How to tell if your barrel is burned out

[Article 4]

I am asked sometimes how often I change barrels or how do I tell when a barrel is getting past its prime or even burned out. Here is how I keep track and think about barrel burn;

Am I seeing random POI Shift and inconsistent flyers?
Big Velocity differences - perhaps gaining velocity
Changes in SD and ES that are inconsistent or perhaps speeding up

If I am, my process is to take a look at:

• Round count....easy if you buy a new barrel and can track as you shoot. If I am near expected bbl life for that round, I have ordered another bbl already. Not as easy if you buy a used rifle.
• Check all torques – is everything mounted and torques to spec (from brake to action screws and everything in between)
• Check scope tracking - every scope fails at some point...is this one failing?
• Check bbl tightness – rare occurrence but it can happen

If that all checks out, I will then do:

• Deep cleaning – firing pin assembly, chamber, bbl
• Full Ammunition inspection - hand loads are easy cause I know the specs and did I make some errors in loads?
• Re-verify jump
• Bore Scope your throat and bbl for erosions (including pics of the extremes - (fresh cut chamber with round and extremely abused and eroded throat which is usually the culprit especially with high velocity mag rounds)

I am sure I didnt think or check everything but that is my process and it works pretty well for me

 

[Nine Banger]

When you fresh cut a chamber, are you just bumping it forward with the new cut and removing some material from the back of the barrel, or is it more involved? Or did I miss the point and you just meant you notice that's the issue and toss the barrel?

 

[Article 4]

When you fresh cut a chamber, are you just bumping it forward with the new cut and removing some material from the back of the barrel, or is it more involved? Or did I miss the point and you just meant you notice that's the issue and toss the barrel?

I am simply talking about running out barrel life and knowing when to change it versus it being some other accuracy issue

If you are going through a process of "setting in back" that is recutting a chamber on your current barrel, then yes, you are cutting about 1/2 inch +/- depending on caliber, off the back of the barrel and recutting the new chamber to achieve a "new" throat. This is not a complete new barrel - this simply extends the life of your current barrel

 

[Air Bear]

What factors allow or disallow “settling it back”? ie enough shank (if thhats the right term)? How much life can you expect from the “settling back”bbl? 100% of original, 75%?

 

[def90]

I'm guessing that the majority of people can't shoot well enough to know if their barrel is "burned out" in the first place. In order to know you're talking about someone that can consistently shoot a sub MOA group every time they pick up their rifle and then watch that group expand out to an MOA or more over time and have the confidence that it is the barrel and not just them not shooting as well as they used to be able to.

 

[SDHNTR]

I am asked sometimes how often I change barrels or how do I tell when a barrel is getting past its prime or even burned out. Here is how I keep track and think about barrel burn;

Am I seeing random POI Shift and inconsistent flyers?
Big Velocity differences - perhaps gaining velocity
Changes in SD and ES that are inconsistent or perhaps speeding up

If I am, my process is to take a look at:

• Round count....easy if you buy a new barrel and can track as you shoot. If I am near expected bbl life for that round, I have ordered another bbl already. Not as easy if you buy a used rifle.
• Check all torques – is everything mounted and torques to spec (from brake to action screws and everything in between)
• Check scope tracking - every scope fails at some point...is this one failing?
• Check bbl tightness – rare occurrence but it can happen

If that all checks out, I will then do:

• Deep cleaning – firing pin assembly, chamber, bbl
• Full Ammunition inspection - hand loads are easy cause I know the specs and did I make some errors in loads?
• Re-verify jump
• Bore Scope your throat and bbl for erosions (including pics of the extremes - (fresh cut chamber with round and extremely abused and eroded throat which is usually the culprit especially with high velocity mag rounds)

I am sure I didnt think or check everything but that is my process and it works pretty well for me

You are calling that borescope pic of the throat shot out? I’ve seen WAY worse that still shot great. That doesn’t look bad at all to me.

 

[Nine Banger]

I'm guessing that the majority of people can't shoot well enough to know if their barrel is "burned out" in the first place. In order to know you're talking about someone that can consistently shoot a sub MOA group every time they pick up their rifle and then watch that group expand out to an MOA or more over time and have the confidence that it is the barrel and not just them not shooting as well as they used to be able to.

Or you see your velocity spiking around and groups go from 1.5MOA to 2.5-3MOA with actual real fliers here and there and then you pull your bolt and look down the pipe and it looks rolled out.