There's more to CE 637 than its right hand side. Seems the little indent on the wooden fore-stock (where the fore sling bracket was fitted to) would have made some sort of impression. It's a pretty significant change in how the surface runs.
Since such an impression is missing, it may be that the print was taken from the metal barrel and not the wooden stock.
Above: How wooden fore-stock looks without the metal forward sling mount.
The print was centered on the bottom of the barrel. Day saw an edge of it before he disassembled the rifle.
I just posted something on the barrel that could account for the rectangular shape. The shape might have shifted a bit as the metal part was elevated relative to the rest of the barrel. Day was concentrating on where the print was.
The area circled on the right shows what I believe to be some pitting characteristic of the Carcano's barrel.
It doesn't seem characteristic of wood grain.
I don't know about that. Day references "end of foregrip" in CE 637, which is a reference to the wooden fore-stock. Probably--as it was found assembled--the rifle would be entered as an exhibit fully-assembled. In most of the local cases he was called to testify about, that may have been a standard method of presenting the evidence. I see that in the modern age, guns are sometimes presented in court assembled but with a gun lock for safety. Probably to prevent a Trump supporter playing with it and blowing his foot off.
I just posted something on the barrel that could account for the rectangular shape. The shape might have shifted a bit as the metal part was elevated relative to the rest of the barrel. Day was concentrating on where the print was.I just posted something on the barrel that could account for the rectangular shape.
The shape might have shifted a bit as the metal part was elevated relative to the rest of the barrel. Day was concentrating on where the print was.
The elevated part that you're referring to is the bayonet lug .....You're right...it is elevated 7 /16 of an inch above the surface of the barrel. Day couldn't have applied cellophane tape on the top of that bayonet lug in a way that would allow the tape to contact the metal barrel.... Or conversely if Day applied the tape to the barrel he could not have kept contact with the barrel when he tried to place the tape on the bayonet lug. And incidentally....that bayonet lug is only about one inch to the rear of the front of the wooden stock, ( Day said the print was about 3 inches back. This is so elementary I'm surprised that you'd suggest such an absurd idea.