338 Lapua mag-barrel life?

[Lapuatom]

I am shooting a McMillan TAC338 in the 338 Lapua magnum(Schneider bbl.). My load is a moderate 90gr. of Retumbo pushing a 300gr. SMK @ 2700fps. I clean every 35-40 rounds(cleans up very easy)and never over heat the barrel.It shoots consistently .5-.75's. What kind of barrel life could I expect with this before accuracy goes away.I have about 300 rounds through it and looking at it with the borescope,shows no signs of wear(still looks like new inside). Anyone with experience with this round that could give me any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cmillard]

since you aren't pushing your loads too much--i'd say 2500 rounds of good accuracy--then who knows after that

 

[cmillard]

it all depends on what bullet you are going to use, how hot you will be pushing it. also the barrel has a lot to do with it also (chamber specs). i talked with mike rock at rock creek barrels, and he helped develop the .338 snipe tac. they were launching 300 smk at 3300-3500 fps!! but, mike had the barrel heat treated to a little higher Rockwell hardness. at 1500 rounds, he said that there was minimal erosion. but remember, all barrels are different. call up mike rock and he can make you a barrel that will last a while. also, xtreme machining used a barrel with this hard of steel and were also getting great results. in my .300 win mag, i am shooting 240 grain smk with retumbo powder. out of the 30" hart barrel, i have got over 2900 fps with that bullet. i backed off to about 2730 fps, because i wasnt gaining a ton in ballistics, but was gaining a lot more barrel life. when hart made that barrel for me, they said to not expect more than 1200 rounds of accurate life before using it as a tomato plant stake. well, right now i have 976 rounds down the tube with minimal throat erosion and stellar accuracy . i cant wait to see how far i can take that barrel, and im sure that not working the load so much helps. hope this helps!