* HELP I have a early fifties FN commercial Mauser. I need to know the barrel diameter 3'' +- in front of the stock. I don't have calipers and my gunsmith is 100 miles away. Can anyone help? thanks capt david

Sure, the easy fix to the problem is to head to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap dial caliper. Seriously, it's $20 bucks.

If I have to, but that's 40 miles, thanks capt david

If you don't need perfect accuracy, wrap a string around the barrel at the point you want to measure. Carefully mark where the string ends overlap. Take off the string and measure between the marks using a standard ruler to get the circumference. Divide by 3.14 to get the diameter. I reckon you'd get diameter within 0.01" with care.

Calipers are still the better option.

The edge of a sheet of paper works better than string for accuracy. Use a knife to nick the edges where they overlap and it will be mighty close.

This is why I need the measurements. capt david

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/726129/uncle-mikes-quick-detachable-magnum-band-sling-swivel-set-1-black?utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=Shooting%20-%20Slings&utm_content=726129&cm_mmc=pf_ci_bing-_-Shooting%20-%20Slings-_-Uncle%20Mike's-_-726129&msclkid=975b9d56202216cb28e6c17c3cfe9a45&utm_term=4585513244644286

If yours is a JC Higgins 50 with the factory barrel, I can help. So many different barrel contours out there that were screwed into those excellent FN actions....

Get on Amazon and order a caliper. You'll have it in a couple days and you can measure it accurately yourself. Besides, everybody should have a caliper around for all kind of measuring duties...

Bob