Shooting out the barrel ! 223 cal rifle

silverfoxdj

silverfoxdj

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Have often see posts saying the barrel has been shot out and needs replacement.

Now given diferent types and uses what does this mean for target shooting use? Number of rounds shot? type or quality of barrel etc

Does stainless steel hold up better. Is this unique to any specific calibre or type gun?

Will some Companys replace a barrel under normal conditions?
 
Generally speaking, a barrel is considered to be shot out when the throat is sufficiently eroded that there is enough variation that accuracy is degraded to the point that it is unsatisfactory for the intended use. Obviously the expectations for competitive benchrest are different than for a run of the mill hunting rifle.
As far as number of shots is concerned, this will vary greatly.
For some applications a stainless barrel may last longer than others, but there are more factors than just barrel material.
A maker is not going to replace a barrel because it has been worn out.

You mention .223. A .223 barrel that is used for slow paced target shooting is going to maintain premium accuracy longer than one that is used for rapid, high volume fire. Then again, expectations would be different. For someone playing CQB, as long as bullets are not keyholing, a barrel may be satisfactory.
 
Military service rifle barrels can see upwards of 30000 rounds fired through them and still be accurate.

That is why I only buy military rifles when it comes to semi autos.
 
My Colt AR has had numerous rounds pushed through it over the past 30 years. It's accuracy has held up better than my shooting skills. Remember this is when a 30 round mag dump was legal and ammo cheap. The.223 cartridge is not overly hard on barrels. Early barrels were cheap and easy to replace but when the 'black rifle' craze developed so did the demand for higher quality components. Chromed lined barrels are longer lived , hammer forged plus chrome more so. I have never read or heard of a barrel being replaced if 'shot out' by a manufacturer as this is a wear item ( like brakes or clutches on a car). I have no experience with stainless steel barrels or bolt action .223's either.
 
i doubt if any private citizen funding their own shooting will ever "shoot out" a barrel... Most are designed to see 30K+ rounds through them without needing much attention!
 
As far as competitive target rifle shooting is concerned, a .308 has longer barrel life than a .223. A good .308 barrel might still be competitive at 7500 rounds.
For long range target shooting, velocity variation is a killer. Once groups start to string vertically, the barrel is no longer competitive. This will show up first at longer ranges, 7-8-900m. The barrel would still be plenty accurate enough for other purposes, though.
A really hot round might be good for perhaps a thousand rounds before it loses its edge.
 
Islandspark said:
i doubt if any private citizen funding their own shooting will ever "shoot out" a barrel... Most are designed to see 30K+ rounds through them without needing much attention!
Click to expand...

You would be surprised then... yes, most don’t shoot this much, but some do…
 
Higher rates of fire wear barrels faster so round counts are not an ideal indicator.
That said my personal Stag 4R has 18 500 through it. With match ammo it was a ten round 1.125moa rifle when new and is now still a 1.5moa rifle.
It fails the throat erosion measurement but still shoots well.
 
Bi-metal projectiles (ie steel jacketed ammo). I would be very surprised to see any kind of accuracy after 7000 rnds..... I would expect the odd keyhole anywhere north of 6500 in fact.....

Shooting Copper jacketed ammo on the other hand shoud last past 10,000 rounds. But anything after 15,000 I would be very surprised not to see some degradation of accuracy. How much I don't know...... Ask me again in a couple of years.....
 
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