Wearing out barrels

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  • warhawk77

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    It came up talking about millitary vs civilian rifles the subject was would some rifles last longer then others. So would some barrels wear out if used to fire a few hundred rounds continuously.
     

    x10

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    there are books written on this subject, but several factors, Caliber, powder, time between shots, Barrel treatments, barrel material, chamber dimensions, End use of product.

    A benchrest rifle is wore out when it opens up to a 1/4 inch, A M2 50 cal barrel is wornout when you can't headspace it anymore and/or its developed a flaw.

    Your question isn't specific enough to really answer. If your worried about your AR then try to shoot it at a non barrel searing rate, and/or buy you a barrel wrench and an extra barrel and shoot it anyway you wish, Replace it after 7k rounds and start again.

    If its a bolt gun that shoots 1 inch then replace it when you can't hold 1 3/4 inch,

    its all relative,

    would you drive an 84 cavalier with 220k miles around town and to work and back probably, would you take it to gnome Alaska , Not a good idea (no knock on your car, just an example)
     

    warhawk77

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    The topic was hunting rifles so 30-06, 308, or other rounds for bigger game. The guy told me the millitary rifle would last longer as they are designed to shoot more rounds so over time they are a better option.

    Thanks for the info I will keep researching.
     

    42769vette

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    The topic was hunting rifles so 30-06, 308, or other rounds for bigger game. The guy told me the millitary rifle would last longer as they are designed to shoot more rounds so over time they are a better option.

    Thanks for the info I will keep researching.

    I would go along with the idea of military calibers will last longer, but not military rifles.

    If you look at the 308. Depending on your idea of acceptable accuracy the barrel cal last 10,000 rounds.

    If you look at somthing like the 223wssm, 6.5x284, etc the barrel may only last 1000 rds because your pushing the bullets so much harder. The military typically doesnt push their rounds as hard as some competition shooters, but they shoot at a faster rate of fire so that would come into play aswell
     
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    Feb 16, 2010
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    I would go along with the idea of military calibers will last longer, but not military rifles.

    If you look at the 308. Depending on your idea of acceptable accuracy the barrel cal last 10,000 rounds.

    If you look at somthing like the 223wssm, 6.5x284, etc the barrel may only last 1000 rds because your pushing the bullets so much harder. The military typically doesnt push their rounds as hard as some competition shooters, but they shoot at a faster rate of fire so that would come into play aswell

    A little more on this -

    • the 'hotter' a round the more it wears out a barrel, a hot load or magnums wear out a barrel faster.
    • The hotter you get the barrel, generally from rapid fire, the faster you will wear out a barrel.
      • Shooting 1k rounds from an AR over a week will have little impact.
      • Shooting 1k rounds from an AR in ten minutes will probably end up with a barrel that is literally glowing hot and much more susceptible to wear.
    • The bullets you shoot can wear out a barrel faster, many of the import ammunition is copper washed steel jackets, this is harder than copper or lead.
    I'm sure there are other considerations but these are the bigger ones that come to mind.


    Other than that barrel quality is probably what your friend was really talking about. Most military barrels are chrome lined or even 'double chrome lined' that aid in having a long life barrel. Some non-military barrels are chrome lined and some military barrels aren't chrome lined, it is very specific to the barrel and mfg. Please see To Chrome or not to Chrome? Myths and Facts of Chrome-Lined Barrels


    *yes that is to CTD, I hate them but they were the first legit looking article that showed up in google.
     
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    LarryC

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    Good answers above, another big factor is the type of cartridge. For instance a small caliber bullet that is fired from a large necked case can quickly erode the barrel if used in a rapid fire cycle - Bullets like the 22-250 and similar have shorter barrel lives due to the extreme heat from the powder exiting the case into a small hole. I have read (can't prove) that these rounds can erode a barrel in just a few rounds (less than 25) if the barrel is not allowed to cool for some time between rounds. Straight cases rounds have much longer barrel life with normal loads. I have read that the 22-250 has a normal barrel life of somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 rounds - .223 has around 10K again with normal loads and some cooling allowed. Another factor is how barrel life is judged, some say when the accuracy is doubled 1/2 moa goes to 1 moa., others may be more lenient, others may say when it won't head space properly. Not a clean cut answer. Hopes it helps you some.
     
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