I believe the chamber needs to be polished as well as it looks much rougher than any of my match guns. I don't think the barrel was pulled when it was chambered but I do not know. It was supposed to be. Since it wasn't (my assumption based on the fact I think the rust is bluing salts leeching from the threads since I think was blued with barrel attached to receiver) I think the throat is pretty much the original factory throat. If you are basing your idea on the case neck of the dummy with the lead bullet, you are looking at a dummy that got crimped too hard and bulged a bullet. I think this happened because he didn't have .30-30 Improved dies since the fireformed cases he sent me had not been sized.
My biggest unknowns are what a good Marlin trigger feels like, why the case web smooths out the groove ahead of the rim, and what causes that dent (hitting the ejection port and thin brass?).
