Barrel life

[MGYSGT]

Have a friend who has a .223 FTR rifle for mid range. He is having trouble staying in the 10 and X ring at 300 yards. Asked him how many rounds on his rifle and he responds, about 3,000. Keeping in mind it's a .223, I say his barrel has used up it 10 and X ring life. It's still good for coyotes and prairie dogs, but the 10 and X ring are not in his life any longer. Not that he can't hit the 10 or X ring, but! I have another friend who is telling him he can go to 6,000 rounds and still be competitive in F Class mid range. What do you think?

 

[Fuj]

but! I have another friend who is telling him he can go to 6,000 rounds and still be competitive in F Class mid range. What do you think?

I got nothing good to say.....

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I don't think that you can judge a barrel by it's expected life span. Barrel A might get 6,000 rounds with no trouble and barrel B might only b true for 2,000 rounds. There are two many variables in production of the steel and every other step in the production steps.

Did he consistently hit the X and O rings at one time? Has he adjusted the seating depth?

The old adage "Let the target tell you," is what most follow.

 

[deadidarren]

More to do with load than rounds fired

 

[spudgun]

Well, I know that my 6mm CM barrel only got 2,000 rounds before the throat eroded out and I could not seat my bullets out enough to get the jump I needed.

Took it off and had it cut and re chambered.

Shooting just as good as the new one.

 

[jepp2]

What do you think?

Unless the rate of fire is very high, I would expect the 6,000 mark at least.

 

[Forum Boss]

I vote that he should acquire a new premium barrel definitely. The F-TR guys I know shooting .223 Rem are running pretty high pressures. A .220 Beggs won't give 3000 rds of peak match-grade accuracy, why should a .223 Rem?

 

[30378]

If ya REALLY want to stay competitive keeping your equipment in top shape is essential. Yes, it's expensive but it's the game we play. Nothing any longer is cheap or easy in the firearms world.

 

[davidjoe]

I think those throats are actually easier to run too hot than larger calibers because they are so well-insulated by typically thicker steel. There’s a lag time in realizing how hot they have gotten, a greater difference in temperature between the throat and exterior surface, and they cool more slowly. Also, their rifling is diminutive.

 

[AckleymanII]

The heat index of the powder used is a major factor on barrel life in a 223.

 

[wbm]

I got nothing good to say

Hehehe! +1

 

[K22]

I have 3,205 rounds thru my Rem 700 Varmint. It still hold 1/2 moa off the bench. I don't shoot competitively - just a varmint / predator hunting. I don't know if that level of precision works for that specific competition but it works quite well for varmint and predator hunting.

I avoid shooting repetitive rounds and heating up the barrel, even at the range. Maybe that's one of the reasons that this rifle still shoots well.

I think a simple way to test his barrel's precision is to shoot some groups off a stable rest and eliminate as much shooter error as possible. Shouldn't that reveal if the barrel is gone?

 

[jelenko]

Shooting 75/77 grain bullets, most of my barrels start to open up their groups something south of 3000 rounds
That said, about 50% of my rounds are shot in 'rapid fire' with 10 rounds in 60 seconds follow by another rapid fire in 60 seconds 5-10 minutes later.

What is the rate of fire in F class?

 

[Ccrider]

Borescope the barrel. It may need to be cleaned.

 

[Ned Ludd]

In my .308 F-TR rifles, I have gotten anywhere from about 2600 to as high as 3300 rounds before the precision just wouldn't hold up to my standards any longer. In my .223 F-TR rifles, 2200 to 2500 has been the norm. These have all been Bartlein 5R barrels, at 30" finish length. I had naively thought the .223 Rem barrels might last a bit longer. However, I'm using a very heavy bullet (90 VLD) and stout loads with a powder that has fairly reasonable energy content (H4895), and it simply doesn't seem as though the barrel throat will take that punishment for more than 2500 rounds. I've often seen it posted that someone has a .223 Rem barrel with 5000+ rounds and that is still going strong. Under the right circumstances, I'm sure it can happen. But with heavy bullets and an energetic powder, the barrels aren't normally going to last anywhere near that many rounds. I should also add that no amount of cleaning was able to bring these barrels back once the precision had finally dropped off.

One could always have a barrel set back and get at least several hundred more rounds through it, but in an F-TR rifle that approach may not work very well due to velocity/pressure issues using the shorter barrel, and potential changes in the weight balance of the rifle. I've never even attempted to have a barrel set back for an F-TR rifle, but it might be worth a shot to see how it works.

 

[Ggmac]

it IS time to replace it . You are wasting time and precious components by continuing to shoot it . It will only get worse , it will NEVER improve .

 

[D-4297]

Shooting 75/77 grain bullets, most of my barrels start to open up their groups something south of 3000 rounds
That said, about 50% of my rounds are shot in 'rapid fire' with 10 rounds in 60 seconds follow by another rapid fire in 60 seconds 5-10 minutes later.

What is the rate of fire in F class?

Twenty rounds for record , plus sighters in Twenty minutes .

 

[D-4297]

My last .308 barrel shot a pair of 200's , with 12 and 14x's respectively on Thursday , and on Saturday , a 197 - 9x , a 194- 4x , and a 187 - 1x . Conditions stayed almost the same throughout , except the temp warmed up as normal ....The barrel had 3,500 rounds on it with a moderate comp load , at avg. 2650 - 60 FPS velocity , using a 185gr Berger Jugg Target . When they go , they go quickly . And they just don't come back . Kind of like my Ex.

 

[m1jeff]

When I started the shooting sport 20-some years ago, conventional wisdom for 223 service rifles was to pull button rifles barrels from competition use at 2500 rounds, and cut rifled at 3500 rounds. The thinking was they could go south at any time after that, and in the middle of a big match would be…unfortunate.

The F target scoring rings are half the size we use, so yes, I can see where that barrel might be toast for its intended use now. That’s assuming it’s “clean” with no carbon ring.

As noted in above posts, some barrels last longer than others. Some quit early, they are all uniquely individual.

There is also a psychological component. If one loses faith in a barrel, one will find fault with it every time out. Just replace it.

 

[karrarararararar]

I pulled my last 223 service rifle barrel at ~4200 rounds after it threw two 7's in sitting