The Position of the Bolt on the MC

[Walt Cakebread]

The dent was not necessarily caused by an impact.... LOOK at the cutaway and notice that the bottom of the bottom cartridge is in contact with the elevator..... A spent shell in the bottom position could be easily dented by the elevator. when the clip is pushed down into the magazine

I truly believe that I now know how the spent shell got dented....It was used as a spent shell as the bottom cartridge in a clip of cartridges and the pressure applied to latch the clip caused the steel elevator to dent the spent shell.

Which means that the shell had been fired at some previous time and it certainly was not fired on 11/22/63.

[Walt Cakebread]

Take a look at the top of page 4 of this thread. James Hackerott posted images that show the rifle being handled by Day and Fritz during the time period when it is believed that the cartridge C-141 was ejected from the rifle. Notice that the muzzle end of the rifle is pointing down towards the floor. This position would dictate that gravity would help hold the cartridge in the barrel. Do you have any evidence that shows Day and Fritz holding the rifle with the muzzle pointing up so that gravity might help pull the cartridge out of the barrel?

C'mon Charles .....I'm sure that you know that the images ( page 4) were taken as Lt Day picked the rifle up from the floor and started to hand it to Fritz ...... This was BEFORE the rifle was handled by Fritz.

[Charles Collins]

C'mon Charles .....I'm sure that you know that the images ( page 4) were taken as Lt Day picked the rifle up from the floor and started to hand it to Fritz ...... This was BEFORE the rifle was handled by Fritz.

If I remember correctly, Day takes the rifle back from Fritz while Fritz has his hanky in hand. And the rifle is positioned with the muzzle pointing down. Unless you have some evidence to the contrary, I believe that your theory doesn’t seem to “hold water”.

[Walt Cakebread]

If I remember correctly, Day takes the rifle back from Fritz while Fritz has his hanky in hand. And the rifle is positioned with the muzzle pointing down. Unless you have some evidence to the contrary, I believe that your theory doesn’t seem to “hold water”.

 You need to show Fritz handing the rifle back to Day.....   I don't believe that happened.

[Charles Collins]

You need to show Fritz handing the rifle back to Day.....   I don't believe that happened.

Post #17 of this thread includes a compilation video provided by Dan. I was remembering seeing what Dan describes below and I must have mistaken that for Day taking the rifle back from him. My bad…

Day turns to Fritz who grabs the strap. Fritz then produces a handkerchief and appears to grab the bolt handle (or around that area) and Day immediately pulls the rifle away from him. After this Day and Fritz examine the rifle together.

However, the end of Dan’s compilation shows Day dusting the rifle for prints. I assume that happened after Day and Fritz examined the rifle together. Therefore Fritz must have handed the rifle back to Day at some point.

[Walt Cakebread]

Post #17 of this thread includes a compilation video provided by Dan. I was remembering seeing what Dan describes below and I must have mistaken that for Day taking the rifle back from him. My bad…

Day turns to Fritz who grabs the strap. Fritz then produces a handkerchief and appears to grab the bolt handle (or around that area) and Day immediately pulls the rifle away from him. After this Day and Fritz examine the rifle together.

However, the end of Dan’s compilation shows Day dusting the rifle for prints. I assume that happened after Day and Fritz examined the rifle together. Therefore Fritz must have handed the rifle back to Day at some point.

Yes, you're right....Fritz had to have let Day take possession of the rifle because Alyea filmed Day dusting the rifle with finger print powder behind the brightly lit west window.  I'm not sure that Day ever relinquished total possession to Fritz... There may be some law that would have been broken if Day had taken his hand off the rifle...

Now let's Look at the practical aspect of this.....  If Lee Oswald had been the shooter, what would his actions have been after he had fired three shots?   In my opinion he would definitely ( by reflex action) have loaded that fourth round, and it would have been in the chamber with the bolt closed and latched.   And therefore the rifle would not have been found with the bolt unlatched and about 1/4 inch short of being closed and latched.  It just doesn't make sense for an assassin to stop loading  his rifle in mid stroke.

I firmly believe that the rifle was simply a throw down gun and it was never fired that day....

[Walt Cakebread]

Post #17 of this thread includes a compilation video provided by Dan. I was remembering seeing what Dan describes below and I must have mistaken that for Day taking the rifle back from him. My bad…

Day turns to Fritz who grabs the strap. Fritz then produces a handkerchief and appears to grab the bolt handle (or around that area) and Day immediately pulls the rifle away from him. After this Day and Fritz examine the rifle together.

However, the end of Dan’s compilation shows Day dusting the rifle for prints. I assume that happened after Day and Fritz examined the rifle together. Therefore Fritz must have handed the rifle back to Day at some point.

the end of Dan’s compilation shows Day dusting the rifle for prints.

Yes, Alyea did film detective Day dusting the rifle for prints ....and Alyea's camera caught the brass clip in the magazine on film.

The fact that the clip was still in the rifle raises more questions.   We know that the official tale says that the live round was the last round in the clip and it was in the chamber.... And since that clip drops out of the magazine when the last round is stripped from the clip by the forward stroke of the bolt .....then that clip should have been on the floor in the "Sniper's Nest".

SO WHY was it in the magazine when Day was dusting the rifle ??