300 RUM barrel life

[Outlaw6.0]

Good points and here's my answers. My smith has had a few of these done and hasn't had any issues with actions, bolts, etc. MMI Trutec uses a higher temp process than H&M and will not do some actions. H&M will do any steel guns parts and has been doing them for quite awhile. The reasons I'm doing the other parts is to match the finish which is very nice and about bullet proof. It will not ever wear off and you are not likely to ever scratch or scuff it. And it is extremely corrosion resistant. It also makes for a silky smooth bolt.

I'm not concerned about the warranties on my Rem and Vanguard actions and they probably went out the window when my smiths put them on the lathe. Snowy Mountian didn't seemed to be concerned when I talked with them about a full custom build and nitriding it.

Interesting, I was unaware the two businesses used different temperatures. The silky smooth bolt operation I can dig, the finish I cannot. Plain black just doesn't cut it anymore, granted I can CeraKote it afterwards & should be good to go. Your comment about the integrity of the finish is something I hadn't thought about though & well founded. You're right about your Rem & Howa I had custom actions in mind when I made the warranty statement.


t

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Thanks MontanaRifleman & Outlaw6.0

I'm going to read into this Blacknitride finishing a little bit more but I think I woud have the external parts done except the triggers.

Do you know if this is this an opaque finish such as black parkerizing or is it more transparent ... like some color anodizing I've seen. I ask this because this might just be a way out of a problem I created last Fall. The short story is I dramatically changed the cosmetic appearance of my wife's rifle. And the metal finish is the last thing in need of repair.


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It is a black finish which they can do satin or matte. Not recommended to do well used barrels.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Interesting, I was unaware the two businesses used different temperatures. The silky smooth bolt operation I can dig, the finish I cannot. Plain black just doesn't cut it anymore, granted I can CeraKote it afterwards & should be good to go. Your comment about the integrity of the finish is something I hadn't thought about though & well founded. You're right about your Rem & Howa I had custom actions in mind when I made the warranty statement.


t

I can dig that you don't like black. We all have our preferences. I happen to like black so it works good for me. My 2 favorite metal finishes for rifles are matte black and bead blasted stainless. Don't really care for anything else.

That said, I think my smith in Great Falls, Dave Young, said he could remove the black form the finish if I wanted. I said no thanks, I like the black.

And yeah, you could cerakote it anything you want but it wouldn't be as scratch resistant as the nitride.

 

[TOM H]

Only 1000 rounds? Really? I have a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in .300 RUM that I have put 1,500 rounds through and it still shoots great. My best group ever with this rifle was just recently - 10 rounds under half inch at 100 yards, not counting the cold bore fouling shot which went slightly wide. All 11 rounds still went under 7/8".

Did you check dates on BountyHunter post that your questioning? His post was from 1/25/2006. You might do better starting a new post.

 

[Catfur]

You speak of nitride. When I hear that I think of a titanium nitride coat deposited on the finish. I'm pretty sure you're talking about ferritic nitrocarburization though.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

You speak of nitride. When I hear that I think of a titanium nitride coat deposited on the finish. I'm pretty sure you're talking about ferritic nitrocarburization though.

You are correct.

From the provided link...

BLACKNITRIDE™, or Ferritic Nitrocarburizing, is the thermochemical that simultaneously diffuses nitrogen and carbon into the surface of ferrous metals. During the process, a two-part surface layer is formed, an outer iron nitride layer with a nitrogen diffusion layer below it. During this treatment, nitrogen and carbon are absorbed by and diffused into the surface of the metal. Reproducible and uniform layers with a predetermined thickness will be formed on all areas of the metal. The result of this process is markedly improved surface properties on ferrous metal parts while maintaining dimensional and shape stability.

 

[X-man]

In my limited experience with the 300Rum (2 barrels) accuracy goes away at about 700 rounds....And that is being optimistic.

Before you get your panties in a knot that is 1/2 MOA and ever load fired was at WIDE OPEN THROTTLE.
Why else would you own a 300RUM?
You can extend barrel life, but only if you are happier with lessor accuracy.

Just my 2 bits!

BLACKNITRIDE....Pessimist here!

EDIT: Holy crap this is an old thread!

 

[MontanaRifleman]

In my limited experience with the 300Rum (2 barrels) accuracy goes away at about 700 rounds....And that is being optimistic.

Before you get your panties in a knot that is 1/2 MOA and ever load fired was at WIDE OPEN THROTTLE.
Why else would you own a 300RUM?
You can extend barrel life, but only if you are happier with lessor accuracy.

Just my 2 bits!

BLACKNITRIDE....Pessimist here!

EDIT: Holy crap this is an old thread!

On your 300 RUM, what loads and velocities? And how hot did you shoot it? I.e., did you let the barrel cool between shots?

On Blacknitride, I don't know for sure but so far have read a lot of good things.

That said, I have 3 overbore projects getting treated so I will be finding out first hand and I'm optimistic

One is a 6x284 which I'll be running throttle full open and planning on putting a 1000 rounds through it before this time next year, maybe before end of year. My smith will be bore scoping and taking pics of before and after.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

...
One is a 6x284 which I'll be running throttle full open and planning on putting a 1000 rounds through it before this time next year, maybe before end of year. My smith will be bore scoping and taking pics of before and after.

Very easy to do, the 6x284 still holds the "favorite" title in my heart. TOF is almost nil shooting long range. I REALLY want to play with some DTACS... If I could find the stupid things. The 105 Berger looks interesting too, for now it's the tried & true 107SMK for me, @ 3440fps it doesn't take long to get there


t

 

[X-man]

On your 300 RUM, what loads and velocities? And how hot did you shoot it? I.e., did you let the barrel cool between shots?

On Blacknitride, I don't know for sure but so far have read a lot of good things.

That said, I have 3 overbore projects getting treated so I will be finding out first hand and I'm optimistic

One is a 6x284 which I'll be running throttle full open and planning on putting a 1000 rounds through it before this time next year, maybe before end of year. My smith will be bore scoping and taking pics of before and after.

I'd have to check my log book, but I'm pretty sure it was 94 grains of Retumbo for 3150fps (30 inch tube). Chamber pressure was in the 64Kpsi range. I used the 200gr SMK and Accubond.

Backnitride has potential, but until GAP and the top rifle guys sign off on it I will let others play with the stuff.

I have a bore scope...you don't want to own one.
Normally a 300Rum throat is well frosted by 500 rounds or less.

The 6.5-284 don't live real long either...I will be interested if you get much more life out of it with the nitride coating. I am also curious as to what accuracy you will get.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

The 6.5-284 don't live real long either...I will be interested if you get much more life out of it with the nitride coating. I am also curious as to what accuracy you will get.

Yeah, the 6x284 is actually a little more overbore than the 300 RUM. Once I get a load dialed in I'll take pics of the targets and more pics as round count climbs.

A bore scope is on my bucket list. Any serious shooter should have one IMO, as painful as it might be it will replace a lot of ignorance with knowledge lightbulb

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Very easy to do, the 6x284 still holds the "favorite" title in my heart. TOF is almost nil shooting long range. I REALLY want to play with some DTACS... If I could find the stupid things. The 105 Berger looks interesting too, for now it's the tried & true 107SMK for me, @ 3440fps it doesn't take long to get there


t

Yeah, I'm thinkin the 6x284 will be a very sweet lil round... can't wait gun)

Speed goats and PD's beware

 

[afimedia]

I wasn't even aware that Speer made ballistic tips? 3250fps is mild by most RUM Standards & may prove the reason behind the rifle in question getting better than a 50% gain in throat/bbl life. 1000rnds has pretty much been the bench mark for a WELL taken care of 300 RUM & far less if shot like a 308

BTW- I think we set a record for resurrected threads 7 yrs old before the recent posts, not bad. But, the info is still relevent & the conversation intriguing, march on!


t

Sorry, guys. Of course I meant Nosler - I had just ordered a new Speer reloading manual and I guess I just wrote Speer.

As for this being a mild load, I could and have loaded hotter, but so far this has been the most accurate load - either factory or custom hand loaded - that I have found for my .300 RUM. Besides, I'd rather have a .5 MOA 180 gr bullet at 3250 fps that I can hit with at extreme ranges - I shot a 11x13 point Muley here in Colorado at 930 yards and dropped him in his tracks with this load - than 180 gr bullet at 3450 fps that gives me 1.5 MOA and a likely miss one the same shot. It doesn't matter how fast you can push it if you can't hit what you are shooting at.

Besides, I would rather see how many accurate rounds I can get out of this rifle than to see how quickly I can burn out the barrel.

One thing I have found from reloading the RUM is that it likes the heavier bullets. The 180 grainers do pretty good, but the round really doesn't start to reach its potential until you get to the 190 to 220 gr bullets with the higher ballistic coefficients. I also found that very slow burning powders that give me a 90% fill ratio for the .300 RUM case give me greater accuracy and less fouling and throat damage.

You can burn up a .300 RUM barrel in less than 200 rounds if you don't give the barrel time to cool down - after every 3 rd round at the most. I like to see just how long I can shoot this rifle before I have to have it rebarrelled. I'll be hunting elk and mule deer with it again this year. I routinely practice with the .300 RUM by shooting water-filled plastic milk jugs at ranges out to 1000 yards, and if a muley or an elk walks out at anything short of 1000 yards, it just committed sucide.

I do like the Nosler custom loads, and I have enough of them to get me through this next hunting season, but I can't afford to pay $86 per box of 20 without losing sleep over sending a few practice rounds downrange.

I have a box of Berger 220 gr bullets ready to go to the press just as soon as I can find some more primers and powder. I can't wait to see how well those do.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Only 1000 rounds? Really? I have a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in .300 RUM that I have put 1,500 rounds through and it still shoots great. My best group ever with this rifle was just recently - 10 rounds under half inch at 100 yards, not counting the cold bore fouling shot which went slightly wide. All 11 rounds still went under 7/8".

What bullet, powder and charge, and MV for your load?

I shot that group with some custom Nosler loads, so I have no idea what powder they are using, but it was loaded with their 180 gr Ballistic Tips - their 165 gr Ballistic Tips shoot almost as well in my rifle. I let my barrel cool down after every round to shoot that group and I never shoot more than 3 rounds before letting it cool enough that I can hold the barrel without being burned. Plus, I clean religiously and often - and as often as practical if I'm out on a hunt.

If I can ever find components to reload again, my favorite recipe is straight out of the Nosler Manual and it delivers 3250 fps w/180 gr Speer Ballistic Tips.

3250 for 180 gr bullets would be what I call a mild load. That will definitely extend your barrel life. I was shooting 180's @ 3400 plus. I'm fairly sure the Nosler custom loads would have been mild also.

Sorry, guys. Of course I meant Nosler - I had just ordered a new Speer reloading manual and I guess I just wrote Speer.

As for this being a mild load, I could and have loaded hotter, but so far this has been the most accurate load - either factory or custom hand loaded - that I have found for my .300 RUM. Besides, I'd rather have a .5 MOA 180 gr bullet at 3250 fps that I can hit with at extreme ranges - I shot a 11x13 point Muley here in Colorado at 930 yards and dropped him in his tracks with this load - than 180 gr bullet at 3450 fps that gives me 1.5 MOA and a likely miss one the same shot. It doesn't matter how fast you can push it if you can't hit what you are shooting at.

Besides, I would rather see how many accurate rounds I can get out of this rifle than to see how quickly I can burn out the barrel.

One thing I have found from reloading the RUM is that it likes the heavier bullets. The 180 grainers do pretty good, but the round really doesn't start to reach its potential until you get to the 190 to 220 gr bullets with the higher ballistic coefficients. I also found that very slow burning powders that give me a 90% fill ratio for the .300 RUM case give me greater accuracy and less fouling and throat damage.

You can burn up a .300 RUM barrel in less than 200 rounds if you don't give the barrel time to cool down - after every 3 rd round at the most. I like to see just how long I can shoot this rifle before I have to have it rebarrelled. I'll be hunting elk and mule deer with it again this year. I routinely practice with the .300 RUM by shooting water-filled plastic milk jugs at ranges out to 1000 yards, and if a muley or an elk walks out at anything short of 1000 yards, it just committed sucide.

I do like the Nosler custom loads, and I have enough of them to get me through this next hunting season, but I can't afford to pay $86 per box of 20 without losing sleep over sending a few practice rounds downrange.

I have a box of Berger 220 gr bullets ready to go to the press just as soon as I can find some more primers and powder. I can't wait to see how well those do.

No need to be sorry, I was just wondering why you had such long barrel life just like I wondered why X-Man had short barrel life. Your original answer explained why as you had mild loads for the RUM.

That said, X-man's loads were not extreme, so I think it goes to show that barrel life is difficult to predict.

I haven't burned out a 300 RUM barrel yet.