Barrel life

B

bacova

New member
I'm curious as to what would be considered an average barrel life for a medium caliber Deer rifle. Something like a 270, 280, 30-06 etc.

I know there's only estimates, but lets say a 270 that's shot only factory ammo, or handloads that do not exceed max.

I'm wondering if anybody in here has ever started off with a new rifle, kept an accurate shot log and knows how many bullets went down the pipe before signs of wear appeared.

I guess if anyone has it was probably for some kind of varmint whacker, instead of a Deer rifle, but that info would be helpful too.

Thanks, Bacova
 
Jack would be the best one to answer this question but he's on vacation. I seem to recall him saying the average shooter would never shootout a deer rifle, that cleaning techniques cause more damage to deer type rifles than anything. All bets are off though if one decides to take a deer rifle to a pdog town.
 
How the rifle is cared for and how it was shot has an effect on barrel life.
If a guy shoots 15 or 20 rounds through it frequently and does it fast without letting the barrel cool and not cleaning it often it will wear out faster than one that is fired slowly and cleaned often.
Also, the type of loads will have some effect on barrel life.
Alot of variables involved.
I have a 30-06 that is bone stock and has over 2000 rounds through it and it shoots as well as it did when I bought it.
I also have a couple 22-250's with shot out Shilen barrels that have less rounds through them than the 06.
I have an approximation of how many times my 06 has been fired but it still shoots well enough that I dont see a problem with throat errosion or accuracy.
Are you looking at a used .270? Maybe the seller can enlighten you on its history. Ron
 
1500 rnds fired fairly hot,..maybe 1800 rnds taken care of. The 270 is a high pressure cartridge, so the plasma at the throat is fairly dense.
 
Fast twist 22-250 (1:8) with a fair amount of overheating on pds, 800 rds. A 1:10 .223 with some overheating, 3500 rds.

The .270 isn't overbore, but it's on the edge (which makes it a very efficient round). On the other hand it will be unlikely to have been shot on colonies or competition and overheated. I would guess you could reasonably expect a 2000-3000 round barrel life if only used for hunting game.

As someone said, (improper) cleaning does more damage than just about anything else. You might want to have your smith check the barrel with a bore scope if you have doubts.

Leon
 
I have worn out several 30-06 barrels shooting NRA cross-the course competition (includes two to four rapid fire strings in which 10 rounds are fired in 60 - 70 seconds, generating pretty severe barrel heat) and kept accurate records as to the number of rounds fired on each barrel. The barrels were heavy stainless barrels and the average number of rounds I got before replacing was 7500 rounds. Around that number of rounds, the barrel begins to throw unexplained fliers at 600 yards.

Many competitors change barrels out at much lower round count, but that is where I felt the barrels were costing me points.

If I were an average hunter, I wouldn't worry about wearing out a hunting rifle. This, of course, does not apply to the much higher velocity cartridges. I once wore out a 308 Norma Magnum at less than 2000 rounds.

Regards,
hm
 
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Thanks guys. Some interesting answers there. I'm don't own a 270, nor am I looking to buy one, I just figgered that was a good middle of the road example to use.

Yesterday I was going through my record book and realized I'd put about 750 rounds through my 280. It still shoots as good as ever, but I got to wondering about barrel life. I keep it clean, don't shoot over max loads and it's a single shot, never gets any rapid fire workouts.

I have a new 300 WSM that I expect will burn out quicker than the 280, and a 270 Wby Mag that I imagine would take the fewest shots before breaking down, although it's a single shot too.

I know there's no definitive answer to this question, there's way too many variables. Just wondering about a ballpark figure.
 


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