barrel life span

[Akbushape]

What kind of life can you expect out of a factory barrel on the
300 win mag? 500 rds, 1,000 rds, 2,000 rds?
How much difference in barrel life between steel and stainless
steel in the 300?

 

[Raptor]

It will depend on how you shoot it. If you shoot it a lot after it gets hot it will burn the barrel out much quicker than if you shoot only a few rounds then let it cool down again.

Competitions are hard on rifles because they get hot an then you have to keep shooting them. Once they get hot its like cutting a piece of steel with a tourch. Once its warmed up it cuts alot easier.

There is not much difference in barrel life between SS an CM in my opinion. Some will claim the SS will last longer but I really have not found this to be the case. Its more how you use or abuse the gun.

 

[Obtunded]

What kind of life can you expect out of a factory barrel on the 300 win mag? 500 rds, 1,000 rds, 2,000 rds?
How much difference in barrel life between steel and stainless
steel in the 300?

There are a number of human factors that play a key role in the life of a barrel. One of the questions that is pertinent is define "life"? Even well past a point where a barrel is considered "shot-out" from a competition perspective, the barrel is still capable of hitting a moose where it counts.

One of the more quantifiable means of determining an average barrel life is the "Overbore Index":

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/overbore-cartridges-a-working-definition/

the 300 WinMag has a very high overbore index.

In addition, there is a spreadsheet calculator that looks at specific components to give you an idea of barrel life

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/view/mb/file?username=6mmbr&id=82966

As to the lifespan of CM or SS, that depends on the individual barrel and how you use it. Both are good; the CM is a better choice if you want a light barrel or you want to shoot in extremely cold temperatures.

 

[Akbushape]

Good info! I don't shoot competition,,mostly because there is no one around to shoot with). My guns are primarily for hunting
and what target shooting I do is done in a constant effort to
improve bullet placement through improved accuracy. In the 300
I shoot mostly 180gr with 74gr IMR4831.,Of course I mess around
some with different loads). Most of the time I shoot 20 rounds
or less per target session. Recently this gun has started slinging bullets all over the target. The barrel has been cleaned thourghly several times,still can't get them to group under 4 or 5 inches at 100yds. I've had people tell me that the
magnums like the 300 win mag and the 7MM rem mag with lot's of
powder and short case necks have a very short barrel life.
I have had the gun a long time but have no accurate count of
how many rounds have been through it. Just a wild guess of somewhere in the neighborhood of 500.
Thinking of rebarreling it with a stainless barrel. Probably
send it to Hart for barreling and trueing. I won't hunt with
it until it's shooting right. Hence the questions on barrel life.

 

[tsiero]

Get that rifle to a gunsmith with a borescope. I would bet that you have carbon fouling. If so then clean it with a paste or carbon remover.

 

[Akbushape]

Thanks Tsiero, I'll have her scoped. It's 200 miles round trip
for me to get to a reliable gunsmith but he would be able to
tell me if it is carbon fouling or something more serious. Still like to know a ball park figure of how many rounds this barrel is good for.

 

[patchhound]

My Rem 700 7mag`s bbl was gone after 600 rds. Looking through that borescope made me not want another factory gun bbl, ever. It was a blued bbl. I`de hate to drive 200 miles just to find that out...

 

[Akbushape]

Patchhound, thanks. That's exactly the kind of reply I was hoping to recieve. Someone with real life experience and real
numbers. I hear of guy's getting 3,000 rounds or more out of thier small bores. I knew the magnums would be considerable less
than that but how much less I wasn't sure. Your experience sort
of reflects what I suspected. Thanks again.

 

[patchhound]

Thank you, I`m pretty sure you can get 1000+ from a good SS bbl if you don`t get it real hot and take good care of it.