The Throat Erosion Gauge
This gauge was designed to measure the distance erosion has advanced the rifling towards the muzzle from what the reading was when the barrel was unfired. This measurement equates to barrel wear. The gauge does not indicate the quality of the barrel. It offers an indication of wear.
One of the values of the gauge for competitive shooters is it tells them it is time for a barrel change, nobody should start a shooting season with a barrel that has a high reading. Although, there have been cases where high erosion barrels continued to shoot high scores, there are no cases where high muzzle reading produced quality scores.
Another value of the gauge is, it assists individuals in either buying or rejecting used barrels. Again, high muzzle wear is always an excellent reason for rejection. For the shooter that intends to use the gauge, it should be used to get a reading when the barrel is new, note that reading and measure as rifle is fired to keep record of advancement, this will give you time to start a search for a replacement barrel. If you do not know what the new reading was you have no starting place to measure from, only a guess.
Different chamber reamers cut different leads and will give reading when new that otherwise may be a reason for rejection.
You are probably asking, if all this true, why have a guage? They do serve as an indicator, they confirm expectations. If you expect it may be shot out, it probably is. Most of all, they can prevent you from wasting your money.
By Art Luppino
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