Barrell burner?

[4Patriot]

Why does the .243 Win cartridge have a reputation as a "barrell burner"? Is this for real? Does it apply to other rounds?

I have the opportunity to buy a Savage Model 11 at a good price, am wondering what to think.

[hermosabeach]

Yes the .243 has a shorter barrel life.

It can still go a few thosand rounds....

Was the gun owned by a hunter or a bench rest blaster?

Are you shooting matches or hunting?

Hunting small critters like prairie dogs or bigger game?

Do you reload so you can adjust the coal to fit the throat on your rifle.
These questions will help you figure out if it meets your needs....

Can you test fire a group before making the purchase?

[TMB 1]

Has a lot of powder for the size of the bore. Pace yourself so you don't get it too hot and it'll last a long time.

[brando]

Exactly - it doesn't have to be a barrel burner if you don't load it so hot. Then again, the advantage of that cartridge is that it shoots very fast and flat. To get that it takes a lot of powder pushing a small bullet and that has a way of eroding the throat on barrels. Now, this doesn't mean you have to toss the barrel after 1200 rounds; in fact if you got a long barrel you could just have the chamber recut and set the barrel back an inch or so, making a new throat.

[ar15barrels]

Why does the .243 Win cartridge have a reputation as a "barrell burner"? Is this for real? Does it apply to other rounds?

I have the opportunity to buy a Savage Model 11 at a good price, am wondering what to think.

Depending on how you load it and how fast you shoot it, a 243 barrel will be "shot out" within 1200 to 2500 rounds.

The definition of "shot out" varies greatly, so my definition of "shot out" is:
"when the barrel will no longer consistently make groups less than twice the size of when it was new".
I commonly see 243 barrels "shot out" between 1600 and 1800 rounds.

[Fjold]

Like it was said above, it's how much that you shoot and how you do it that matters. How hot you load and how fast you shoot it has the biggest effect on barrel life. Competitive shooters tend to practice a lot and have to shoot hot barrels and that tends to wear out barrels faster. Varmint shooters will do the same thing, high volume shooting.

I've seen 243's used as hunting guns passed down to grandkids that were fine 50 years later.

[w210838]

Not saying that people don't but I think comp and BR guys shoot a cartridge that is more tailored to that style of shooting. Yes in theory 243 is over bored , with that said I still have my grandfathers 243 that he got in 1930 and I watched that man kill more deer with a 75 grain cast bullet than anyone I have ever seen. The rifling is still very strong and holds a 2 inch group at 100 just fine.

[toby]

Shoot sparingly, don't get the barrel too hot, Keep loads below maximum, keep it clean and your barrel will last a lifetime.

[postal]

Ask "thegiff" to post pictures of his 243 barrel and his round count.

He sliced it open took magnified pictures of it. I think about 5-6 inches of lands was gone, and firecracking in grooves...

[brando]

Another way to look at is that barrels are consumables. Don't stress over it. Shoot it. Enjoy it. Then replace the barrel when it's all used up. It's not like the whole rifle is deadlined.

[JMP]

Why does the .243 Win cartridge have a reputation as a "barrell burner"? Is this for real? Does it apply to other rounds?

In general, the 243 Winchester barrel life is relatively shot as you are pushing a hefty load through a small bore. It is extremely popular for hunting as it's a high velocity round with a flat trajectory, and hunters do not take that many shots. If you plan to do a lot of target and recreational shooting and barrel life is a concern, you may want to consider one of the the dozens of other cosmmon 6mm cartridges. Because 6mm bullets have such a nice selection of bullets, many of these cartridges will perform very nicely.

[morthrane]

Yes in theory 243 is over bored , with that said I still have my grandfathers 243 that he got in 1930 and I watched that man kill more deer with a 75 grain cast bullet than anyone I have ever seen.

A cast lead bullet won't be setting muzzle velocity records. I don't think that will be pushing 3500fps+, but what do I know...

[thegiff]

A 2 inch group is 1.5 inches past worn out for me.

My 6 Creedmoor was a 243 winchester on the first barrel. I sectioned the barrel and took photos.

No rifling for 1/2 to 3/4 inch or so.


I mean really, no rifling.


Firecracking. Bad enough it would catch fibers of the patches.

and


It had 2600 rounds through it. At the end (it was worn out around 2000 rounds or so) I upped the powder 4 grains to try and keep the velocity up where it started.

New barrel section for reference:

[MarkInFolsom]

Being a noob about barrel burning calibers and barrel life, how far down the bore did the fire cracking occur?

[jarhead714]

Always been fascinated by projectiles that can get close to and up past 4,000. Barrel be damned that's just cool. The only other people that get to shoot something that fast from one point on the earth to another are tank gunners.