barrel life

[soundwaves]

dont really know how many rounds l have put through my rifle but guessing its not near a 1000 rounds at all. shineing a light down the barrel all the rifleing is nice and shiny and still there. and it shoots accurate. but compareing it to my dads brand new CZ 550 300wm my rifleing doesnt look as thick as it at all. mine is a 7mm rem mag heym sr30. l only maximum shoot at 400 meters but if l have to will try a 500 meter shot. but mostly try and close in under 300 meters. and only use the rifle for hunting a few times a year. and a few shots for sighting in if l need to. so if extreem accuracy isnt needed as long as l can hit the animal within the area that l aimed at, how long can l keep hunting with this thing ?

 

[Greyfox]

When your barrel looses accuracy due to the volume of shooting it will occur because of throat wear, the first few fractions of an inch where the bullet first contacts th rifling. Comparing the riflling appearance in your bore to another rifles is not a good indication that you are wearing your barrel out. While a loss in your typical accuracy is the best way to check barrel wear effects, the throat erosion can best be checked either by using a barrel scope or measuring changes in bullet seating depth. With your description of the number of rounds you fire per season, it's hard to imagine your barrel is anywhere near the end of it's life, which should be 1000-1500 rounds.

 

[soundwaves]

When your barrel looses accuracy due to the volume of shooting it will occur because of throat wear, the first few fractions of an inch where the bullet first contacts th rifling. Comparing the riflling appearance in your bore to another rifles is not a good indication that you are wearing your barrel out. While a loss in your typical accuracy is the best way to check barrel wear effects, the throat erosion can best be checked either by using a barrel scope or measuring changes in bullet seating depth. With your description of the number of rounds you fire per season, it's hard to imagine your barrel is anywhere near the end of it's life, which should be 1000-1500 rounds.

l shine a spotlight down it and the rifleing looks eaven all the way down to the throat. its simmilar to this picture in this tread When Will Your Barrel Die? Spreadsheet Predicts Barrel Life « Daily Bulletin

 

[WildRose]

A couple of things come to mind.

One, it could be a difference in how the rifling is done between the two companies.

Two, and the one I think is probably more likely is that you may well have a buildup of copper and carbon in the barrel that makes it appear as though the rifling is not a pronounced as it actually is. I've seen this problem in a lot of older used rifles and pistols. They still shoot OK, they just look like they are turning into smooth bores. Remove the buildup and remove the problem. Keep in mind though riflings don't have to bite into a bullet deeply to make it spin but you can get into some pressure problems with a barrel that has such a buildup of years worth of carbon and copper.

I'd suggest using a pretty aggressive copper and carbon solvent alternating between the two and give it a really good cleaning until you see no evidence of either on a dry patch.

As said above if your rifle is still shooting accurately you really don't have to worry about the barrel being shot out and barrels can last a long, long time if you simply don't shoot them hot and keep on shooting particularly in calibers like the 7mm Rem and 300wm .

Some calibers are inherently hard on barrel life but neither of those are.

 

[FearNoWind]

... rifleing is nice and shiny and still there. and it shoots accurate.

If it still shoots, accept the good fortune and take good care of it. You'll know when it's past its prime when your groups on target begin to open up; and that's usually pretty dramatic.
A word about "shiny" barrels. Nothing shines brighter in a barrel than an accumulation of carbon that's been polished by repeated burnishing by a few hundred bullets.
If you can find a bore scope, check out the barrel to determine if you have excessive carbon build up. "Gator" skin in the grooves is an indicator. A barrel in top notch condition won't be shiny; it will actually reveal a rainbow reflection of light from the rifling surfaces.
The bore scope will also let you see the throat/lead clearly and provide a much better idea of how much wear you have.

 

[WildRose]

If it still shoots, accept the good fortune and take good care of it. You'll know when it's past its prime when your groups on target begin to open up; and that's usually pretty dramatic.
A word about "shiny" barrels. Nothing shines brighter in a barrel than an accumulation of carbon that's been polished by repeated burnishing by a few hundred bullets.
If you can find a bore scope, check out the barrel to determine if you have excessive carbon build up. "Gator" skin in the grooves is an indicator. A barrel in top notch condition won't be shiny; it will actually reveal a rainbow reflection of light from the rifling surfaces.
The bore scope will also let you see the throat/lead clearly and provide a much better idea of how much wear you have.

The only place I've ever seen the "gator skin" effect is in the throat which tells me we've gone past the point of no return and it's time to either cut it off and re chamber or replace it.

 

[AZShooter]

I have a bore scope and have two severely worn barrels that show a surface that looks like a dried up clay pond with all sorts of cracks and fissures for over 18" up the barrel. The two barrels are premiums one a Lilja in 257 Weatherby with 800 rounds through it. The other is a Bartlein 5R in 6mm-284 with over 1000 rounds. These are true horror shows but to my amazement if they are clean they will shoot. It takes a great deal more cleaning than a newer barrel. I am very thankful that Bore Tech Eliminator can be left in the barrel. I often will soak and clean over several days to get the last of the fouling out.

When I first owned the 6mm-284 I didn't own a bore scope. The rifle's tight groups at 200 yds more than doubled in size. I wasn't sure of the cause. My friend who owned a borescope showed me a black residue in the "corner" where the land meets the groove near the muzzle end. He had me try some of his Iosso. I scrubbed the affected area till it was removed. Went back to range to have the rifle perform once again with tight groups. I was sold on getting both the bore scope and the occasional use of Iosso.

It is nice to KNOW if the bore is clean. I realize not everyone has access to one of these expensive borescopes. I think it would be a great item for any rifle club to own for its membership to share.

soundwaves: I have no idea when either barrel will finally quit shooting. Based on what I have observed with these two barrels, your hunting rifle in 7mm Rem mag will be useful for many years to come.

 

[FearNoWind]

The only place I've ever seen the "gator skin" effect is in the throat which tells me we've gone past the point of no return and it's time to either cut it off and re chamber or replace it.

Boy, I wish I could say that. My 1903 Springfield has gator skin in the grooves from one end to the other. But the lands are still pretty well defined and it still shoots good. I doubt it ever got the cleaning it deserved from its former owner and I've worn out lots of brushes trying to get rid of it.

 

[soundwaves]

I have a bore scope and have two severely worn barrels that show a surface that looks like a dried up clay pond with all sorts of cracks and fissures for over 18" up the barrel. The two barrels are premiums one a Lilja in 257 Weatherby with 800 rounds through it. The other is a Bartlein 5R in 6mm-284 with over 1000 rounds. These are true horror shows but to my amazement if they are clean they will shoot. It takes a great deal more cleaning than a newer barrel. I am very thankful that Bore Tech Eliminator can be left in the barrel. I often will soak and clean over several days to get the last of the fouling out.

When I first owned the 6mm-284 I didn't own a bore scope. The rifle's tight groups at 200 yds more than doubled in size. I wasn't sure of the cause. My friend who owned a borescope showed me a black residue in the "corner" where the land meets the groove near the muzzle end. He had me try some of his Iosso. I scrubbed the affected area till it was removed. Went back to range to have the rifle perform once again with tight groups. I was sold on getting both the bore scope and the occasional use of Iosso.

It is nice to KNOW if the bore is clean. I realize not everyone has access to one of these expensive borescopes. I think it would be a great item for any rifle club to own for its membership to share.

soundwaves: I have no idea when either barrel will finally quit shooting. Based on what I have observed with these two barrels, your hunting rifle in 7mm Rem mag will be useful for many years to come.

thanks for the info mate. did some extencive cleening with the brush that l hadly use ( mostly use meterial). my sleph today and was shocked at the amount of black gunk that came out of that barrel :O .

 

[WildRose]

Boy, I wish I could say that. My 1903 Springfield has gator skin in the grooves from one end to the other. But the lands are still pretty well defined and it still shoots good. I doubt it ever got the cleaning it deserved from its former owner and I've worn out lots of brushes trying to get rid of it.

Is it an original barrel? If so it's early life was spent shooting corrosive ammo/primers.

I've seen some old rusty barrels that showed the same thing after they were cleaned well and some of them really lost what little accuracy they had when they were cleaned up well.

The gator skin I'm talking about though is from fire cracking.

 

[WindSurgeon]

If its still shooting well, no worries. You should get 2000 rounds through it before it needs to be replaces. Your caliber is not an overbore caliber like .243 or 6.5-284.

The difference you are seeing in the rifling is the difference in manufacturing and/or design. When you see your barrel go to hell, your groups will noticeably open up. In my experience it is not gradual, but happens like someone flipped a switch.

Barrels are disposables if you do any volume of shooting.

 

[boscodog]

What brushes do you guys recommend for cleaning out an older barrel, Iv heard it said that using a copper brush is bad for the barrel, is this true? Also, if a copper brush is ok on an older barrel how do you Handel a new barrel?
Thanx

 

[Greyfox]

What brushes do you guys recommend for cleaning out an older barrel, Iv heard it said that using a copper brush is bad for the barrel, is this true? Also, if a copper brush is ok on an older barrel how do you Handel a new barrel?
Thanx

I have never had any problem with bronze brushes other than being chewed up by copper solvents. My preference for old and new barrels is a nylon brush. I have found Wipe Out foam excellent for cleaning up old, cruddy barrels nicely.

 

[WildRose]

I have never had any problem with bronze brushes other than being chewed up by copper solvents. My preference for old and new barrels is a nylon brush. I have found Wipe Out foam excellent for cleaning up old, cruddy barrels nicely.

Same here.