"Shallow" Ballard Rifling... HUH?

jackman · Post by **jackman** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:03 pm

The seller (dealer) of the 1952 39A that I am purchasing (online) tells me that the bore is shiney and without pits, but the rifling is "shallow" and "not very deep". Is that something I should be worried about? He didn't seem to be too familiar with older 39As and wasn't sure if this was normal or not. what should I look for when I receive the gun? Thanks for your ideas.

Ultona · Post by **Ultona** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:50 pm

Well, the rifleing shouldn't be shallow. Maybe he just perceives it that way. The first thing to do is cock the hammer, unscrew the takedown knob and tap the buttstock with your hand until the gun comes apart (do this over a soft surface incase one part or the other tries to get away for you) and then pull out the bolt with your fingers. Turn the hold down rivet on the ejector while holding the ejector down with your thumb nail or small screw driver until it stays down so you can get a clear look at the bore from the rear. Check it out front and rear and let you eye focus up and down the bore. You should see any rust or pits. Rust and pits are RARE on post WWII guns, as the ammo was all noncorrosive by then, and most .22 bores stayed nice with minimal care by then.

Regnier (gunrunner) · Post by **Regnier (gunrunner)** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:18 pm

Jackman;

The only thing I would worry about here is that the barrel of this 1952 39-A rifle has been replaced with a later barrel with Micro-Groove rifling. The later barrel could be for a 39-A, so it will have Model 39-A stamped on the barrel, looking correct. Have him count the lands and grooves and tell you how many he sees. The Ballard rifling will have 6 lands and grooves while the Micro-Groove rifling will have 16.
I hope this helps.