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Bore

dodge69dodge69 Member Posts: 954 ✭✭
edited September 2014 in Ask the Experts
Would somebody explain a add I just read. The gun has "good rifles all the way with weak Lands". This is a major dealer and I do not understand how you can have good rifles and weak lands at the same time. I wish we could just get back to " it is a 8 out of ten"

Comments

  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    the person that has that as a description must be a politician. WORDS WITHOUT MEANING Most people will agree that
    TERMS used should be those that people understand . Most people understand the rifle is a firearm that the hole in the barrel running from the chamber to the muzzle is composed of two areas one called grooves and the other call lands. These make up the rifling
    NOT RIFLES The condition of the lands should be smooth
    and are determined by the quality of the machine that BORES the hole in the barrel .The grooves are made in different ways and they should also result in smooth finish. Damage can result on either one or Both due to neglect or improper cleaning. some rifles with " frosting, pitting,dark,weak rifling can shoot well but need to be cleaned often as they foul quickly. Others that look good but not great will not shoot well at all. Beware of damage of any kind that is visible until you can shoot it and find out for yourself. YMMV
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,723 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dodge69
    Would somebody explain a add I just read. The gun has "good rifles all the way with weak Lands". This is a major dealer and I do not understand how you can have good rifles and weak lands at the same time. I wish we could just get back to " it is a 8 out of ten"


    [:D] Link please! [:D]

    Added: The problem that I see with grading the bore, say, as an 8 on a scale of 10 is that I want to know if the bore has any pits in it, and a number does not tell me that. I also want to know if the lands and grooves are smooth and have crisp edges, and whether or not it is shiny.
    What's next?
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dodge69
    Would somebody explain a add I just read. The gun has "good rifles all the way with weak Lands". This is a major dealer and I do not understand how you can have good rifles and weak lands at the same time. I wish we could just get back to " it is a 8 out of ten"



    Edited:

    But Perry is right. What's weak here isn't the lands, its the description of the bore! A better seller would make the description unambiguous so you wouldn't need to speculate about what is meant here. There is no reason the seller couldn't ALSO tell you the bore was 8/10 (or whatever), too. The "best" seller might even show you a picture of the bore!


    Responding to below: Duh. . .what the hell was I thinking. Of course lands = sticking up part of rifling. "Good rifles with weak lands" probably means the grooves are OK (ie no pitting), but the lands are worn down. At least that's my interpretation. . .see above about weak description.
  • dodge69dodge69 Member Posts: 954 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thank you all for helping. I did in fact ask the seller if he would give me a number between one and ten on the rifling and he said that was to subjective. This is a very old gun a 1885 so i would expect some damage. I think I will just pass on this one
  • Sky SoldierSky Soldier Member Posts: 460
    edited November -1
    Methinks the terms are:

    "lands" the high points

    "grooves" the low points.

    "rifling" the term for "lands and grooves"

    SS
  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Could be that the grooves are just packed with fouling.

    Any gun I have ever sold- admittedly not many- if I was taking it to a gunshow to sell, I always made sure the bore was spotless, serial numbers and markings highlighted and clearly visible, and rubbed a fresh coat of linseed oil into the stock. I also brought a target fired with the gun with range, weather conditions, and ammo used so there would be NO miscommunication between me and the potential buying party. Even when listing online, I take tons of quality pictures, and note that (while YMMV) I have shot it safely, and if the buyer wants, I can suggest loads or ammo.

    By doing this I always realize top dollar.

    I don't understand why ANYONE, for the cost of a few cents worth of foaming bore cleaner, wouldn't clean out the bores on guns by letting them sit and soak for a few hours, drying, letting them soak with some Kroil, brushing, and wiping until clean. 20 minutes active work on a valuable gun such as an 1885 could realize you a few hundred dollars more money. Maybe under some lead fouling is a mint bore!

    And if a thorough cleaning finds a pitted, old, corroded bore, or it really is just shallow rifling, then you can sell with a clear conscience that you are disclosing the real condition.

    I just don't get some people.
  • rongrong Member Posts: 8,459
    edited November -1
    the person that has that as a description must be a politician. WORDS WITHOUT MEANING Most people will agree that

    Isn't that the sorry truth?
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