308 = long barrel life?

[Jack1939]

Is it true that the .308 generally allows for longer barrel life than other calibers? I was considering a 30-06 or a 270 win, or one of the magnum calibers, 7mm rem mag, 300 wsm, or 7mm wsm... Since I have a mosin, reload, am not recoil sensitive, and do not really want to move down in velocity I had not really been considering a .308, but if the barrel life really is longer with a .308 then...

[shooterbill]

Most people will not shoot a barrel out. Even if you did, barrel swaps are common. You would probably get 2-3 times more life in a 308 than say a 300 mag.

[G-forceJunkie]

Out of the calibers you listed, yes, .308 will have the longest barrel life. Its a factor of velocity and heat, and .308 is the lowest of the ones you listed.

[CK_32]

Not that the 308 is a barrel saver.. but the 7mm/300 are barrel eaters more like it..

But 90% of members on here will not out shoot their barrels. Not even my self but im working on it

Also depends on how fast you shoot your firearms.. A barrels worst enemy is heat.

[Munk]

it's a difference of getting 4000 rounds out of a barrel instead of 2000. If you think you'll be doing well over 2000 rounds of shooting... it's worth it to get a new barrel anyway. Just think of it as a reminder to get a new customized part for your gun when the time comes.

Shoot whichever caliber you feel you'll enjoy the most. Remember, you can always load a heavier caliber downward to speeds similar to the "lesser" caliber, so you can tailor your loads to extend barrel life if you like, while still having the option of shooting insanely fast from time to time.

[Ike Arumba]

See Bart Bobbitt's rule of thumb at http://yarchive.net/gun/barrel/barrel_life.html. Basically, his rule is that you get 3000 rounds of accurate barrel life, assuming slow fire, if the powder load is 1 grain per square millimeter of bore. From there, barrel life runs inversely as the square of the charge.

There is also a page at http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...l-barrel-life/ you might want to peruse.

The .308 Win is known for a long barrel life, but the .30-06 is also one of the better ones.

[toby]

Only believe about an 1/8 of the crap that you read on the internet even if it comes from a so called gun forum.

[Divernhunter]

I do a great amount of shooting. I have only worn out one barrel and that was a used rifle that my daughter put many 1000's of rounds thru. I had it rebarreled and it shots excellent again. I do have a 223 that I got in 1970 and has way too many rounds to count thru it mostly after squirrels. I am starting to have it shoot 1.5" groups when it use to shoot less than .5" groups. I will probably have to rebarrel it if I do not find another problem with the rifle or scope. I did change the scope on it and it is better so I may not have to rebarrel yet.

The many other rifles I have(including mags) get more use that the above average shooter would use them and they are all fine. I have some I bought new/used in the late 1960's and newer that still shoot well. I use allot of hot loads and that is harder on barrels. So I doubt you will shoot out a barrel. If you do it will be because you really enjoy the rifle and it will be worth bebarreling or replacing the rifle many years from now. The barrel will last longer if you do not shoot it if the barrel gets too hot to hold. Something I did not do years ago. It is the heat which will speed up the barrel wear. You have gone way too far if the stock starts to smoke!

[RugerNo1]

Remember, it is not the whole bore that wears out. When most people refer to the barrel being "worn out" they are referring to the throat of the chamber.

[russt]

sorry if this is thread jacking but along the same lines i was wondering is it possible to wear out a ruger 10/22 barrel? ive probably got 10,000 rounds through mine and it still seems accurate enough for me.

[G-forceJunkie]

sorry if this is thread jacking but along the same lines i was wondering is it possible to wear out a ruger 10/22 barrel? ive probably got 10,000 rounds through mine and it still seems accurate enough for me.

From what I have read, it it unlikley to wear it out from shooting. Now, depending on how much cleaning and how properly it is done, cleaning usually caused more bore damage than the actual shooting.

[Munk]

From what I have read, it it unlikley to wear it out from shooting. Now, depending on how much cleaning and how properly it is done, cleaning usually caused more bore damage than the actual shooting.

And even this cleaning damage can be mitigated by never EVER using steel inside the barrel, either in the brush or the rod. If you can get stiff plastic bristled brushes, a plastic jag, and a fiberglass or carbonfiber rod, it'll be nearly impossible for you to damage your bore, throat, crown, or chamber through cleaning.

At worst, you should be using copper and brass brushes and rods.