6AI barrel life confirmed

[1000yardstare]

At a 900 yard F Class practise June 12 I was drilling the one minute V-ring with 107 SMKs out of my 6AI.

July 4 another 900 yard practise and a shot leaked out of the 2 minute 5 ring into the 4 ring with only one shot in the V-ring. Back to 1000 yds and shots were leaking into the 3 ring. One V-ring, one 5 ring with the majority in the 4 ring.

So looked like we had a problem. In the back of my mind I thought roughly 1200 rounds down the barrel. Got out a calculater and went through my reloading records - 2100 rounds!!

Surprising how fast it happened. June 12 was 1800 rounds, still accurate. Another 100 rounds and that was all she wrote.

So I will be shooting F/TR with a .308 in the Ontario Provincials and Canadian Nationals.

Talked to my barrelsmith yesterday and we are set to go on a rebarrel to 6mm Super LR in October. Already have the reamer and headspace gauge from PTG. Should give longer barrel life.

Will be interesting to compare barrel life between the 6AI and the 6SLR. If anyone has gone through a similar switch in cartridges in their F(Open) rifle I would be interested in reading their conclusions.

 

[highmaster82]

i believe the USA f class is now shot at 1/2 min xring and a 1 min ten ring BW Davis

 

[Steve Blair]

You must be loading that 6AI mild. I have owned two .244 and three 6mm rifles and never got more than 1200 rounds from any of the seven barrels. It is true that the first four were varmint rifles, loaded to "full" pressure and shot quickly as long as crows were around. The fifth is a 7.5 twist 30" F-Class for 115 Bergers and DTACs. In due course, I will know how long this one lasts.

 

[1000yardstare]

highmaster, if you look at the bottom of my post, I am a Canadian. Canucks, Brits and Aussies shoot on a 5 ring target. The tie breaking ring is called a V. Only the U.S. uses a 10 ring target with an X.

For convenience during practise with a mix of Palma and F Class shooters, we all shoot on the Palma one minute V ring. The Canadian F Class Championships will be shot on a 1/2 minute V ring.

Sleepygator, thanks for the info. I was sending the 107 SMKs out at 3250 fps, about a grain below max. I think the long barrel life is a testament to Rob MacLennon, the barrel maker. He bores heat treated stainless blanks and lead laps them. He seems to have found a type of stainless that gives longer barrel life.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

A lot of guys using 6 PPC aren't getting much better barrel life than that at optimum accuracy.

 

[1000yardstare]

JohnnyJ, that is useful info. I have a Rem 700 VSSF Swift with 1200 rounds down the tube. This Winter MacLennon is putting a 6BR barrel on the action. He has a no-turn reamer that the F Classers up here are using.

Plan is to use the 6BR out to 600 and the 6SLR at 800 to 1000.

Will be interesting to compare 6BR to 6SLR to 6AI barrel life in a couple of years.