STW barrel life?

[jmad_81]

For all you fellow STW shooters out there. What type of barrel life do you see out of your STW before accuracy starts to degrade?

 

[FOTIS]

If you take care of it 1200 rounds easy!

 

[Kodiak]

I was the 3rd owner on my last 7STW. It was a Weatherby MK V. Total rounds down the tube, from others records and my own, were just over 1500. All were considered to be max. loads, mostly 140 gr. bullets. It still shot 1" groups @ 100 yards, which was the norm from all maintained records. I don't think 1500 shots were enough to show any loss of accuracy in that rifle.

I have another 7STW under construction at this time.

Sorry I'm not more help.

 

[DrMike]

Too many of the 7STWs I've seen were ridden hard and put away wet. Consequently, some were suffering severe throat erosion after less than 1000 rounds. If the owner avoided shooting them until they were cooking, they would get 1500 rounds easily. The major issues appears to be keeping the throat clean and avoiding excessive heat generated by shooting as if in a prairie dog town.

 

[jmad_81]

Kind of what I was thinking. I'm about 500 in mine now. It is doing some funny stuff, but I think it is due to fireforming new brass, and a new lot of H1000. I think when I get all the brass shot, I'll trim it all, and debur the primer pockets. I'll keep working with it. I got a load that is showing some real promise with the 162 A-Max. I'm going to tweak with it a bit more tomorrow.

Getting excited for some serious gong whacking this winter, maybey evern a LR yote or two :mrgreen:

I try not to get my barrel to hot when I'm shooting. I usually clean every 100 rounds at the most. It doesn't seem to foul very bad.

My last batch of brass I turned the necks, just enough to knock the high spots off. This batch I have not done it yet. Would that make that much of a difference?

 

[IdahoCTD]

It depends on the chamber clearance Jake but in a standard size chamber it won't matter if it's turned or not. Have you checked the distance to the rifling lately? You could have some throat erosion but it should be minimal unless you got it hot.

 

[jmad_81]

I lengthened them out .010" we'll see if it makes any difference.

 

[kraky]

Fwiw...something to watch for but over at longrangehunting.com some of the guys were saying that newer lots of h1000 and retumbo seemed hotter than those of a year or two back. Alot of those guys are shooting big cases and if they say watch it I'd tend to believe them. Its common sense to work up but there are alot of reloaders w/o chronos.

 

[jmad_81]

All my load work is done over a chrony. I have heard about the lot to lot differences, but this lot doesn't seem much different than my last one over the chorny, just doesn't shoot as well.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

something to think about, the extruded powders have alot higher flame temp than the slow burning ball powders, don't know why but from my experience it is so.
try shooting 3 shots with a max load of H-1000, feel the barrel, then do the same thing with US869, it was very noticeable to me, so less heat has to add throat life.
RR

 

[Guy Miner]

Keeping things in perspective, 1,000 - 1,500 rounds of barrel life is a LOT of hunting. Even with load development and some annual practice.

Guy

 

[IdahoCTD]

Keeping things in perspective, 1,000 - 1,500 rounds of barrel life is a LOT of hunting. Even with load development and some annual practice.

Guy

Not always for farmers and ranchers.

 

[Guy Miner]

Roger that. I've worn out a few barrels in my time, mostly from the staid .308 Win which is decidedly easy on barrels.

5,000 - 6,000 rounds of barrel life from the .308 Win as a rule. I still wear 'em out.

But from a serious long-range big game hunting cartridge like a 7mm STW... 1,000 - 1,500 rounds is a lot of hunting. That's like 1,000 mule deer...

Guy

 

[jmad_81]

Guy, I'm about 500 rounds down it, in nine months. One elk and two yotes on it. Just starting to get into my "shooting season". Bet I'm close to 700 rounds in a year on it.

Thinking about rebarreling my 243 to a 260 AI when I get it shot out (about 1,500 down it now) so I can shoot my range and save my stw barrel life a little.

 

[Guy Miner]

I remember being worried about my 7mm mag barrel life at one point... Now I'm worried about the barrel on my .300 WSM.

Eventually they all go - then it's time to buy another. Just like car tires. Eventually even the real good ones wear out.

Guy

 

[FOTIS]

Guy What ever happened to that #1?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

They only bad thing about replacing barrels, for me anyway...is that I no longer have a local smith to do it, at least not one that I know and trust.

Thats the biggest reason I have 3 rifles in the safe right now that need barrels...I just hate to send them away to somebody to do it. The fellow that built my 3 rifles and rebarreled them all twice passed away about 6 years ago...he wasn't well known (except locally), but he darn sure knew how to build a rifle...and the best part was, 9 times out of 10 you could take him a rifle to be rebarreled at 8am....and come back and get it by 6pm....for $100.

After having him around all that time...having to send my rifles to somebody I don't even know and paying them 6x as much and them taking months to do it is a little hard to swallow.

 

[Guy Miner]

Guy What ever happened to that #1?

The .25-06 Number One Varminter? Most accurate factory rifle I ever owned?

I sold it when times were tough and I needed to pay for repairs to the family car. Some guy in Yakima Washington has it now. Doggone it. Hope he treasures it.

Dang. It was a great rifle - a little heavy for general purpose hunting, but my goodness it was accurate!

Guy

 

[FOTIS]

No you had a 7mm rem mag as I recall

 

[nvbroncrider]

Keeping things in perspective, 1,000 - 1,500 rounds of barrel life is a LOT of hunting. Even with load development and some annual practice.

Guy

Not always for farmers and ranchers.

That's for sure sometimes you just grab the closest gun you have ammo for. Or use the rifle you grab for practice. I know I do that. 1000 rounds this year and 2 months left. It isn't hard to do when you have varmints to take care of.