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- Feb 21, 2025
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- 180
Accuracy loss can look quite different depending on whether you're dealing with pistol or rifle barrels. When did you start seeing a decrease in each, and what signs made you aware of it?
When is the right time to replace a barrel?
- Thread starter Alan
- Start date
Many many years ago. Ruger M77V, .220 Swift. Darn thing was a laser. Extremely accurate. Shot a lot of whistlepigs out of bean fields. One day nothing was moving. Buddy and I set up gallon jugs at 800 yards and at 1000 yards and began blasting away at ‘em. Ran through all the ammo I had with (100 rounds of hot reloads-been shooting that load for years but typically 1 or 2 at a time. Went home, cleaned the rifle and put it up, over the next couple shifts at the fire dept I reloaded all my brass-same load. Buddy and I went out hunting a week or so later. Pig pops up at 150-easy shot-boom- Miss
. Buddy gives me a good natured ration of bs over missing an easy shot. After a bit pig pops back up-Boom-Miss
. Buddy is now giving me a real hard time. Pig shows back up-tell buddy to take the shot with my rifle-Boom-Miss! What the heck? Set up a target to check zero. Slugs going everywhere except to bullseye. Loose scope? Checked. Everything tight. Scopes went belly up. At home, mounted another scope. Went to range-rifles wouldn’t ground in a barn door. What in the world? Took it to and old local gunsmith who’d been in business for decades. ‘ Walter, I need you to look at me rifle”; “What’s the Matter with it?” ; “Won’t group, throwing rounds everywhere”. The old man takes the rifle in his hands and looks it over “.220 Swift huh? You got her hot didn’t you”. I said well I put a hundred through her pretty quick the other day. “That’s the problem- you’ve warped the rifling. Never, ever shoot a Swift rapidly with full power loads. Shoot it, open the bolt and let it cool a bit before you shoot more”. Cost me a barrel. Back to previous accuracy.
. Buddy gives me a good natured ration of bs over missing an easy shot. After a bit pig pops back up-Boom-Miss. Buddy is now giving me a real hard time. Pig shows back up-tell buddy to take the shot with my rifle-Boom-Miss! What the heck? Set up a target to check zero. Slugs going everywhere except to bullseye. Loose scope? Checked. Everything tight. Scopes went belly up. At home, mounted another scope. Went to range-rifles wouldn’t ground in a barn door. What in the world? Took it to and old local gunsmith who’d been in business for decades. ‘ Walter, I need you to look at me rifle”; “What’s the Matter with it?” ; “Won’t group, throwing rounds everywhere”. The old man takes the rifle in his hands and looks it over “.220 Swift huh? You got her hot didn’t you”. I said well I put a hundred through her pretty quick the other day. “That’s the problem- you’ve warped the rifling. Never, ever shoot a Swift rapidly with full power loads. Shoot it, open the bolt and let it cool a bit before you shoot more”. Cost me a barrel. Back to previous accuracy.
Fjold
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2025
- Messages
- 40
I change rifle barrels when they no longer meet my accuracy expectations. I used to shoot F class and other 1,000 yard matches with at least 1,000 rounds a year per rifle.
Generally, the 6.5x284 barrels would go about 1,500 to 1,800 rounds before they would start throwing more 9 ring shots than 10s or Xs per ten round string, The 9 ring is the 10" -14" ring so when I started shooting less than 95 points in good conditions, I would change barrels.
The 243s would go 2,000 +/- with the same use depending upon the individual loads that each gun liked.
I had a 22.250 AI with three groove 10" twist barrels that shot almost 3K rounds before they wore out.
Generally unless your a regular match shooter, you're not going to wear a barrel.
But, like it was said above, if you overheat a barrel you can gas cut them badly. I once shot out a 243 barrel with one day of jack rabbit shooting in Idaho. We were at the peak of the jack population cycle in the mid 1980s and I ran through 200, hot 58 grain Hornady reloads in about 3 hours.
Generally, the 6.5x284 barrels would go about 1,500 to 1,800 rounds before they would start throwing more 9 ring shots than 10s or Xs per ten round string, The 9 ring is the 10" -14" ring so when I started shooting less than 95 points in good conditions, I would change barrels.
The 243s would go 2,000 +/- with the same use depending upon the individual loads that each gun liked.
I had a 22.250 AI with three groove 10" twist barrels that shot almost 3K rounds before they wore out.
Generally unless your a regular match shooter, you're not going to wear a barrel.
But, like it was said above, if you overheat a barrel you can gas cut them badly. I once shot out a 243 barrel with one day of jack rabbit shooting in Idaho. We were at the peak of the jack population cycle in the mid 1980s and I ran through 200, hot 58 grain Hornady reloads in about 3 hours.
