Bore Life

leafrivermac

I'm curious about how much life you can get out of a rifle barrel ? I guess bore life would be determined mainly by the amount of rounds that have been fired thru it. I wonder if manufacturers of affordable rifles only use materials concidering that most shooters only fire a few rounds a year. But I wonder about the guys that go to the firing ranges regularly, . .it seems that they would fire maybe thousands of rounds thru their rifles in a few yrs time. Is their anyone that can give me a perspective on this? I realize that I am asking a lot of questions, and I sincerely appreciate finding these things out. Thanks in advance . .Mac

leafrivermac

savage12bvss300wsm

Barrel life is dependant on many factors. If shooting very hot loads from say a swift or ultra mag or any other real velocity burners, barrel life will be shortened. Most wont ever see a barrel shot out in their lifetime. On the average a barrel should last around 10,000 rounds. The hotter and harder a rifle shoots the shorter the barrel life. Mainly the throat gets eroded. On some barrels providing enough metal is avaliable, it can simply be cut off, re chambered, rethreaded and reinstalled. But as long as you arent pouring lots of hot loaded ammo down the tube at every waking moment, this should not be much of a concern. The manufactures all pretty much have to use quality components to protect themselves from legal liability. Some barrels may shoot better than others but I have never heard of problems with one manufacturers barrels lasting longer than anothers simply due to the fact that one used better steel.

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Salvage33

Good answer about hot loads and bore life. I shot the throat out of a very nice pre-64 Mod. 70 chambered for 220 Swift. Took about five thousand rounds before accuracy started to go south. Had it rebarreled somewhere around seven thousand rounds...but not in 220 Swift...went to 243 Win.

But your answer was straight forward and sound.

John

A friend will post your bail. A good friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying, "man that was fun!"

1KYDSTR

An important factor to take into consideration, especially when shooting at the range where lots of rounds go down the tube, is is allowing the barrel to cool between shots. The hotter/faster the round the longer one should allow between shot strings. This is also important when considering shot to shot accuracy when at the bench. Most barrels will have a tendency to change their point of impact when they heat up so allowing time for cooling will help you avoid this problem. Also, most modern ammo makers use non corrosive primers and powders. However, if you have a former military caliber and shoot srplus ammo, some of them have both elements of corrosiveness and will have a tendency to induce wear more quickly...always clean you guns after you shoot but clean the IMMEDIATELY if you are using old Mil. surp. ammo. Hope this helps a little.

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JustC

cleaning regimen and your propensity for firing on a hot barrel make the most difference. I have seen 220 swifts still shooting sub .5" after 4000rnds,...but you must be carefull to keep the barrel cool and clean. No round has a definite life expectancy,..the shooter determines that. many rounds are harsher than others,..I.E. 220 swift,..and the RUM's etc. However,..we have match guns in 300RUM still shooting sub .5" after 1200rnds. That may not seem like a lot,..but remember we often shoot them 5 times in 1 minute to make certain we shoot under the same wind condition in order to make the tightest groups possible.

Keep it clean,..and keep it cool.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
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