bored, where the muzzle end has been bored out larger than the slug diameter to a depth of an inch or so. Sometimes done to keep using a barrel that is about done.
Some rifles with gas ports (not the K98) will have a small black dot where the gas port bleeds off gas.
Beware of spirals that display some lack of symmetry, this might indicate a bulged, distorted or (re-)bent barrel. This can also happen when overheated, effectively destroying the barrel.
Once in a while I would find an older rifle (eg G98) on occasion that had a straight dark line from receiver to muzzle, which puzzled me. Then I heard that a rifle which has sat on a wall for years will still collect dust, which then attracts moisture.
Of course, IMHO!
