308 Barrel Life?

[nobody]

I owned a 308 for about a year and regret every day ever getting rid of it. Granted, it was a Browning A Bolt II, and a base model at that, but I believe every man should have a 308 in the safe, even as a backup rifle. So I’m going to pick up a tikka, and was just curious how many of you have legitimately shot out a 308 barrel. I’m not talking match accuracy, I’m talking legit sub 1.5 MOA accuracy from contact to 700-ish hunting accuracy shot out.

I know the field evaluation rifle used in the scope testing is a 308, which was chosen because of its loooooooong static barrel life, but I’m just curious how long they’ll actually last.

I’ve read anywhere from 10k to as many as 30k rounds of barrel life. What’s myth, and what’s reality? What have people seen and experienced?

 

[MallardSX2]

Depends on how hot the loads are, how long you let the barrel cool between shots and how often you clean it.

You should get at least 3,000 shots out of a .308 barrel before you even consider it being an issue. Thats right from a gunsmith's mouth who has more experience shooting rifles than 99.9% of the shooters I know.

 

[xsn10s]

I owned a 308 for about a year and regret every day ever getting rid of it. Granted, it was a Browning A Bolt II, and a base model at that, but I believe every man should have a 308 in the safe, even as a backup rifle. So I’m going to pick up a tikka, and was just curious how many of you have legitimately shot out a 308 barrel. I’m not talking match accuracy, I’m talking legit sub 1.5 MOA accuracy from contact to 700-ish hunting accuracy shot out.

I know the field evaluation rifle used in the scope testing is a 308, which was chosen because of its loooooooong static barrel life, but I’m just curious how long they’ll actually last.

I’ve read anywhere from 10k to as many as 30k rounds of barrel life. What’s myth, and what’s reality? What have people seen and experienced?

I have a PSS since 1991 that the family got me when I returned from the Army. I have well over 10k on the original barrel and it still shoots sub moa. But I never let the barrel get too hot.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Since its a boring cartridge it should last a long time as you're drawn to funner things to shoot.

 

[Formidilosus]

I’ve read anywhere from 10k to as many as 30k rounds of barrel life. What’s myth, and what’s reality? What have people seen and experienced?

Somewhere between those two numbers is probably about what to expect.

The Eval rifle is over 20,000 rounds and is still sub MOA for 10 rounds consistently with multiple ammo types. The last aftermarket 308 barrel I used heavily and replaced was Bartlien and was pulled at over 14,000 rounds still shooting just over 1 MOA for ten rounds. I’ve got and used dozens between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds- none of them got replaced due to precision.

 

[saltfork]