Barrel wear?

[toddmay]

I have just got a used Mk23 and was wondering about barrel wear. Not knowing how many round have gone through this one, is there a way to judge or measure it?
First looks down the barrel without a bore light looked pretty smooth.
Thanks
Todd

[Big Bore]

With polygonal rifling it is hard to measure by eyeball. The main thing to look for is pits or rust in the barrel. To gauge wear look at the OUTSIDE of the barrel. The finish wears quickly and you will see marked wear on the top of the chamber hood in just a few hundred rounds. The more worn off the barrel proper under the slide the more rounds have been through it but even if the barrel is totally void of black finish under the slide, the protection is still there and the bore still has plenty of life left in it. It almost impossible to wear out a barrel unless you are a very serious competition shooter and the Mark 23 does not fill that role very well.