How many rounds is a .204 ruger good for? Have one for sale with approximately 350 through it. I never shot more than a magazine down it at one time without letting it cool down and pauses in between shots. Oh ya and it's a CZ heavy barrel if that helps the experts on here. Thanks for your knowledge once again I googled it and it had a variety of answers. There's one thing I've learned since I been on this site is if your not sure, ask cause someone has done it or experienced it here. Thanks all who respond.
Barrel Life ????
- Thread starter muckwa
- Start date
Sask_Hunter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan
It's good. My 223 has had over 4000 down the barrel with lots of strings over 20 shots. It still does ok, waiting for a 1-8" barrel to show up
The key to your barrel is not so much at the end of the barrel, although that can be telltale as well, but in the chamber where the bullet first enters the barrel.
This is the area which has the highest friction (it is the area where the rifling first comes into contact with the bullet and "cuts" the rifling grooves). Over time, the rifling (in the throat area) begins to wear down and become smooth. The longer this length, the less accurate the rifle becomes.
That area is also the area where the most heat is generated. If the rifling is sharp, crisp and defined in the area, with no perceived flattening, then you have nothing to worry about.
It does not really matter how many rounds have gone through, rather it is how hot (tempurature) is the load, how hard are the bullets and how hot does the barrel become when firing rapid succession.
There is a You-Tube video of a Chinese fellow with a Norc MP-5 shooting literally mulitple magazines - maybe 15 or 20 in succession. I would expect that severe service to have reduced that barrel to a worn heap.
This is the area which has the highest friction (it is the area where the rifling first comes into contact with the bullet and "cuts" the rifling grooves). Over time, the rifling (in the throat area) begins to wear down and become smooth. The longer this length, the less accurate the rifle becomes.
That area is also the area where the most heat is generated. If the rifling is sharp, crisp and defined in the area, with no perceived flattening, then you have nothing to worry about.
It does not really matter how many rounds have gone through, rather it is how hot (tempurature) is the load, how hard are the bullets and how hot does the barrel become when firing rapid succession.
There is a You-Tube video of a Chinese fellow with a Norc MP-5 shooting literally mulitple magazines - maybe 15 or 20 in succession. I would expect that severe service to have reduced that barrel to a worn heap.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Ackley opined that a .224 bore produced optimum barrel life with up to 32 grs of propellant, the slightly smaller .204 wouldn't be much worse. The level of accuracy you are willing to accept has much to do with the answer, and a .204 would typically be fired at small targets. But if you can accept MOA accuracy before rebarreling, I expect you could enjoy many thousands of rounds out of that barrel, and then you might even be able to chase the lead for a few thousand more if the barrel is a hummer.
tylerjwitty
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Ontario
its doesn't matter how long it lasts as long as you enjoy it while it does
for example
you don't get a dog worring about how long it lives
you don't get worked up thinking about how long the chainsaw will stay sharp
and
you don't get into bed with a lady fretting about how long it will stay up
the moral to the story is, enjoy it while its performing and cross the bridge when you arrive at it
Witty
for example
you don't get a dog worring about how long it lives
you don't get worked up thinking about how long the chainsaw will stay sharp
and
you don't get into bed with a lady fretting about how long it will stay up
the moral to the story is, enjoy it while its performing and cross the bridge when you arrive at it
Witty
I see some erroneous beliefs surfacing here.
In fact, the bullet, and attendant friction have very little to do with throat/bore wear.
The wear occurs mostly at the throat, and is caused by the superheated gases of powder combustion eroding the metal in that area.
This is abetted by abrasive unburned [yet] powder particles scouring the same area at high velocity.
That is why shooting a rifle when the barrel is very hot accelerates throat wear.
I have sectioned several barrels in which accuracy went south.
All the erosion is in the first 3-5" of the throat, and it looks like it was "baked", with tiny, irregular cracks in the surface, and the rifling largely missing in that area.
If the bullet was the factor, there would be wear throughout the whole bore, not just at the throat.
In fact, engraving soft metals like copper and it's alloys does not cause any appreciable wear.
Regards, Eagleye.
In fact, the bullet, and attendant friction have very little to do with throat/bore wear.
The wear occurs mostly at the throat, and is caused by the superheated gases of powder combustion eroding the metal in that area.
This is abetted by abrasive unburned [yet] powder particles scouring the same area at high velocity.
That is why shooting a rifle when the barrel is very hot accelerates throat wear.
I have sectioned several barrels in which accuracy went south.
All the erosion is in the first 3-5" of the throat, and it looks like it was "baked", with tiny, irregular cracks in the surface, and the rifling largely missing in that area.
If the bullet was the factor, there would be wear throughout the whole bore, not just at the throat.
In fact, engraving soft metals like copper and it's alloys does not cause any appreciable wear.
Regards, Eagleye.
223 Rem accurate barrel life is 3000 rounds
6mm BR accurate barrel life is 2600 rounds
243 Win accurate barrel life is 1600-1800 rounds
Unless there is something magical going on, your barrel should be good for around 2000 rounds.
If the rifle is accurate (better than 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups), you'll notice that it will start producing a bigger groups (say around 3/4 MOA) once in a while (say every 10 groups) and that it will stop producing tiny groups (much better than 1/2 MOA).
While competitive shooters can't continue using such a barrel, a hunter might shot another 3,000-4,000 rounds before noticing that any change in effectiveness in the field.
That's why precision shooter often state that a 308 Win barrel's life is 2,000-3,000 rounds (better than 1/2 MOA accuracy) while the millitary consider that a barrel is good for 7,000-10,000 rounds (better than 1.5 - 2 MOA accuracy).
Anyway, replacing a match barrel cost 500$-800$ dollars...
Alex
6mm BR accurate barrel life is 2600 rounds
243 Win accurate barrel life is 1600-1800 rounds
Unless there is something magical going on, your barrel should be good for around 2000 rounds.
If the rifle is accurate (better than 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups), you'll notice that it will start producing a bigger groups (say around 3/4 MOA) once in a while (say every 10 groups) and that it will stop producing tiny groups (much better than 1/2 MOA).
While competitive shooters can't continue using such a barrel, a hunter might shot another 3,000-4,000 rounds before noticing that any change in effectiveness in the field.
That's why precision shooter often state that a 308 Win barrel's life is 2,000-3,000 rounds (better than 1/2 MOA accuracy) while the millitary consider that a barrel is good for 7,000-10,000 rounds (better than 1.5 - 2 MOA accuracy).
Anyway, replacing a match barrel cost 500$-800$ dollars...
Alex
Thanks eagle I was hoping you would post here. I read and learn a ton of knowledge from your posts.
I read in one of the US magazine that a normal hunting rifle barrel is good for about 6 seconds of bullet travel....
So to use round numbers lets say the barrel is 24 inches (2 ft)
Lets say muzzle velocity is 3000 f/s x 6s = 18000 feet / 2 ft barrel = 9000 rds
it was a generalization for sure because with this math a slower muzzle velocity charge the barrel would not last as long as a faster one...but the point was the average guy shooting a hunting rifle will have a hard time wearing it out
So to use round numbers lets say the barrel is 24 inches (2 ft)
Lets say muzzle velocity is 3000 f/s x 6s = 18000 feet / 2 ft barrel = 9000 rds
it was a generalization for sure because with this math a slower muzzle velocity charge the barrel would not last as long as a faster one...but the point was the average guy shooting a hunting rifle will have a hard time wearing it out
Barrel life and attendant accuracy is an interesting study.
Seemingly, barrels do not always play by the rules, either.
The 220 Swift [my favorite varmint caliber] is supposed to be a real barrel burner.
Some of the early Winchesters so chambered started to lose accuracy with less than 1000 rounds fired.
But the early Swift loadings were fairly "hot", and those used to shooting the smaller capacity 22 centerfires in long shot strings did not realize how much damage they were doing to those soft steel Swift barrels by shooting them similarly.
My first Swift, a Ruger 77V, was a very accurate rifle, and I noticed little deterioration of accuracy until it had around 2500 rounds down the pipe.
I never shot it hot, but the loads I used were not mild by any stretch of the imagination.
It was cleaned regularly, using a bore guide, and took a lot of crows, chucks, etc, etc.
When I rebarrelled it at around 3000 rounds, I took the old barrel and split the last 10" of it to look at the rifling and throat.
There was no visible rifling for the first 4½" This rifle was still shooting around 1¼ moa when I took the barrel off. I was amazed.
An acquaintance of mine had a 6.5/300 Weatherby built. His accuracy went away at just over 400 rounds.
But....he would shoot it until the barrel was piping hot. You could not touch it with bare hands.
When I sectioned that barrel, it had some rifling left, but the inside of that barrel looked like snakeskin for 8" or a bit more up from the throat.
I burned out a couple of 6mm Remington barrels. Used a lot of powder doing that.
Also managed to eat the throat out of a 308 Norma Mag. Many tins of powder to do that as well.
For a BR shooter, .005" can mean a lost match
For a varmint hunter this difference would not be noticed.
For a big game hunter, a 1½ moa rifle will handily take any game out to 400+ yards.
Helps to put perspective into the matter.
I would say that 204 barrel would last 2K -2.5K rounds quite nicely, perhaps more. Enjoy it to the fullest!!
At the end of it all, a new barrel solves the issue completely.
Regards, Eagleye.
Seemingly, barrels do not always play by the rules, either.
The 220 Swift [my favorite varmint caliber] is supposed to be a real barrel burner.
Some of the early Winchesters so chambered started to lose accuracy with less than 1000 rounds fired.
But the early Swift loadings were fairly "hot", and those used to shooting the smaller capacity 22 centerfires in long shot strings did not realize how much damage they were doing to those soft steel Swift barrels by shooting them similarly.
My first Swift, a Ruger 77V, was a very accurate rifle, and I noticed little deterioration of accuracy until it had around 2500 rounds down the pipe.
I never shot it hot, but the loads I used were not mild by any stretch of the imagination.
It was cleaned regularly, using a bore guide, and took a lot of crows, chucks, etc, etc.
When I rebarrelled it at around 3000 rounds, I took the old barrel and split the last 10" of it to look at the rifling and throat.
There was no visible rifling for the first 4½" This rifle was still shooting around 1¼ moa when I took the barrel off. I was amazed.
An acquaintance of mine had a 6.5/300 Weatherby built. His accuracy went away at just over 400 rounds.
But....he would shoot it until the barrel was piping hot. You could not touch it with bare hands.
When I sectioned that barrel, it had some rifling left, but the inside of that barrel looked like snakeskin for 8" or a bit more up from the throat.
I burned out a couple of 6mm Remington barrels. Used a lot of powder doing that.
Also managed to eat the throat out of a 308 Norma Mag. Many tins of powder to do that as well.
For a BR shooter, .005" can mean a lost match
For a varmint hunter this difference would not be noticed.
For a big game hunter, a 1½ moa rifle will handily take any game out to 400+ yards.
Helps to put perspective into the matter.
I would say that 204 barrel would last 2K -2.5K rounds quite nicely, perhaps more. Enjoy it to the fullest!!
At the end of it all, a new barrel solves the issue completely.
Regards, Eagleye.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Im afraid to say its toast.
Lucky for you I will take it for free!
Lucky for you I will take it for free!
Eagleye has given very useful and accurate info. Thank you for sharing your experience, and presented accurately.
In the "Petersen's Rifle Shooter", June 2001, page 18-20 author M. L. McPhearson compiled a list to predict barrel life in various bore / groove sizes (representing various cartridges within each), by looking at the propellant used. The basis of this is that a 308 Win uses smaller quantities of faster propellant, than say a 300 Win Mag, so the 308 Win will last longer, and much longer than say a 300-378 Weatherby Mag. Also stainless steel will last slightly longer than carbon steel.
Therefore a 204 Ruger, which has a larger case than the 223 Rem, using a slower propellant, will have a shorter barrel life than the 223 Rem. In the same way a 22 Hornet with a much smaller case and using smaller amounts of faster propellant, will last much longer than the 223 Rem.
Here are some of his examples using older propellants (not recent propellant such as Superformance):
Powder 3031: .223 Calibre =4000 shots; .308 Calibre =5250 shots; .41+ Calibre =12500 shots+.
Powder 4350: .308 Calibre =3000 shots; .375 Calibre =4500 shots; .41+ Calibre =5250 shots.
Therefore, extrapolating from his data, using popular propellants such as Varget or RL15, the 204 Ruger may have a barrel life of about 1500 - 3000 shots.
It will be great to learn from the experience of actual owners of this cartridge.
In the "Petersen's Rifle Shooter", June 2001, page 18-20 author M. L. McPhearson compiled a list to predict barrel life in various bore / groove sizes (representing various cartridges within each), by looking at the propellant used. The basis of this is that a 308 Win uses smaller quantities of faster propellant, than say a 300 Win Mag, so the 308 Win will last longer, and much longer than say a 300-378 Weatherby Mag. Also stainless steel will last slightly longer than carbon steel.
Therefore a 204 Ruger, which has a larger case than the 223 Rem, using a slower propellant, will have a shorter barrel life than the 223 Rem. In the same way a 22 Hornet with a much smaller case and using smaller amounts of faster propellant, will last much longer than the 223 Rem.
Here are some of his examples using older propellants (not recent propellant such as Superformance):
Powder 3031: .223 Calibre =4000 shots; .308 Calibre =5250 shots; .41+ Calibre =12500 shots+.
Powder 4350: .308 Calibre =3000 shots; .375 Calibre =4500 shots; .41+ Calibre =5250 shots.
Therefore, extrapolating from his data, using popular propellants such as Varget or RL15, the 204 Ruger may have a barrel life of about 1500 - 3000 shots.
It will be great to learn from the experience of actual owners of this cartridge.
Eagle, nothing erroneous here. I agree that the gasses and friction of the particles also contribute to the wear, but but you are not quite correct about the rifling wear not a result of the bullet, and the rifling being worn down the barrel.
Examine old barrels and you will see an almost smooth bore near the chamber in addition to the rifling being worn as well.
That is due to friction. Have you ever slugged a barrel? Note how it takes a tremendous amount of force to get the thing started, but once that happens, the slug moves with less effort the further down the barrel you push it. The initial resistance is the massive amount of friction encountered when the bullet first encounters the rifling and the rifling "cuts into" the bullet jacket. The more the bullet moves down the barrel, just as the slug, the lessor degree of friction is encountered and hence, less wear.
Think of it this way;
One pas of the knife on a sharpening steel does not sharpen the blade, it is several passes. It is the abrasion (friction) of the sharpening steel to the knife, which removes metal to sharpen the blade. That's why cast bullets do not impact barrel life nowhere near the same degree as copper jacketed bullets. In physics...they call that "friction".
