Barrels and barrels

[masameet]

So late yesterday I was talking to another firearms enthusiast, who told me he is replacing the barrel on his .50 caliber rifle. I asked how many rounds he'd put through it before he determined the barrel needed replacing and he said: 1500.

With handguns, is barrel replacement also as necessary after so many rounds? If the answer is in the affirmative, is barrel wear and, I guess, warpage easily discernible with the naked eye? Anybody have photos of handgun barrels they replaced?

As a novice firearms enthusiast, I'm now thinking maybe I should keep count of the rounds going through my handguns.

[C.G.]

You are comparing apples to oranges. If he is shooting hot loads for competition, that would be the life span. If on the other hand you are shooting normal loads your barrel will go way longer than that.

[CmpsdNoMore]

Unless you're going for super precise accuracy, I think you'd be fine shooting most calibers until you notice the accuracy dropping of significantly. That's what I'm doing with my current firearms.

[mif_slim]

My grandpas 22 Browning that was passed down to my dad to me has more then 10k+ rounds....its still good! My SU-16 has 8k+ rounds in it, its still as good as its first 100 rd shot. My AR-15 L-R F class rifle had 4,447 rounds through it before changing the barrel, another barrel lasted 4,855. I think it depends on maker and load and how its treated. My L-R Club president has an AR with 5500+ rounds in it before changing.

[ohsmily]

Most common handgun calibers will last 10s of thousands of rounds before requiring replacement. (9mm, 40, 45, etc).

[Army]

.50BMG? He's got about 10,000 to go.

[50BMGBOB]

Guys that shoot 1000 yards and grouping <6" will need to replace their barrels a lot sooner than a handgun shooter shooting at 25 yards. It is part of the cost of playing. Not all shooters need to replace that often, but if you notice that your gun won't shoot the same group as before, it is one more thing to check. 50BMG's then to burn out barrels.

[masameet]

GTK. Thanks, guys!

So, 50BMGBOB, you going to the June shoot?

I'm thinking of being there.

[50BMGBOB]

I'm the match director for the Coalinga match. Don't forget to preregister to make sure you have a spot. We have about 36 out of 48 spots taken so far.