Wearing Out A Barrel

[Toter]

Copper is softer than steel. It is not the projectile that erodes the steel, it is the heat of combustion. In rifles that are overbore, such as a 6.5/284, barrel life is about 1,100-1,200 rounds for accuracy at 1,000 yards. By then the the first three inches of the barrel look like an alligators back from fire cracking. This roughness tears up the bullet jacket and causes bullets to fly inconsistently or even vaporize before getting to the target. Pistol rounds are typically less overbore and generate less heat of combustion, so even though the process is still happening, it is much slower. I would believe 10-15k rounds of max magnum ammo could do it. 38 special, much more I would think. My $.02

 

[Nick B]

In my 6" 686-4 I like to shoot a mid range load consisting of a Zero 158 grain JSP at a chronographed 1000 FPS . Just wondering how many rounds of this would it take to put significant wear on the rifling ?

 

[steelslaver]

In my 6" 686-4 I like to shoot a mid range load consisting of a Zero 158 grain JSP at a chronographed 1000 FPS . Just wondering how many rounds of this would it take to put significant wear on the rifling ?

Check it after about 10,000 rounds of those, then every 5 thousand or so after that.

The least of my worries is wearing out a barrel. End shake, worn hand or ratchet more apt to be need attention before the barrel. Like stated hot rounds and gasses from them cause more problems than the actual bullet. Lead will cause less wear than copper, but copper is way softer than steel. Aggressive cleaning probably does more damage than bullets. If your worried about it buy a spare barrel.

10,000 of reloads using free scrap lead and used cases. Say $.06 apiece adds up to $600, triple that for commercial bullets and maybe $3000 or so if using jacketed. Take way more than 10,000 lead bullets A barrel is probably about $150 and a $100 to install.

 

[jdlii]

I haven't worn out the barrel of a handgun yet but, I have worn out quite a few rifles barrels. When I shot service rifle competition, I burned out two barrels before switching to a bolt action match rifle.

My primary Mod. 70 match rifle is on its fifth barrel. Another one had two replacements. Both of my current AR match rifle uppers are still on their first barrels another one went through two barrels.

With .308/7.62 barrels my experience and records showed that they held their accuracy lasted for approximately 5,000 rounds each. The bolt action rifles, shot with heavier bullets at the 600 yard line, lasted about 4,000 to 4,250 rounds.

The .223 barrels last a little longer, about 5,250 +\- rounds. I never switched to the 6mm rounds and they last about 2,000 rounds.

A shooting partner had a barrel on his .223 match rifle that had almost 6,000 rounds down the tube. When it was replaced, he had the first 12 inches of the barrel cut in half lengthwise. It was very interesting.

The rifling past the chamber and throat was absolutely gone for approximately an inch. The bullet "jumped" through the "free bore" area into the rifling. This barrel still provided acceptable accuracy at 200 and 300 yards but, the true test was at 600 yards. He could hold the 10 ring, catch a few X's but, would get anywhere from 4 to 5, 9's and a few "flyers" in the 8 ring.

He is a retired engineer and I asked him that if he was trying to prove that his barrel was worn out, he had accomplished his task. He took the hint and changed the barrel and routinely shoots 195 and better at the 600 yard line.

 

[jaymoore]

5-6000 rounds doesn't seem like a lot of rounds to wear a barrel made out of modern stainless steel .

No, it doesn't. Not that barrel steel is all that "modern"! And it's not really worn out. Just worn. The old Hawkeye bore scope shows the eroded area well, but I haven't bothered to figure out a way to get photos with it. Unlike the "alligator skin" texture found in a rifle bore, the 686's bore sort of looks "scrubbed". Which surely wasn't via cleaning! Most of my competition handguns are fairly nasty looking to most folk. As long as they do what i want them to do, I find less dramas in leaving them alone!

 

[TheHobbyist]

Good advice given and first-hand experience.

Most people cannot afford to shoot enough ammo to wear out a barrel if it is store bought and you are not a competitive shooter, just hoping to hit a grapefruit size target. Even reloading, the costs to wear out a barrel would be a lot. With lead wad cutters, with mild loads of 'burning dirt' (Unique) powder, I think it would last over a lifetime...

A lot of other things will fail before then as mentioned.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I have never destroyed a barrel...

...but I shot a 625-2 regularly in competition of two to four matches a month for about twenty years. A friend who was also a revolver shooter discovered his 25-2 after hard service in pin shooting and USPSA was worn down. It still shot OK but was losing velocity. He went minor at a match when chronoed.

I checked my old 625-2 vs a near new 625 and found a significant difference in velocity. These were all handloads so one can add powder to boost velocity , but eventually the brass won't hold any more.

 

[jaymoore]

One thing that has been quite satisfying about using cast and swaged lead bullets over case filling charges of super slow burning powder (IMR4198, mostly) has been the absolute lack of erosion in the forcing cone, top strap, and rifling origins even after many thousands of rounds out of my several metallic silhouette revolvers. Plus, no leading, nor cleaning required! The 629 used to win the recent GA Field Pistol (Any Sight) IHMSA State Championship Match hasn't had it's barrel cleaned in at least three years.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Good shootin' jaymoore! What's a winning field pistol score over there?

 

[jaymoore]

In my 6" 686-4 I like to shoot a mid range load consisting of a Zero 158 grain JSP at a chronographed 1000 FPS . Just wondering how many rounds of this would it take to put significant wear on the rifling ?

As noted by Steelslaver, it ought to take a while, but the only true test is to see how long it'll group. The actual wear means little to the trigger puller so long as the system continues to perform.

I had a scoped 686 that never showed much wear, but it didn't last a season of silhouette use before scores began to decline quite noticably! The only rounds put through it in any quantity came from a particularly accurate (and cheap!, hence it's use) lot of factory Prvi Partisan 158gr JSPs.

 

[jaymoore]

Good shootin' jaymoore! What's a winning field pistol score over there?

48/60, which equates to 32/40 for a regular match. We have some International ranked FPAS shooters, but this time a AAA score was enough. I had been trying, once more, "with feewing", the usual TC Contender in .22 Hornet, but the 629 just fits better! It's all about ergomonics when shooting standing, theoretical accuracy doesn't do a bit of good if I can't steer the gun and make a clean trigger break! The downside to the .44 is the cumulative pounding. By the time you get to the 1/2 size Rams at 100 yds it's hard not to anticipate recoil, if only a little. Had high hopes for the iron sighted .44 as well, after taking all 15 Chickens and almost all of the Pigs, but lost the plot on Turkeys and only about average on Rams.

I do like the long term zero holding ability of this scoped revolver. It hasn't moved much at all in years. Dial in and do the right thing....

Which I've never been able to replicate using jacketed bullet loads. Whether it's due to barrel wear, I can't say. Certainly forcing cones erode faster.

 

[StihlKicking]

When shooting large bore revolvers with full house rounds, I find that frame stretch will factor in long before barrel wear. Somewhere between 10-20k rounds.

 

[BigBill]

I have well over 1,000 rds through my 72 mossberg '06 and it's still printing nickel five shot groups at 100yds to this day.

I don't shoot that many full house loads anymore I'd rather shoot lead cast. Stay thirsty my friends.

 

[Scrateshooter]

Isn't that copper coated steel jacketed? I tested jacketed bullets in wet sand to check for penetration and expansion. The lead was separated from the jacket which felt like steel shrapnel. I tested handgun andvrifle jacketed bullets with the same copper coated steel jacket.
I shot a lot of heavy loads in the past and never hurt a barrel accuracy wise. I shot 1,000rds in my 1972 mossberg 30-06 and to this day the accuracy hasn't changed. This old mossberg proves you don't need a high dollar gun for accuracy. This mossberg cost me $172 with a scope and sling in 1972.

That's over $1,050 in today's dollars.