Barrel life
- Thread starter maliqua
- Start date
.300WinMag will have a shorter barrel life than an '06, all things being equal.
What use will the rifle receive? Hunting? Likely never have to consider replacing the barrel. After you have put $5000 of factory ammunition through the .30-06, you could do some careful testing, and see if there has been any deterioration of accuracy.
With a target rifle, one sign of the barrel getting tired is vertical stringing at long range. This results from increasing variation in muzzle velocity.
What use will the rifle receive? Hunting? Likely never have to consider replacing the barrel. After you have put $5000 of factory ammunition through the .30-06, you could do some careful testing, and see if there has been any deterioration of accuracy.
With a target rifle, one sign of the barrel getting tired is vertical stringing at long range. This results from increasing variation in muzzle velocity.
Right now i'm mostly just using it for target shooting, I'd like to go hunting one day but for now am still just getting used to the gun and trying to hone my skills best i can.
as such i put a little more ammo down the pipe than a typical hunter would i'm sure
as such i put a little more ammo down the pipe than a typical hunter would i'm sure
Barrel life is somewhat subjective, it will be longer for a hunter than a match competitor. Basically when a rifle begins to become inconsistent in accuracy and velocities drop I replace the barrel. In my 280's this has varied from 5000 to 6000 rounds of mixed full power and more sedate practice ammunition. As mentioned keeping the barrel cool will prolong its life as will proper cleaning, I suspect many rifles wear prematurely to poor cleaning techniques. As for the 300WM I would guess you could expect between 1500 and 2500 rounds for the barrel life but I have heard of some lasting much longer.
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Make sure the barrel never gets so hot that you can't hold the throat area in your hand comfortably.
I have shot out several barrels over the years, and it takes a fair bit of shooting, even with a "hotshot" chambering as long as you keep it on the cool side and clean properly, as has been posted already. Even the 220 Swift, supposedly lethal on throats, gave me over 2500 very accurate rounds. A couple of 6mm Remingtons each delivered over 3000 before they would no longer hold moa. You get the idea. I would expect 2000+ very accurate rounds from a 300 Win Mag, even with "warm" loads. Eagleye
The biggest thing you can do to preserve accuracy as a newer shooter is to buy the correct cleaning equipment. That means a bore guide and a quality coated one piece rod. Never clean from the muzzle and never re-use patches after they've been through the bore.
Some other things to keep your chamber and throat tight: Don't put ammo into your gun if it's hit the dirt or been in a dirty pocket. Keep your magazine(s) clean and ensure you are removing dirt, dust and debris from the other parts of the action when you clean the barrel. The neck of a cartridge traps dust and dirt easily. Keeping dust off of your ammo keeps it from abrading your throat.
As far as when to replace the barrel, that's a matter of personal preference. Just replace it when the accuracy is below your personal standard. If you lose confidence in the rifle, it's time for a new barrel.
Some other things to keep your chamber and throat tight: Don't put ammo into your gun if it's hit the dirt or been in a dirty pocket. Keep your magazine(s) clean and ensure you are removing dirt, dust and debris from the other parts of the action when you clean the barrel. The neck of a cartridge traps dust and dirt easily. Keeping dust off of your ammo keeps it from abrading your throat.
As far as when to replace the barrel, that's a matter of personal preference. Just replace it when the accuracy is below your personal standard. If you lose confidence in the rifle, it's time for a new barrel.
