20 cal bbl life
- Thread starter TAJ45
- Start date
1raggedhole
Silver $$ Contributor
My pdog 204 Ruger rigs start to show problems after 3000-3500 rounds. Of course those are shot quite hot, so you could probably greatly increase that if you slowed it down and kept them cool. I have seen them still shoot good after 3500 rounds if you shoot slow groups. The flyers start when the barrel gets hot.
I should add that I only clean at end of each full day. It is not uncommon that my 20s will have 300+ rounds per day; not an easy life as a pdog rifle, but I’d rather shoot than clean, and as my local gsmith says, “people are making new barrels every day”
I should add that I only clean at end of each full day. It is not uncommon that my 20s will have 300+ rounds per day; not an easy life as a pdog rifle, but I’d rather shoot than clean, and as my local gsmith says, “people are making new barrels every day”
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I have a Benchmark barrel in 204R that has 6700 rounds thru it. It still shoots under .200 inches 5 shot groups at 100 yds. You can shoot 100 shots with that accuracy. The copper fouling is bad, but it still shoots. 39gr Blitzking and R10 powder. I have shot out 2 20tac Benchmark barrels at 3500 rounds.with aa2520 and 39 gr Blitzkings. You never know.
They react like any other family of cartridges,ie. the 22cal. Family where the 22 Hornet lasts much longer than the 220 Swift plus the fact how you shoot them ,fast and hot and slow and cooler.The 20 Vartarg,the baby ,and my favorite will shoot all out of proportion to its size for results and distance from a small package to the rockets which would be the 20BR and the 20-250BR maybe would be “accurate “ 800-1100 rounds of great accuracy and depending on how they were used. My suggestion is for you not to get into the 20’s because one will NEVER be enough,they are everything people say about them and more!!!!
Hotshot
Silver $$ Contributor
I agree with 1rag. I know some 204R shooters have gotten much more than 3500 rounds from a barrel but anything more than 3500 is a gift. My pd shooting friends and I have been shooting 204's heavily since 2005. A few barrels only went 2000, many were good for 3000-4000, and some are still okay at 5000. Seems like they go out without much warning. Everything is going great, then still pretty good, and all of a sudden bullets come apart turn sideways and you can't hit a barn door.
I don't know how long a 20VT barrel will last. I have a couple of them that don't show any sign of giving up after thousands of shots fired.
I don't know how long a 20VT barrel will last. I have a couple of them that don't show any sign of giving up after thousands of shots fired.
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
It'll largely depend on a couple things, your choice of which 20 cal cartridge you pick and how you shoot it. I've had three different 20's, a 20-222, 204 Ruger, and 20-250, the only one I no longer have is the 204 Ruger.
The more overbore 20 Cals like the 20-250 aren't long for barrel life, I'm guessing 6-800 and it'll likely be done. My 20-222 on the other hand will last a few thousand rounds. A 204 Ruger taken care of should last a few thousand as well. BUT, get any of them hot and keep banging away at it and you can quickly eat the throat out of just about anything.
searcher
Gold $$ Contributor
Some of my most accurate group "re-checks" on my .20's came AFTER 3,500 rounds. Probably the biggest aid to barrel life on the varmint barrels (like any other barrel) is not getting them too hot and not allowing them to get too coppered up. Watching the throat condition will give you an idea as to how close you are probably getting to running into accuracy problems. Severe fire cracking right at the leade and first inch or two or bore is where the bad news is. The thin jackets on those varmint bullets don't handle the shredding they get from a rough throat very well. The use of fast powder and light bullets seems to make my barrels last longer. Seems the slower powder has more time to heat the barrel and the heavier bullets, being longer, tend to create more friction - and thus heat. Some say the slow powders spread the heat more throughout the length of the barrel better than fast powders. From personal experience - I'd dispute the overall effect being a positive one. Accurate LT32 and 32's seem to go forever. Even with a pretty worn out first foot of barrel - you can usually still get good accuracy if the throat is not too bad. Sometimes switching to a heavier (longer) bullet (like going from 32 to 39 or 40 - or to a lead-free in the same weight) can extend the accuracy window a thousand or much more as one can seat the bullet out just a bit more. Using the small bullets - they don't tolerate being seated way out if shot in an AR.
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
Then chamber up a 20-222 and be done. They have a pretty long neck.I have what should be a VT no turn. Toying w running it in deep for something close to a VTT or maybe TAC held short but extending neck to .350 in either. I like long necks, caint hep it.
jepp2
Gold $$ Contributor
20 Practical WOA AR 15 barrel. I shoot the Hornady 32 gr. ZMAX exclusively with enough H322 for 3800 fps. I pulled the barrel at 5200 rounds. At this point, the group size had doubled or slightly more. Normally I shoot 30 rounds per hour and try to keep the barrel in the shade. But I do get it hot occasionally when there are too many pups to ignore.
I clean the barrel every 50 shots in the field, and remove copper at night, every night.
TheOtherZilla
Pull my finger
I didn't count rounds but my Savage 204 which I bought in like 06 or so had a lot of rounds down the hole.. Last year it started spraying rounds like a garden hose and many didn't make it 20 feet without disintegrating.. A few that made it to the 100 yd target were sideways... Barrel was heavily checked and toast. New barrel and rounds are back in the right hole... I don't count rounds .. Just shoot til my gun tells ya it's done.
One of my seven year old .204 R rodent (PD's, gophers, & chucks) barrels shot well at probably more than 6,000 rounds before I replaced it. I took care to remove the ring of baked on black stuff deposited on the leade after every shoot. In seven years that is an average of 83.34 rounds per month for 6,000 rounds - it might have lasted some 6,700 to 7,000 rounds.
My shooting pace at rodents is agonizingly slow and I clean barrels after every 50 rounds and then extensively between shoots. I cool my barrels with wet bath towels and my rifles have enough space between barrel and stock for a doubled up wet paper towel to pass through. I use either 8208 or CFE223 & 40 grain Vmax bullets.
I also have a .20 P and have plans for another.
My shooting pace at rodents is agonizingly slow and I clean barrels after every 50 rounds and then extensively between shoots. I cool my barrels with wet bath towels and my rifles have enough space between barrel and stock for a doubled up wet paper towel to pass through. I use either 8208 or CFE223 & 40 grain Vmax bullets.
I also have a .20 P and have plans for another.
my 20 practical is at 3300 rounds and still amazing. shooting 40gr hornady with benchmark at 3800fps and its a p-dog killing machine.
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