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Round before a barrel swap?

diznuffdiznuff Member Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
edited October 2005 in Ask the Experts
I'm doing some research for a project. I would like everyones oppinion on how many rounds a 'typical' gun can use before a suggested barrel swap is done. I know everyone has a different answer and thats what I'm looking for.

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Comments

  • richbugrichbug Member Posts: 3,650
    edited November -1
    handgun, rifle, or shotgun? What caliber? What do you consider to be acceptable accuracy? I have several hundred thousand on a 40 cal Para ordnace barrel, and I think the accuracy Is just now showing up. I would wager when my 300 WBY mag gets to 1500-2000 or so it will be time for a new tube. My FAL has had 10,000 rounds of 308 in the last couple years, and It hasn't changed at all.

    .
  • diznuffdiznuff Member Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    clarification:
    For my research the barrel length is not a factor. some of the calibres in my research are not in production or realistic. I'm looking for a general number of rounds it would take before a resonable person would suggest a barrel swap.

    If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in english thank a service member.
  • ern98ern98 Member Posts: 1,725 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Velosity/powder eats up barrels, larger doses of either will do it faster. Stainless barrels may do better then carbon steel barrels, but eventually all will wear out. Trying to put a number, in general, to the life of all barrels is like saying that women over 25 years old are worn out and ugly and should be replaced, it's absurd. You will either have to give better info or accept a value that is very low as to cover all the extreems, like 1000 to 1500 rounds for the real barn burner cartridges. I'm sure my 7x57 and .308win will do many time better then those numbers and still shoot very accurately.
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Many 308's are still sub MOA after 15,000 rounds, but trying to get more than a max of 2000rnds out of a hotter belted magnum is foolish. You must also determine what your "base line" symptom for rebarreling will be. Will it be when the groups increase in average size by say 50%? or will it be after a certain amount of throat erosion measured in .001"s?

    Also, shooting the barrel when it is too hot will speed up the erosion greatly as will firing it with heavy powder fouling and not cleaning it at proper intervals.

    To do an accurate test, you would need to take several calibers, shoot the same number of shots while letting the barrel cool, and clean them at similar intervals to keep your data set constant.

    I do not beleive my 300RUM match barrel will be competitive any longer after a MAXIMUM of 1200rnds,..but competitive life and hunting accuracy life are two very different things as well.

    why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
    Got Balistics?
  • Tailgunner1954Tailgunner1954 Member Posts: 7,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    40 to 45 POUNDS of powder makes a fairly good rule of thumb, assuming that you don't overheat the barrel, less (and sometimes a lot less) if you do overheat it.


    Whittemore
    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
  • diznuffdiznuff Member Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm not looking to nuke the question. Just a ball park figure. 50 million or 20 rounds? help me narrow the number.

    If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in english thank a service member.
  • I.ShuteI.Shute Member Posts: 647
    edited November -1
    I think there's no such thing as a "typical" gun, and you didn't give a reason why you'd want to swap out a barrel.
    Maybe just want to change to another round? Different caliber?
    Shotgun not patterning to suit you? You're getting older and that heavy barrel is hard to carry? Can't get good groups at 150 yards with your 1911?

    This is one tough question!
  • diznuffdiznuff Member Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    reason for change would be signifigant wear and tear. My whole thing is I'm trying to replicate realistic conditions for a MUD i code for.


    coremud.org port 4000 <---

    If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in english thank a service member.
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The only narrowing of the question can come from you choosing a certain caliber or family of like cases. You simply can not compare the barrel life of a 220swift to a 308win. The design factors also affect the life span, such as powder capacity, shoulder angle, bore diameter relative to case size, etc.

    why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
    Got Balistics?
  • Tailgunner1954Tailgunner1954 Member Posts: 7,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sticking with my origional answer, 40-45 pounds of powder.
    At that point, throat wear will double the group size.
    In a 30-06 class cartridge, that would put you at around the 5000 round mark. But as stated earlier, if you let the barrel get to hot, you can toast that same barrel in 500rounds.
    If your talking a game that is trying to simulate the barrel change intervial on a 30cal MG, call it 1000 rounds/4 belts of ammo for sustained fire, 2500/10 belts for burst fire.

    Whittemore
    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
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