expected life of Shilen 6 BR

[strut64]

I solved the issue. Tried some 105 Berger VLD and they shot great. The issue seems to be wear/erosion of the throat or chamber. Might require optimizing with 107 SMK again or just switch to bergers

I have a shilen 6 BR that i have had since 2004. I have logged 1500 rounds since then. I have noted a drop off in accuracy in the recent weeks. What should be the expected life? When new I had some really good experience with this barrrel. I babied the barrel. careful in cleaning and Carbon build up in the throat under control. can only achieve about 1/2-3/4' MOA now.

 

[okie]

seems early to me. unless been prairie doggin...

 

[strut64]

I meant 2014 not 2004. Seems early to me as well.

 

[46and2]

Do you have a borescope to look for carbon?

Try scrubbing the throat with C4 and a brass brush maybe.
Or get some Tubbs final finish and see what happens.

 

[johara1]

If you let the carbon get that bad from improper cleaning, I would replace it.... with all the out lined procedures, it can be used for making dies or growing tomatoes .... jim

 

[BRGUY]

I have a Shilen Select Match that I chambered in 6mm Bench Rest with no freebore, and it has surpassed 3,200 rounds and is still less than 1/2" @ 200 yards.

Gun is only used for paper punching, crows, coyotes, deer and other various critters, but I never let the barrel get hot and the bore stays coated and "wet" between shoots, and only dried on days it will be shot. Right after the last rounds of the day has been fired, the bore is wetted and will remain that way until I get ready to shoot it again.

ALL rifles and handguns with stainless barrels are left wet until the day they are going to be shot.

No barrel has ever and will ever see a brass or bronze brush, nylon only!

 

[caihlen]

Coated with what?

 

[BRGUY]

50/50 mix of Shooters Choice/Kroil.

A new single wet patch is pushed through the bore every 3 days. If the patch is blue/green you have copper in the bore, if not, then the bore is clean, but still left wet.

With a properly maintained barrel, a fouling shot should never be required, provided the chamber, throat and bore are wiped completely dry before the first round of the day is fired. This has proven true on all good match quality stainless barrels, regardless of cartridge the barrel is chambered in.

Even in my Lilja 36" 7mm STW or Bartlein 34" 300 Weatherby Magnum, once the bores were properly broken in, them among the many others, has never required a fouling shot, as again, all bores are left wet until the day they are to be shot.

This is just from my own personal experience from shooting high accuracy long range rifles for nearly 40 years.

 

[caihlen]

Thanks

 

[JEFFPPC]

I shoot 6brx's. I have been thru about 25 barrels shooting from 100 to 1000 yrs, mostly paper. I typically shoot a a barrel 1 season which is 2000rds, usually still shooting under 1/4 inch. When I shot with 6ppcs I shot all Shilens so 2 yrs ago I decided to do a 6 brx Shilen. Mid summer at less than 1400 rds it became non competitive. I took it off. Put on a Bartlien which is still doing ok at 2000 rds. Just my experience. I guess all batches of steel are not equal.

 

[Delfuego]

Checked your jump lately? That and clean it (try CLR). I have had them go squirrely right around that round count from not being clean.

Then again tomatoes are delicious...

 

[jelenko]

Just another thing to check - action screws still tight? Scope/scope mount tight?

Scopes are not unknown to lose zero.

Has anything changed recently?

 

[r bose]

I do not own a 6BR but know many guys who shoot them in prone matches. 3x600 means 22 rounds fired in 22 minutes 600 yards away, so the barrels get HOT and they are pushing 105's HARD at 2850-2875 FPS. This is done 3 times during a match and with electronic targets now, the barrels barely have time to cool in between strings. Their barrels usually last 1800-2200 rounds tops.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Well years back in my SR days a AR with a New Shilen went south at 1700 ?

 

[WyleWD]

I have a shilen 6 BR that i have had since 2004. I have logged 1500 rounds since then. I have noted a drop off in accuracy in the recent weeks. What should be the expected life? When new I had some really good experience with this barrrel. I babied the barrel. careful in cleaning and Carbon build up in the throat under control. can only achieve about 1/2-3/4' MOA now.

Scope issues maybe? Have you changed lots of powder, bullets, or primers? WD

 

[strut64]

I am beginning to do some tests. No firm conclusion yet but I am beginning to suspect the scope. More testing to resolve the issue are planned. It is going to take a while since weather and range access are issues

 

[Lefty Trigger]

My Shilen went south in just under 1300 rounds and the first 7 inches was horrible looking with firecracking and copper now caught in all those cracks. Too much work to clean it all out after every shoot so pulled it off.

 

[Murray Brook]

My Shilen went south in just under 1300 rounds and the first 7 inches was horrible looking with firecracking and copper now caught in all those cracks. Too much work to clean it all out after every shoot so pulled it off.

What load were you using. Seems like 1300 is a low round count.

 

[Lefty Trigger]

What load were you using. Seems like 1300 is a low round count.

Going back over the data most of its life was Varget trying to get a load to work. Then some H4895 and the final powder was RL-15. There was also Norma 203B and 8208xbr but in very small amount of loads.

 

[Laurie]

I have logged 1500 rounds since then. I have noted a drop off in accuracy in the recent weeks

I saw exactly the same with my first 6BR some years ago. As it was used for 600 yard benchrest comps among other things, it was quite plain that 1,500 rounds was a watershed round count looking at the four group 'aggs'.