Barrel erosion... a real concern or not?

[carolina sorillo]

So, in my readings I came upon a thread and barrel erosion was brought up. The guy said over 3000fps is where erosion starts and it can shorten barrel life to as little as 7-800 rounds.

I recently acquired an older Weatherby Vanguard in .300 Win Mag. and have found a couple good loads for it one of them is a Sierra 165gr HPBT over 7828SSC at about 3150fps.

My questions are:

1. Will this load shorten the life of my barrel? and if so...

2. Will going to a heavier slower bullet extend the barrels life? or

3. Am I thinking too much? Just go shoot and enjoy!! :lol:

Thanks,
CS

 

[FOTIS]

#3

 

[noslerpartition]

...but...
Depending on the accuracy you require, there are differences in barrel life.
If you use it just for hunting: #3
If you fire 50 rounds every weekend, start saving money for a new barrel if you are looking for long-range accuracy.

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[JD338]

#3
BUT....
You need to keep the barrel clean and cool.
Clean the barrel with a quality solvent and also use a good copper solvent to remove all the fouling.

Let the barrel cool between shoots as you do your load development. This alone will toast a barrel faster than anything else, especially when you are shooting 75-80 grs of powder!

Lastly, a proven accuracy load at 3000 fps that has shot well under MOA for me in 3 different rifles and also several others here is the following...
180 gr PT, AB, BT
75.0 grs RL22
Federal case
Federal GM215M primer

Best of luck to you with your 300 Win Mag.

JD338

 

[desertcj]

#3....they sell new barrels!

 

[Guy Miner]

I've shot-out a few barrels over the years, even with the lowly 308 Winchester.

All of them died from bore erosion, near the chamber end of the barrel.

With the 308 Win, barrel life varied from 4,000 - 6,000+ rounds of match rifle accuracy. With more powerful "overbore" rifles - I'd expect a considerably shorter barrel life.

But... a thousand rounds from a dedicated hunting rifle is a lot of hunting! Even including practice before hunting trips.

And as desertcj mentioned, new barrels are made every day.

It is A-Okay to wear out a barrel - in fact - to me it just means that you're shooting a lot, which is a good thing in my book.

Regards, Guy

 

[joelkdouglas]

Agree they make barrels every day!

I have an unchambered Obermeyer 30 cal, 10-twist, #3 barrel and a 30-06 reamer waiting for my 30-06 barrel to give up. No indication that will happen anytime soon though!


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[Anonymous]

Wearing out a barrel is a sign you're living life right.

 

[cloverleaf]

Years ago, my uncle gave me some advice: "Don't bother paying for a brand new rifle-90% of the used rifles out there have never been shot enough to do them any harm. Most, if they don't shoot are just in need of a good cleaning..." Point being, Shoot the thing...if you actually burn it out you will be in the minority. IMHO CL

 

[cha]

What a wonderful thread. Filled with the best advice.

Kevin

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Wearing out a barrel is a sign you're living life right.

This...

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[SJB358]

Agree they make barrels every day!

I have an unchambered Obermeyer 30 cal, 10-twist, #3 barrel and a 30-06 reamer waiting for my 30-06 barrel to give up. No indication that will happen anytime soon though!


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Heck yeah, getting a new barrel is like getting new tires.

My little brother just got a 6.5x300 Wby. He asked how many rounds till it dies. I said, no clue but let’s shoot it and find out, but I’d bet we get a 1000 rounds through it, and that a ton of hunting. It won’t be used to plink with and even at 40-100 rounds a year is a good lifespan.

Your 300 Win load isn’t a barrel burner in my eyes, just a normal, all around hunting load and doing what a 300 should be doing. Have fun.

 

[carolina sorillo]

Thanks for all the great replies!!

I know most folks don't think of the .300 Win Mag as much of a "plinking" gun. But after installing the Witt Machine clamp-on brake this thing is just plain fun to shoot! Which was the reason behind my question. Harnessing all that energy and not having to pay for it later is awesome! All I wanna do now is shoot that thing, I can hardly wait to use it on live game.

I'm not a novice reloader, I've loaded thousands of rounds most of which were for Cowboy Action and some hunting loads. However, this is the first time I've ever loaded a true magnum cartridge to true magnum levels. To be honest, it's a little scary at first. But I am really enjoying the results; a half inch, 3 shot, 100 yard group! Probably not all that great to some of y'all but for me it's an unexpected gift from God!!

Thanks again for all your replies,
C.S.

 

[PJGunner]

When I'm doing load work ups at the range, I try to keep the barrel from getting past lukewarm to the touch. Living in Arizona can mean some fairly load waits for a barrel to cool down some, especially in the summertime. The 110 degree heat and barrels do not get along too well and some long waits. Best way to handle that is take three or four rifles and rotate them so they can cool. Still, at 100 plus degrees a cool barrel will still feel might warm. Come winter time it's not so bad but still most days are warmer than you think. I've hunted deer in southern Arizona where the mid day temperature was already in the mid 80's and 90 is is not uncommon.
Paul B.

 

[desertcj]

http://barrelcool.com/product/barrelcool/

Been wanting to get one of these to try...

 

[1100 Remington Man]

I use to worry about this and even have wished it would happen to my .264 Win Mag with a 24 inch barrel so I could buy a higher quality barrel and in 26 inches. But why would I take a barrel off that shoots very well. This year with little load development three three shot groups averaged .665 inch at 100 yards. Which is good enough for Big Game. I'm sure some on this site could get in down quite a bit in group size but when hunting a Deer Antelope or Caribou is a large target.
I only had this Rifle since early 80's but I never over heat it at the range and shoot a couple boxes a year at the range sighting it in and then I go hunting.
I hope you have a lot of success hunting, and burning out that barrel.

 

[Guy Miner]

Am a little concerned about the 165 Sierra hollow point Game King at 3150 fps...

I know it's a tougher bullet in the Sierra line, but... 3150 fps is pretty danged quick. I'd be a bit worried about bullet performance on big game like elk. Maybe it's good? I dunno. Never ran that bullet, that fast.

Regards, Guy

 

[carolina sorillo]

Am a little concerned about the 165 Sierra hollow point Game King at 3150 fps...

I know it's a tougher bullet in the Sierra line, but... 3150 fps is pretty danged quick. I'd be a bit worried about bullet performance on big game like elk. Maybe it's good? I dunno. Never ran that bullet, that fast.

Regards, Guy

I seriously doubt I'll ever get the chance to hunt anything as large as an Elk. There are a few(maybe 45) here in NC. The NCWRC turned them out in the Smokie Mountains several years ago(with the help of Dale Earnhardt Sr.)in an effort to re-introduce them here. They ain't for shooting though, they're for looking at! Biggest thing we got here is Whitetails, Black Bear and Mother-in-laws!! :lol:
When I got the .300 the first loads I loaded for it were in the '06 velocity range. Then when I installed the brake and saw what a pleasure it was to shoot, I decided to try it out at full strength. Which is when I chose 7828SSC. It meters almost as good as 2400(I use it in the .45Colt Marlin) and it delivers top velocity. It's not too bad in the accuracy department either.

CS

 

[1Shot]

You should be fine with the 165 Sierra HP on NC deer at your velocity. This was one of THE go to bullets a long time ago. The 165 Nosler ballistic tip dethroned it when it came out. I hunted deer for 38 years in east NC Northampton and Halifax Co. I have killed hundreds of those deer with about everything from a sharp stick to a 45-70. My buddy did A LOT of reloading for people and that is where I gleaned the above mentioned information. There are just some bullets and loads that stand out with every different caliber. 72 grs IMR 4350 with 165s was his go to load for the 300 Win mag for the NC size deer.

As to shooting a barrel out I have seen more damage done to a barrel by incorrectly cleaning and careless handling than actually people shooting barrels out. People that clean from the muzzle or pull a brush and jag back through the bore wearing out the crown or carrying their rifle with the muzzle resting on the carpet of their car or truck while driving to and from hunting etc. There is sand and all kinds of stuff in that carpet and it will grind away the crown and I have even seen some of the old farmers that have carried a rifle like this in their old truck for years and the barrel muzzle will be angled it has worn it so much. As has been said don't shoot the barrel HOT, clean it every now and then, and in as a hunting rifle it should last you and someone after you are dead a lifetime.

 

[RaySendero]

Here's a general idea how long your barrel will last: