Mr. Frazier.

later, as a general, rewrote his book "Firearms Investigation, Identification, and Evidence."
There are many other books published on the subject.

Mr. Eisenberg.

May I ask that this person be accepted as a qualified witness on firearms?

The Chairman.

Yes, indeed

Mr. Eisenberg.

Mr. Frazier, I now hand you a rifle marked Commission Exhibit 139.
Are you familiar with this weapon?

Mr. Frazier.

Yes, I am.

Mr. Eisenberg.

And do you recognize it by serial number or by your mark?

Mr. Frazier.

By serial number on the barrel, and by my initials which appear on various parts of the weapon.

Mr. Eisenberg.

For the record, this is the rifle which was found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building on November 22. Can you describe this rifle by name and caliber?

Mr. Frazier.

It is a caliber 6.5 Italian military rifle, commonly referred to in the United States as a 6.5-mm. Mannlicher-Carcano. It is a bolt-action clip-fed military rifle.
Do you wish a general physical description of the, weapon at this time?

Mr. Eisenberg.

Well, no; not at this time.
Can you explain the American equivalent to the 6.5 mm. caliber?

Mr. Frazier.

That is the same as .25 caliber. Such weapons in the United States as the .25-20 Winchester, .25-35, the .250 Savage, and the .257 Roberts, are all of the same barrel diameter, or approximately the same barrel diameter. So a decimal figure of .257 inch is the equivalent of 6.5 mm.

Mr. Eisenberg.

And can you explain what the caliber is a measure--

Mr. Frazier.

The caliber is the measure of the distance across the raised portions or the lands in the barrel. The groove diameter, or the spirals cut in the barrel to form the rifling, will be slightly larger--in this case between 7/1000ths and 8/1000ths of an inch larger than the actual bore diameter. The caliber is normally determined by the bore diameter.

Mr. Eisenberg.

Can you explain how you made the identification of this rifle?

Mr. Frazier.

identified it pictorially by comparing it with pictures in reference books. And the actual identification was of the manufacturer's name appearing on the barrel and serial number, which indicated it was an Italian military rifle.

Mr. Eisenberg.

Did you independently determine the caliber of the rifle?

Mr. Frazier.

Yes, I did.

Mr. Eisenberg.

Can you tell us how you did that?

Mr. Frazier.

The caliber and the caliber type may be confusing here.
The caliber, being the diameter of the barrel, is determined in two ways--one, by comparing the barrel with 6.5 mm. Mannlicher-Carcano ammunition, which we also chambered in the weapon and determined that it actually fit the weapon. And, secondly, we measured the width of the barrel with a micrometer. And in that connection, I would like to point out that we made a sulphur cast of the muzzle of the weapon which permitted us to use a micrometer to determine the land width and the groove width in the barrel.

Mr. Eisenberg.

Do you have that sulphur cast?

Mr. Frazier.

Yes, I do.

Mr. Eisenberg.

And that was made by you or under your supervision?

Mr. Frazier.

Yes, it was made by--

Mr. Eisenberg.

Mr. Chairman, I ask that this be admitted as Commission Exhibit No. 540.

The Chairman.

It will be admitted.
(The article referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 540, and received in evidence.)

Mr. Eisenberg.

Is there any reason that you can think of why this Exhibit 139 might be thought to be a 7.35- or 7.65-caliber rifle?

Mr. Frazier.

From outward appearances, it could be a 7.35-mm. rifle, because, basically, that is what it is. But its mechanism has been rebarreled with a