What leads loss of barrel life?

[T28w]

Did some searching and didn’t find a whole lot so thought I’d ask here.
Just like the title asks, is there a difference in how fast a barrel wears out if you compare a heavy bullet traveling slower vs a lighter bullet at a much higher speed? Would the pressure be similar if each load is at or near max for each powder bullet combo?
Looking at accurate 4350 the pressure is higher with a lighter 130 gr, assuming due to 3 grains more powder, vs a 147 gr bullet. 6.5 creedmoor.

Not much difference in weight and speed compared to like a 300 wm where u could go heavy like a 215 gr or light like a 165. Does the bullet end up taking up space and limiting amount of powder as the bullet weight increases and therefore a smaller bullet with more possible powder behind it burn a barrel up faster?

Kinda felt like I started rambling. Hope it makes sense

 

[WeiserBucks]

Don't get caught up in the mental gymnastics and just shoot the damn thing.

 

[Wrench]

Shooting, cleaning and shooting wear them out. Its fun.

Have fun.

 

[T28w]

Oh not worried, just curious.

 

[Azone]

My 257 WBY should have been toast years ago according to the internet, it still kills lots of things.
Im no expert, just some guy on the web, keep it clean and don’t roast it with 200 rounds straight and you should be good.

 

[1shotgear]

There are many factors that contibute to barrel life including case design, powder selection, powder weight, bullet bearing surface, barrel material, barrel contour, shot string length, the list goes on. You should get between 2500 and 3000 rounds out of your 6.5 Creedmoor so regardless its nothing to worry about. However, if you were shooting a 26 Nosler and had extremelly limited barrel life, the to factors that would matter most would be bullet bearing surface (more material passing over the rifling every shot) and powder charge.

 

[4and1]

Heat. A good barrel can shoot many rounds and keep going, but, if those rounds are back to back and many, the throat will wear out quickly. There is a big difference in shooting a hunting rifle where shots are minimal, and a varmint rifle shooting a prairie dog town.

Over bore cartridges also contribute to wear, again heat being a large factor in that.

 

[Rich M]

Heat

Hot powder and high pressure loads will eat up a barrel.

 

[glazer1972]

The only one I ever heard of in my family that shot out was an early Remington 700 in .264 Winchester Magnum. IIRC dad was shooting 140s out of it. Some of that may have been from cleaning with steel rods etc.

 

[hodgeman]

Cleaning rods have killed more barrels than powder and bullets.

But, heat is what you're referring to. A lot of powder going down a little bitty hole will erode the throat. Lots of factors matter- how much or what powder, what the barrel is made of, the bullet construction.

In general, light bullets in front of big powder charges are the worst (26NOS, 257WBY, 22-250)....your 6.5CM is a pretty sedate cartridge by comparison.

Remember, if you burn out a barrel it means you're living life right!

 

[4and1]

On the subject of cleaning rods, yes they can do damage if used improperly. Since this thread is speaking of bigger cartridges, I assume were are talking bolt guns. A bore guide is a must, one that fits the action raceway and is cartridge specific so it seals in the chamber. A one piece cleaning rod should be used. I have used both coated rods and steel rods. With a bore guide, the rod won't touch the barrel so it's just a preference. The other benefit from a bore guide is it keeps solvent out of the trigger.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Cleaning rods have killed more barrels than powder and bullets.

this. first saw this in the army years ago where M16s barrels were ruined by dip shit cleaning and inspections. I had a private that clamp rod with a brass brush in a power drill and he ran it up and down his barrel. Shoot a lot, clean very little.

also, Some of the witch craft break in stuff some knuckleheads put out on the internet - fire 53 7-round strings with the bullet coated in jewelers rouge and frog urine during a waxing gibus - just aren’t necessary for most people.

I am not a super duper rifle guy but, for the ones I know, barrels are wear items. If you shoot 3k rounds at $3-5 a piece to wear one out then god bless you and you can probably afford a new one.

 

[WCB]

There are many factors that contibute to barrel life including case design, powder selection, powder weight, bullet bearing surface, barrel material, barrel contour, shot string length, the list goes on. You should get between 2500 and 3000 rounds out of your 6.5 Creedmoor so regardless its nothing to worry about. However, if you were shooting a 26 Nosler and had extremelly limited barrel life, the to factors that would matter most would be bullet bearing surface (more material passing over the rifling every shot) and powder charge.

I agree 100%. between 2500 and 3000 is the key...there is no set life on a barrel so you never really know the round count difference between the two types of loads you are talking about IMO. Was your gun with perfect maintenance a 2500rd gun with "low pressure" rounds or was it always a 3,000 with "high pressure".

I would throw poor/wrong maintenance and shooting style (fast and long strings) as things that would take round counts off faster than two different style bullets.

 

[4and1]

this. first saw this in the army years ago where M16s barrels were ruined by dip shit cleaning and inspections. I had a private that clamp rod with a brass brush in a power drill and he ran it up and down his barrel. Shoot a lot, clean very little.

also, Some of the witch craft break in stuff some knuckleheads put out on the internet - fire 53 7-round strings with the bullet coated in jewelers rouge and frog urine during a waxing gibus - just aren’t necessary for most people.

I am not a super duper rifle guy but, for the ones I know, barrels are wear items. If you shoot 3k rounds at $3-5 a piece to wear one out then god bless you and you can probably afford a new one.

There are many flaws in this response. Cleaning a rifle barrel is the LAST thing that will wear out a barrel IF DONE RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! How hard is this to understand?

Barrel break-in is a debated subject. You can't ignore the comments from one of the top barrel makes in this country. It's real, it doesn't take a bunch of time, and is a well worth thing to do. How much did you spend on the rifle to go through the process?

 

[menhaden_man]

Below is a link to a “break-in barrel” thread. Frank Green is a well known industry professional (and accomplished shooter) that works at Bartlein. He gives good insights in this thread about break in, cleaning, and barrel wear in general. He’s more active over on SnipersHide and has posted quite a bit about all things barrels related (you might go search his user name over there).

Start here:

Barrel Break in Procedure

I’ve seen guys recommended anywhere from 40-100+ rounds for the break in stating that they still see velocity changes with that many rounds through it. Is there some truth to that? Someone already said it but barrel speed up is different than break in, and speed up varies depending on whether...

www.rokslide.com

Great info, thanks for pointing it out...

 

[Desk Jockey]

There are many flaws in this response. Cleaning a rifle barrel is the LAST thing that will wear out a barrel IF DONE RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! How hard is this to understand?

Barrel break-in is a debated subject. You can't ignore the comments from one of the top barrel makes in this country. It's real, it doesn't take a bunch of time, and is a well worth thing to do. How much did you spend on the rifle to go through the process?

not sure what sort of response you are looking for, if any.

yes, I agree. Cleaning a rifle properly will not wear the barrel excessively. I also have observed cleaning techniques that will and do lead to excessive barrel wear like seeing a young army soldier take a power drill with a brass brush clamped in it and run it in and out of an m4 barrel while it rotated at high speed. I expect that type of cleaning would probably wear a barrel out quickly.

yes, I also agree that breaking in a barrel properly can aid performance. i also believe there are many suggested barrel break in procedures that convey limited if any value towrd performance or longevity Of A barrel.

hope that helps.

 

[T28w]

Appreciate the link to frank green discussing barrels. Always something to learn. I read that thread and I have seen his post on other forums but maybe have missed what cleaners/solvents he recommends?

 

[menhaden_man]

Carlos cleaned his barrel... not a Rokslide forum legend, and too bad he had the wrong caliber, wrong scope, and cleaned his shit. Imagine what he could have done with 77 gr TMKs ? Bigfoot would be dead for sure.

Carlos Hathcock Method of Sighting in a Rifle

Carlos had me Shoot 1x/day & record everything into a log book, the Rationale was that "How many shots do you think you are going to get at a deer?"

americanshootingjournal.com

 

[4and1]

not sure what sort of response you are looking for, if any.

yes, I agree. Cleaning a rifle properly will not wear the barrel excessively. I also have observed cleaning techniques that will and do lead to excessive barrel wear like seeing a young army soldier take a power drill with a brass brush clamped in it and run it in and out of an m4 barrel while it rotated at high speed. I expect that type of cleaning would probably wear a barrel out quickly.

yes, I also agree that breaking in a barrel properly can aid performance. i also believe there are many suggested barrel break in procedures that convey limited if any value towrd performance or longevity Of A barrel.

hope that helps.

I wasn't looking for any response per se, I was just stating the poster had many flaws in his post.

 

[T28w]

Kinda changing gears but I also have a tikka 300wsm that I want to start reloading for. I have some eldx 200 gr and they rec a 1:10 twist and the tikka is 1:11. I as looking for some 178 eldx’s but can’t find them right now and in looking up h4350, I don’t see a load for the 178s. Is there a reason? I had wanted to stay in mid weight bullets range. 165-200grs