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  #1  
Old 09-22-2017, 01:08 AM
wahoowad wahoowad is offline
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Default How many shots is a modern barrel good for?

I've got a Savage Model 16 (stainless "Weather Warrior") in 223 that is one of my medium range groundhog guns. Does pretty good.

Lately I've been getting more range time with it than hunting, shooting steel targets at 100 and 300 yards. This puts a lot more rounds down the barrel than hunting given the scarcity of groundhogs around here.

What's the life of a factory barrel, shooting factory ammo? This gun shoots so well I might use it just for hunting and get a dedicated steel plinking range gun if there is a chance I could wear out the barrel. I just have no idea of the life of one.

Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 09-22-2017, 01:30 AM
Bill K Bill K is offline
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Default How Many shots is a modern barrel good for ?

Unless you shoot and overheat that barrel and burn out the throat by firing many rounds, too fast, you should reasonably keep decent accuracy for your 100 to 300 steel targets for at lease 4-5 Thousand, or maybe more , I would say. Bill K
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  #3  
Old 09-22-2017, 01:38 AM
Ratbuster Ratbuster is offline
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Default Barrel Life

There is no pat answer but preventing it from getting too hot helps and keeping the barrel clean is another important factor.

In general barrel life is shorter with a combination of small bullets burning lots of powder, commonly called "overbore".

I have heard of 223's going 5000 rounds or more without too much degradation of accuracy but that is only anecdotal information. I'm sure you can toast a 223 barrel in 1500 rounds if you abuse it.

The famous Benchrest Competitor Tony Boyer states in his book that a barrel's accuracy begins to decline after the first shot.
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Old 09-22-2017, 01:39 AM
dungheap dungheap is offline
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I think your answer hinges on not overheating the barrel, and on how well you treat it. Properly and frequently cleaned, a good factory barrel should take several thousand rounds before one would notice any loss of accuracy. Shoot 'em hot and dirty, not nearly as many. Do your homework on what you use for cleaning as well. A junk cleaning rod can wreck a perfectly good barrel in no time. Always use a cleaning rod guide. IMO, a patch only makes one trip down a barrel (kinda like toilet paper, right?) Don't contaminate your cleaning solvents. Be kind to your barrel and it will be kind to you. JMO. Follow this advice and you'll go broke buying factory ammo long before your barrel wears out.
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Old 09-22-2017, 02:01 AM
wahoowad wahoowad is offline
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Barrel was hot today. How do I know when it is too hot?

I can see dumping multiple 30 round magazines through a semi-auto in a couple short minutes can get it hot. What does it take to make a 223 bolt gun too hot? I only have a 5 round magazine, and it's not like I'm rapid reloading. I'm enjoying myself and taking measured shots but could still empty the 5 round magazine in a minute or so - maybe a shot every 10 to 15 seconds, but not magazine after magazine at that rate.

I did let it sit at one point for few minutes when I noticed it feeling hot.
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Old 09-22-2017, 02:08 AM
wahoowad wahoowad is offline
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Pics are fun. Here it is

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  #7  
Old 09-22-2017, 03:03 AM
GoWyo! GoWyo! is offline
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The bbl life on my Steyr AUG is noted to be @15-20k rds.
I'm not sure what the endpoint accuracy would be. I'm sure it would get plenty hot a time or two during that span.
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Old 09-22-2017, 03:37 AM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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Cool

Hard to tell really how long a barrel will last.

Here's two of my experiences whether they relate to your use or anyone else's, it hard telling.

Bought a new Sako L461 .222mag in .'73. First patch down the bore I felt it turn loose 3 or 4 places. Since I'd bought it in the gun club in Germany and shipped it home unfired. I had no one to bitch at about it. I wrote the then current importer asking for advice, they didn't respond. So I just shot it til it died. A bit over 6000 rnds. Only the first 100 were factory, possibly another 100 of .223 military fmj's have been shot thru it. The rest were 55gr, 25gr 4895. That's around 2900fps, a fairly light load really. I never had a chrongraph until it had died and been rebarreled. Until it started giving out, it had never fired a group bigger than a dime. Very few holes punched in paper though, nearly all the rest were fired at prairie dogs. Most hitting. Funny thing, there is NO alligatoring, and the bore looks real nice and clean yet, no copper fouling. I always used a steel rod from the muzzle with Hoppe's #9. Go figure!!

Bit more, I used a set of Herter's dies, never trimmed or cleaned the brass ever. Just loaded and shot 'em. Sometimes 400 rnds in a day with just 100 cases. When I ran out of ammo, I was out of beer too, so would drive a mile or two back to the house and "reload", then hit it again. When the barrel died scattering over a foot patterns. I still had 94 cases left. Lost two, crushed two in the press, and ONE had split the neck. I let a kid shoot it at p/dogs and he lost one. I sold the brass to someone that another member had referred to me. Last I heard he was still using them and happy.

The fun part now: Folks lived on a ranch in the middle of pr/dog towns. Those days I fired 400, I'd go driving around the pasture shooting out the car window at whatever p/dogs I could see regardless of distance. Some I know were 600yds, a few possibly 20 feet as they were never shot at except by me or Dad and he seldom did. I never did kill 100/100 shots but, I did make quite a few 98/100's. It had a K-10 Weaver on it.

Ok, I still have a 1917 Enfield/Eddystone all original other than stock, glass and ears trimmed, reblued etc. The muzzle is stamped 1918. I got it for $15 in 1958. Until '73 I never had another rifle except a .22. I've shot prairie dogs with it and hunted deer, elk and antelope, coyotes a few times with it. My p/dog loads were 110gr, loaded hot as could be. I have no idea now what those loads were. Most likely with 4895 though, or 3031 maybe.

I do know MANY MANY times I had it so hot the barrel blistered my bare hand with a slight touch. This was as an '06. Way beyond common sense hot.
IF it had been after dark I wouldn't be surprised if it had glowed pink.
When the chamber got loose and caused some problems. The gunsmith then, told me: "this would make a dandy .300 Win/m that you want so bad, one of the other guys has a new reamer, we can do the change over for about $50 if you want" "do it Elmer!". Ok, I've likely fired 4-500 .300win loads thru it since. I'd be confident in claiming I've fired at least 10,000 rounds thru this barrel. I have no real idea whether it was new or fired by the military when I got it wrapped in grease paper and packed full of cosmoline. It was checked out and the chamber was tight with gages is all I know. I'd gotten one just before this that was real loose and took it back. The store guy gave me a choice from a big stack of guns just like this one. Plus, for cleaning the first one he threw in 100 rnds of ammo. I was 14 so that pleased me no end.

Our dear member Rider just recently got a new toy he wanted to show me a couple months ago. A bore scope! Hot dog, now we can see why there's almost no rifling left in this barrel. Looking down it, I can barely see any grooves. Talk about an UGLY bore! Alligatored completely all the way to the muzzle. Yet, it will still shoot an inch group of 5 shots with 200gr Game Kings. It never shot less than 1 1/4" with 180's. I think the 110's were about the same. Seeing those cracks just about took our breath away.
It looks so bad, it can't last much longer. I ordered a new barrel after that but, don't plan on putting it on until this one dies. This original military barrel is 26"s the one I ordered will be finished at 28" I like 'em long myself. Wish mine was!!

I'm hoping he'll soon figure out how to take pictures and post 'em on here for all of us to see what NASTY looks like.

So: the question still is: "how long will a barrel last?"" Damned if I know!
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Last edited by georgeld; 09-22-2017 at 04:01 AM. Reason: touch up
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  #9  
Old 09-22-2017, 04:45 AM
17tbs 17tbs is offline
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Default How long?

It depends, I have a .223 REM TC bbl 16.25" that I bought used in 1988, it still holds under an inch today after I don't know how many rounds. I've shot it hot, I have shot it cold, I have scrubbed it and I have ignored it.
The one thing I have always done it lube it and cleaned from the breech.

I have a couple of 17MV / FB barrels, one is fine, the other is seeing obvious wear in the throat.

Neither of these .172 barrels is loaded with pussy cat loads. I usually try to maximize the ballistics, neither shoots over a half inch if fed properly. Each barrel is different, each barrel life is specifically different according to the use it receives.
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  #10  
Old 09-22-2017, 07:01 AM
kenbro kenbro is offline
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Looking at it another way...on average barrels last around 10 seconds (Give or take) of actual use.
Ken.
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