Set Back Barrels

[PMA3]

For a 1000 yard BR gun in 6x47 Lapua, is it worth getting a 30" Krieger set back after 800 rounds or would I be better off just getting a new barrel put on? I've heard comments that are both pro and con on set back barrels and would like to get some first hand input from people who went the route of setting back their barrel, rather than putting on a new one.

 

[BoydAllen]

I believe that taking a look at the barrel with a bore scope is the best way to evaluate it for being set back. I am surprised that you need to do anything at that round count. What is the problem that you are trying to fix?

 

[Preacher]

If there is only 800 rounds on the barrel it should shoot just as well set back.
I'll cut them back till they work on my XP100's, and they just keep on shooting....

 

[TAJ45]

A lot of factors here. Do you know this bbl, how it has grouped? How well is it shooting for you? How good are you at 1K? Can you out shoot it? How well can the top guy in your area make it perform.

If my race car can do a lap in 60 seconds with the instructor driving and I'm doing 1:05s, then I don't need a fresh block.......catch my drift? Bottom line is what the bbl looks like. Have your groups fallen off on an avg day?

With your long tube, were you running the slowest powder (maybe H1000) you could trying to put some of those heat units in the bank?

I'm kind of in a similar situation in that I've picked up a BAT MF, very, very well smithed. Shoots low .1s easily in a good shooter's hand with the Krieger and the Shilen was used for colony shooting and no special treatment in the heat of battle.

My learning curve covers the entire spectrum from the git go. Knowing that, I'll screw on the Shilen which is supposed to still shoot .3s, and load, learn my bench routine, develop my bench manners and of course start acquiring wind doping ability (long time on that one) until I start grouping consistently in the 3s or 4s, when it seems to bottom out, then I'll switch to the primo, low round proven Krieger. No need to wear a good bbl out while I'm in kindergarten.

A lot of subjective factors for you to consider, but please, do not think I assume you are on my entry level of experience and ability. Just trying to frame a decision process to use that could apply to any skill level.

Good shooting and if you do the set back, tell us how it goes.

 

[snowpro440]

If its shooting very well now , shoot it till the accuracy falls off , if it don't shoot very well now, you might be looking at other things than the barrel......

 

[PMA3]

I'm going to see my smith next week and will have him take a look with his bore scope. About 200 rounds ago, the barrel was scoped and looked good with no fire cracking. There's a group of shooters using the same smith, caliber and reamer and all of them seem to think that 800 rounds is about max for shooting groups between the 5's and 8's. This is based on a history of data for about the past 5 years. What we don't agree upon is new vs set back barrels. The biggest negative seems to be the number of accurate rounds a set back barrel will deliver, (or will it shoot at all).....most seem to think about 50% of the original round count. When you have a smith that is REALLY busy, getting barrel work done during shooting season is hard to do, so you don't want to chance the accuracy going south in the middle of the year.

 

[dkhunt14]

Paul I set Back a 308 Baer with 350 rounds and made it a 300 WSM and it went on to win a lot of aggs. The round count after setting back was over 1100. The barrel wouldn't win as a Baer and the round count was hard on the throat compared to what you are shooting. I have seen a lot of barrels over the years shoot better after being setback. Maybe because they are stiffer or because they fall in a different node. Sometimes I believe it is the crown and not the throat that makes them start to shoot bigger. My buddy recrowned his this year after 4 years of Matches and it came back to what it was. Shot this year and finished second with it. Matt

 

[PMA3]

Matt,

Thanks for the info....after Sid looks at my barrel next week, I'll see what he has to say and go from there. A set back and re-crowning may be the best option for now....if it doesn't shoot, I can always have him put on the new barrel sometime in the future.

Paul

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I'm going to see my smith next week and will have him take a look with his bore scope. About 200 rounds ago, the barrel was scoped and looked good with no fire cracking. There's a group of shooters using the same smith, caliber and reamer and all of them seem to think that 800 rounds is about max for shooting groups between the 5's and 8's. This is based on a history of data for about the past 5 years. What we don't agree upon is new vs set back barrels. The biggest negative seems to be the number of accurate rounds a set back barrel will deliver, (or will it shoot at all).....most seem to think about 50% of the original round count. When you have a smith that is REALLY busy, getting barrel work done during shooting season is hard to do, so you don't want to chance the accuracy going south in the middle of the year.

I know your pain. Timing new barrels and having a backup is difficult to swing sometimes. If you had no problems 200 rounds ago, I'd think that little has changed.

I would actually have a second barrel made up. Break it in during the winter and make sure it shoots, then spin it off and put the initial barrel back on. When it goes south, it can head out to be set back the following winter while the new barrel is there to keep you shooting the rest of the season.