243 Win. barrel life question ? - Page 3

Slamfire · September 6, 2012, 07:26 PM

Quote:

243 Win., 1300 to 1500 rounds.

.260 Rem., 1800 to 2000 rounds.

6.5x.284 Win., 700 to 1000 rounds.

.264 Win. Mag., 600 to 700 rounds.

7mm-08 Rem., 2300 to 2500 rounds.

7mm Rem. Mag., 700 to 800 rounds.

.308 Win., 2800 to 3000 rounds.

.30-06 Spfld., 2400 to 2600 rounds.

.300 H&H Mag., 1600 to 1800 rounds.

.300 Win. Mag., 1000 to 1100 rounds.

.308 Norma Mag., 1200 to 1300 rounds.

Interesting table, not that far off, but I will state what I heard from one of the few 243 shooters I met. This HM shooter, pretty good one, I was talking to him about his 243 barrel life. He replaces his barrels from 700 to 800 rounds. Maybe he pushes his rounds harder than those other guys.

Bart B. · September 7, 2012, 09:02 AM

Slamfire, first time I saw the .243 used in competition, David Tubb was using one in a match at the NRA Whittington Center. He said if luck was with him, he would get 1400 rounds through it before its accuracy dropped below his standards. His first one in a Schneider barrel went about that far so he had no hopes the one used then would last any longer.

There are some folks shooting the 6.5x.284 hot enough to rebarrel at 500 rounds. Long range folks I know using that round get more barrel life.

Slamfire · September 7, 2012, 01:54 PM

Guy I talked to was Wayne Forsechee? a Georgia shooter. He was replacing his barrel on a short schedule.

I would not want to shoot a barrel with such a short life in highpower competition. Lets say you start shooting in March, by the time you get to Perry your barrel either is, or is about to, start blowing chunks. If it chunks during the Nationals then you have wasted the year. If it chunks before, you have a lot of load development and zero's to figure out in short order.

I have replaced 30 caliber barrels just because I was getting worried that the "fliers" were due to high round count, when it was probably me. But when you start getting close to the end of the predicted lifetime of a barrel, that works on your mind.

It is a total waste of time and gas money to find out during a match that you should have replaced the barrel after the last match.

Bart B. · September 8, 2012, 07:41 AM

Slamfire, some folks take extra barrels with them for their trip to the Nationals. Especially if they'll shoot 2 or 3 regionals on the way there and back. Along with a barrel wrench and action vise, it's easy to clock one in to the witness mark set when that barrel was fitted earlier.

I and others have not seen a need to change loads nor work up a load for a new barrel. As long as the bore and groove dimensions are within a few 10-thousandths, the same lot of ammo shoots the same. This happened with ten .308 Win. barrels and four .30-.338 magnum barrels. Most interesting was with a couple of Palma rifle barrels chambered for the .308 Win. Tightest one had a .2980" bore and .3070" groove diameter. Loosest one had .2995" bore and .3080" groove. Both chambers had slightly different leade length for different bullet seating depths. Both shot the same loads equally accurate from 600 through 1000.

September 7, 2012, 01:54 PM	#53
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	Guy I talked to was Wayne Forsechee? a Georgia shooter. He was replacing his barrel on a short schedule. I would not want to shoot a barrel with such a short life in highpower competition. Lets say you start shooting in March, by the time you get to Perry your barrel either is, or is about to, start blowing chunks. If it chunks during the Nationals then you have wasted the year. If it chunks before, you have a lot of load development and zero's to figure out in short order. I have replaced 30 caliber barrels just because I was getting worried that the "fliers" were due to high round count, when it was probably me. But when you start getting close to the end of the predicted lifetime of a barrel, that works on your mind. It is a total waste of time and gas money to find out during a match that you should have replaced the barrel after the last match. __________________ If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading.

September 7, 2012, 09:02 AM	#52
Bart B. Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Posts: 8,927	Slamfire, first time I saw the .243 used in competition, David Tubb was using one in a match at the NRA Whittington Center. He said if luck was with him, he would get 1400 rounds through it before its accuracy dropped below his standards. His first one in a Schneider barrel went about that far so he had no hopes the one used then would last any longer. There are some folks shooting the 6.5x.284 hot enough to rebarrel at 500 rounds. Long range folks I know using that round get more barrel life.

September 8, 2012, 07:41 AM	#54
Bart B. Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Posts: 8,927	Slamfire, some folks take extra barrels with them for their trip to the Nationals. Especially if they'll shoot 2 or 3 regionals on the way there and back. Along with a barrel wrench and action vise, it's easy to clock one in to the witness mark set when that barrel was fitted earlier. I and others have not seen a need to change loads nor work up a load for a new barrel. As long as the bore and groove dimensions are within a few 10-thousandths, the same lot of ammo shoots the same. This happened with ten .308 Win. barrels and four .30-.338 magnum barrels. Most interesting was with a couple of Palma rifle barrels chambered for the .308 Win. Tightest one had a .2980" bore and .3070" groove diameter. Loosest one had .2995" bore and .3080" groove. Both chambers had slightly different leade length for different bullet seating depths. Both shot the same loads equally accurate from 600 through 1000.