how many shots to wear out a rem heavy stainless steel barrel in 308?
- Thread starter stoop14
- Start date
Depends on many things...
Light bullet and light loads = more use out of it
Heavy bullet and heavy loads = less use out of it
Once you start noticing some random flyer with your proven loads under good conditions, start looking into it I guess.
Light bullet and light loads = more use out of it
Heavy bullet and heavy loads = less use out of it
Once you start noticing some random flyer with your proven loads under good conditions, start looking into it I guess.
bulldog284
CGN Regular
- Location
- pigeon hill
i shot well over 3000 rounds out of my 308 in competion in fclass us and it still will shoot under a half moa if i do my part.
i know of one fellow who has shot 10000 rounds threw his 308 cut an inch or so off the back and shot another 4000.and it still shot reasonably well.
i know of one fellow who has shot 10000 rounds threw his 308 cut an inch or so off the back and shot another 4000.and it still shot reasonably well.
You should count on 5000 and be on the lookout after that.
The barrel does not wear out - the throat does. In a stainless it becomes cracked and then one of the little pieces breaks loose and then it won't shoot. If the barrel has a straight shank you can then cut 2 or 3" off the barrels, rechamber and have an almost new barrel.
Remember to include a straight shank section when you order the profile for your new barrel.
The barrel does not wear out - the throat does. In a stainless it becomes cracked and then one of the little pieces breaks loose and then it won't shoot. If the barrel has a straight shank you can then cut 2 or 3" off the barrels, rechamber and have an almost new barrel.
Remember to include a straight shank section when you order the profile for your new barrel.
Whether or not a barrel needs replacing depends entirely on your applications and the level of precision that application requires. Different people are going to give you different numbers based on the type of shooting they do.
Ganderite and Kombayotch are both bang on.
The throat is what wears-out, and with a typical match grade rifle, they are compettive up to 3000-5000 rounds. One of the fellows with whom I used to compete in F-Class had a Mick McPhee 308 barrel and was still placing in competitions with 10,000 rounds down his.
To get there presumes that your barrel is accurate enough for your purposes now, and cannot afford to degrade much. Most non-competitive shooters will find their barrel more than usefull well after the point where winning-minded competitive shooters would change barrels/chambers. Assault rifles in 7.62 are still capable of killing people even with 50,000 rounds down the pipe, because sub MOA accuracy isn't necessary and doesn't affect lethality.
Assuming you are happy now, i think it fair to say you have several thousand rounds of happiness left, but factory barrel are not custom barrels, and the steel is rearely as good as that from a custom manufacturer. You results may vary. Have fun and enjoy
The throat is what wears-out, and with a typical match grade rifle, they are compettive up to 3000-5000 rounds. One of the fellows with whom I used to compete in F-Class had a Mick McPhee 308 barrel and was still placing in competitions with 10,000 rounds down his.
To get there presumes that your barrel is accurate enough for your purposes now, and cannot afford to degrade much. Most non-competitive shooters will find their barrel more than usefull well after the point where winning-minded competitive shooters would change barrels/chambers. Assault rifles in 7.62 are still capable of killing people even with 50,000 rounds down the pipe, because sub MOA accuracy isn't necessary and doesn't affect lethality.
Assuming you are happy now, i think it fair to say you have several thousand rounds of happiness left, but factory barrel are not custom barrels, and the steel is rearely as good as that from a custom manufacturer. You results may vary. Have fun and enjoy
8, 747.4. - dan
One of my pressure testing barrels has over 7500 rounds on it, and its still well under MOA.
US Army has run them up to 14,000 rounds apparently:
http://www.tactical-life.com/online/special-weapons/remington-m700-308-target-tactical/
US Army has run them up to 14,000 rounds apparently:
http://www.tactical-life.com/online/special-weapons/remington-m700-308-target-tactical/
Blue and stainless wear very differently. Blue erodes and the rifling wears away and you have a smooth bore for an inch or more. The group gradually opens up.
A stainless develops a pattern of small cracks that look like dried mud. The cracks get deeper and interconnect. A casual look shows lots of rifling. But eventually a piece of metal flakes off between some cracks and the group opens suddenly.
A stainless develops a pattern of small cracks that look like dried mud. The cracks get deeper and interconnect. A casual look shows lots of rifling. But eventually a piece of metal flakes off between some cracks and the group opens suddenly.
bulldog284
CGN Regular
- Location
- pigeon hill
thank you for that explanation Ganderite well done
