[berudd]

Ok, I feel that this is somewhat of a dumb question but I am going to let it fly anyway. When measuring barrel length at what point do you measure from at the breach end? I have a Savage 110 and I want to confirm the barrel length. Would it be from the very end of the breach where the bolt face meets the breech or from the end of the chamber where the rifling begins?

Thanks for your help.

 

[zb338]

There is no such thing as a dumb question. Yours is a good one. They say that
BATF measures by dropping a dowel into the barrel with the bolt closed. Then
measures the dowel at the crown.

Zeke

 

[berudd]

There is no such thing as a dumb question. Yours is a good one. They say that
BATF measures by dropping a dowel into the barrel with the bolt closed. Then
measures the dowel at the crown.

Zeke

Thanks. That is a great answer and a great way to measure it that I never thought of.

 

[unclenick]

If you already have a cleaning rod, it works, too. Just use a pencil for the mark and you can rub it off later. The measuring rod is not only used by the BATFE (who make the rules in the U.S.), but is also the method used by SAAMI and SAAMI compliant manufacturers.

The only exception is for revolvers. In measuring a revolver the cylinder is opened and a flat object held over the back of the barrel to act as a stop for the dowel or other rod while the measurement is made. So, you get the actual length of the barrel and do not include the chamber length on a revolver. On all other common gun designs the chamber length is included with the barrel length. I presume this is simply because there is no convenient way to separate the chamber from the bore in other gun designs.

 

[Gil Martin]

I agree with these folks

I have always used the cleaning rod method to measure barrel length. All the best...
Gil

 

[berudd]

Thanks for the help guys.

I still managed to find it even after it was moved. I put in the general forum because it had this description. "Anything And Everything pertaining to firearms, handloading, gear or outdoor related activities." Given the Gunsmith section has the description "An exchange for hobby gunsmithing and cures to links." I don't think this fits here. I'm not doing any gunsmithing, just mearusing something. Moving it to a section at the bottom of the page that does not get as much traffic was not very helpful and could have prevented me from getting a response. Luckily, I got good info despite the moderator's 'help'.