The cost of shooting just in ammo/components

[jelenko]

FrankG - What was the distance they were testing at? I'm assuming it was 100yards or less?

The reason I'm asking is I've often heard that accuracy can last at short range much longer than long range, say 600 yards.

 

[Mulligan]

So this is a good one... Just recently got an accuracy test barrel back from a ammo maker. 308win is the caliber. When ever they retire one as ours as they typically go a long time barrel life wise. I get it back and we look at it.

So the accuracy test barrel I got back was officially retired when it hit 27,160 rounds fired thru it. That's not a typo! Not 2k rounds but yest 27k rounds fired thru it!

The barrel was testing five different types of ammo/bullets. Barrel is a 1-12 twist 308win.

At 26,550 rounds the barrel was still shooting groups at from .4 to .5moa at 200 yards and it was getting a 150 rounds a day fired thru it. 10 shot groups by the way.

So while we where looking at it the thought went into our heads. How much powder got burned thru this barrel?

It got roughly a 154# of powder fired thru the barrel.

At a cost of lets say current retail of $70 per pound of powder... that equals $10,800!

27+ boxes of 1k count primers at $85 per 1k that equals $2,295!

270 boxes of bullets (100 count boxes) at a rough retail price of $50 per box that equals $13,500 in bullets!

That total dollar wise comes to $26,959 if you had brass to start with and used your reloaded brass every single time.

If you had to buy brass and only shoot the brass one time.... that would be about $16,740 for brass. That would give you a grand total of $43,335!

Just food for thought.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

Frank,
This is good stuff, thanks for sharing

CW

 

[FrankG]

FrankG - What was the distance they were testing at? I'm assuming it was 100yards or less?

The reason I'm asking is I've often heard that accuracy can last at short range much longer than long range, say 600 yards.

200 yards is the norm.

Also depends on the test barrels. An accuracy barrel where they are strictly testing bullets / ammo for accuracy they can play with the tune as they are not restricted to a pressure and velocity spec.

A good example is doing pressure testing for 6.5CM. A p&v test barrel only makes it about 1700 rounds. When they have to hold both of those specs... pressure and velocity for testing box ammo.... once they start getting erratic readings (when they see a pressure spike and a velocity loss typically) the barrel gets pulled from service as that's a warning sign. They don't want the barrel being a variable and screwing things up.

 

[FrankG]

The other thing to think about in all of this....

In the grand scheme of things... the gunsmithing cost and the barrel cost most of the time are on the lower end of what we think but most don't look at it that way.

Think of the cleaning supplies you go thru, your time cleaning and reloading etc... none of that is usually factored in either.

 

[Sandstorm]

accuracy can last at short range much longer than long range, say 600 yards.

How would the barrel know how far you shootin Sir.

 

[Ccrider]

That's about reality right now.

And I don't see powder prices coming down but in fact going up still.

A change in the whitehouse will impact prices.

Thanks for sharing this info. It definitely reaffirms that each barrel is an entity of itself.

 

[David Milisock]

So this is a good one... Just recently got an accuracy test barrel back from a ammo maker. 308win is the caliber. When ever they retire one as ours as they typically go a long time barrel life wise. I get it back and we look at it.

So the accuracy test barrel I got back was officially retired when it hit 27,160 rounds fired thru it. That's not a typo! Not 2k rounds but yest 27k rounds fired thru it!

The barrel was testing five different types of ammo/bullets. Barrel is a 1-12 twist 308win.

At 26,550 rounds the barrel was still shooting groups at from .4 to .5moa at 200 yards and it was getting a 150 rounds a day fired thru it. 10 shot groups by the way.

So while we where looking at it the thought went into our heads. How much powder got burned thru this barrel?

It got roughly a 154# of powder fired thru the barrel.

At a cost of lets say current retail of $70 per pound of powder... that equals $10,800!

27+ boxes of 1k count primers at $85 per 1k that equals $2,295!

270 boxes of bullets (100 count boxes) at a rough retail price of $50 per box that equals $13,500 in bullets!

That total dollar wise comes to $26,959 if you had brass to start with and used your reloaded brass every single time.

If you had to buy brass and only shoot the brass one time.... that would be about $16,740 for brass. That would give you a grand total of $43,335!

Just food for thought.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

Makes me happy that for many years I bought plinking ammo and stored it. I have many rounds that I've paid 6 cents a piece for, some 15 cents. I rember 22 long rifle at $3.75 a brick.

Let's get real, that's not my varmint, medium or heavy game hunting rounds.

Now for the real bite, when I shoot that inventoried ammo the real cost is what it costs to replenish the supply. OUCH!

 

[David Milisock]

That's about reality right now.

And I don't see powder prices coming down but in fact going up still.

I agree, in my experiance if you're loading 35+ caliber magnums or dangerous game loads for custom bolts or big lever rifles $1.75+ a round is a possibility using recycled brass. I'll have to do a price check!

 

[jelenko]

How would the barrel know how far you shootin Sir.

Yeah, but that's what I've heard many competitors mention.

 

[Will Henry]

I attended a match at Issaquah, Washington, in about 1980. I shot the unlimited class alongside L.E (Sam) Wilson. The barrel on his rifle was one he had gotten from Clyde Hart many years previously. It was the barrel he had used for many years to test bullets in his underground range. I asked him how many shots he figured he had through it. He said he wouldn't say because people would call him a liar. The barrel had been chambered for five different cartridges. Anyway, at 100 Yds, Sam was in first place (I believe he was 84 at the time). The rifle was now a .223. Sadly, the wheels fell of both of our wagons at 200.
The point is, that barrel was another which was still producing quality groups (the agg at 100 was .19something) after seeing a high number of bullets through it.
I had a barrel come into the shop a few years back. It was a Remington stainless factory barrel, in 22-250. The owner had recorded every round fired and that barrel had seen something over 7700 shots. There was no apparent rifling for the first four inches of the bore but it was very smooth and uniform. While no longer capable of real precision, it did still shoot close to 1moa.
In the end, I think it is difficult to predict barrel life; just as it is difficult to predict accuracy. WH

 

[jxb]

It's amazing they still shoot so well with so many inches of the rifling gone. I'd love to see a bore scope pic of the first 1.5" of that wire cut barrel. Can't see any fire cracking, I'm guessing due to not enough magnification.

 

[barefooter56]

So this is a good one... Just recently got an accuracy test barrel back from a ammo maker. 308win is the caliber. When ever they retire one as ours as they typically go a long time barrel life wise. I get it back and we look at it.

So the accuracy test barrel I got back was officially retired when it hit 27,160 rounds fired thru it. That's not a typo! Not 2k rounds but yest 27k rounds fired thru it!

The barrel was testing five different types of ammo/bullets. Barrel is a 1-12 twist 308win.

At 26,550 rounds the barrel was still shooting groups at from .4 to .5moa at 200 yards and it was getting a 150 rounds a day fired thru it. 10 shot groups by the way.

So while we where looking at it the thought went into our heads. How much powder got burned thru this barrel?

It got roughly a 154# of powder fired thru the barrel.

At a cost of lets say current retail of $70 per pound of powder... that equals $10,800!

27+ boxes of 1k count primers at $85 per 1k that equals $2,295!

270 boxes of bullets (100 count boxes) at a rough retail price of $50 per box that equals $13,500 in bullets!

That total dollar wise comes to $26,959 if you had brass to start with and used your reloaded brass every single time.

If you had to buy brass and only shoot the brass one time.... that would be about $16,740 for brass. That would give you a grand total of $43,335!

Just food for thought.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

Total cost over how many years Frank? You little ray of sunshine......

 

[FrankG]

Total cost over how many years Frank? You little ray of sunshine......

That barrel was in service for 16 months. I just got it back about 2 months ago.

I think they got their moneys worth out of it!

 

[rwj]

I don't have a pic of the throat area of the barrel but I did measure it using the bore scope. From the case mouth until I see a decent / defined land (rifling) I say 5" of it was gone/eroded away. Not making that up.

Here is a pic of a 308w barrel from the same place doing testing that went 14,560 rounds. I had it wire edm cut in half. About 1.5" of the rifling is gone in front of the chamber.

View attachment 1564854

Longest free bore I’ve ever seen!

 

[hoz53]

A dollar a round sounds expensive for handloads

As you can tell I have not bought components in awhile

90 cents per round for me shooting 6br with 105 bergers— that doesnt include brass. A 308 would be more.

 

[hoz53]

So this is a good one... Just recently got an accuracy test barrel back from a ammo maker. 308win is the caliber. When ever they retire one as ours as they typically go a long time barrel life wise. I get it back and we look at it.

So the accuracy test barrel I got back was officially retired when it hit 27,160 rounds fired thru it. That's not a typo! Not 2k rounds but yest 27k rounds fired thru it!

The barrel was testing five different types of ammo/bullets. Barrel is a 1-12 twist 308win.

At 26,550 rounds the barrel was still shooting groups at from .4 to .5moa at 200 yards and it was getting a 150 rounds a day fired thru it. 10 shot groups by the way.

So while we where looking at it the thought went into our heads. How much powder got burned thru this barrel?

It got roughly a 154# of powder fired thru the barrel.

At a cost of lets say current retail of $70 per pound of powder... that equals $10,800!

27+ boxes of 1k count primers at $85 per 1k that equals $2,295!

270 boxes of bullets (100 count boxes) at a rough retail price of $50 per box that equals $13,500 in bullets!

That total dollar wise comes to $26,959 if you had brass to start with and used your reloaded brass every single time.

If you had to buy brass and only shoot the brass one time.... that would be about $16,740 for brass. That would give you a grand total of $43,335!

Just food for thought.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

that is fascinating and some great info and level of info we dont always get around here.
Thanks so much for sharing. looks like i need a Bartlein..

 

[hoz53]

I don't have a pic of the throat area of the barrel but I did measure it using the bore scope. From the case mouth until I see a decent / defined land (rifling) I say 5" of it was gone/eroded away. Not making that up.

Here is a pic of a 308w barrel from the same place doing testing that went 14,560 rounds. I had it wire edm cut in half. About 1.5" of the rifling is gone in front of the chamber.

View attachment 1564854

at first i thought that was a Weatherby with all that freebore— lol- just a little jokester

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Longest free bore I’ve ever seen!

I bet it doesn’t take long for the bullet to travel that inch and a half.

 

[hoz53]

How would the barrel know how far you shootin Sir.

its like everything else we do at long range. a small amount of wear that does not seem like it effects accuracy at 100 yards is magnified at 1000 yards and could be very obviously effecting accuracy at that range.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

A change in the whitehouse will impact prices.

You thinking Michelle?