View Full Version : How do you know when your pistols barrel is shot out?
How do you know when your pistols barrel is shot out, and about how many rounds would make up an average life span?
Pistol barrels are pretty easy to inspect, you would be able to see that the rifling ahead of the chamber was severely worn or missing. I would think it would be in the 50k+ range for your standard low pressure pistol calibers.
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I had a G17 that had over 75k through it when I traded it, would still hold 3" at 25 offhand with NATO ball. So, I would say if you can afford to wear one out, just buy another pistol or a barrel. Truth is, a bunch of people wouldn't even know if one was worn out.
1. Buy a gun, group it at 25 yards, document the best group size shot.
2. Shoot gun for years.
3. Years later, group the gun. If it does not shoot an acceptable group according to conventional and YOUR standards, get a new barrel.
Truth is, a bunch of people wouldn't even know if one was worn out.
What? But the guy at the LGS says he can't get his brand new used Sigma to group and says he can shoot 1/2" groups at 50 yards with Tulammo. His barrel is shot out he says.
:suicide:
How do you know when your pistols barrel is shot out.....
When the guy selling new barrels tell you it is worn out.
brickboy240
10-07-15, 10:01
Who knows?
I have a Argentine Sistema Colt 1911 that was made in 1953. The thing looks very well worn and the rifling in the barrel is almost gone. Seriously...it almost looks like you are staring down a 410 shotgun barrel!
However, at 10-15 yards, you can hit Coke cans with the thing all day long with alarming regularity. I admit...I have never "benched" it to test it's accuracy but hell - if the thing hits Coke cans at 10-15 yards (or maybe paces?) then it is probably not "shot out."
I am sure this barrel IS the original, as the serial number on the barrel matches the ones on the frame and slide. Again...this Sistema Colt looks like ass and has a pretty smooth barrel and STILL can hit things pretty damn well! LOL
So I have no idea how you know when a barrel is truly "shot out" but my guess is that it is longer than most of us will ever get to! LOL
Pistol barrels are pretty easy to inspect, you would be able to see that the rifling ahead of the chamber was severely worn or missing. I would think it would be in the 50k+ range for your standard low pressure pistol calibers.
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This is what happen to SA 1911 I have, the first inch of rifling was toast after 9k of FMJ. I started to notice I couldn't hit what I wanted to in IDPA.
titsonritz
10-07-15, 10:33
I had an old WWII Colt 1911 with very little park left, mis-matched receiver and slide and rattled more than a Studebacker,the barrel was so shot out it looked almost like a smooth bore, but it still grouped amazingly well. I just let it be.
Most modern pistol barrels will last the life of the gun and owner. I shoot competitive bullseye ( about the only type of shooting of a pistol with high accuracy requirements) and most barrels will last a minimum of 75k even at the highest levels of competition. In most modern combat autos the condition of the barrel is not a limiting factor regarding accuracy.
Using bullseye as an example three inch fifty yard groups are required for a top level gun. If a gun in the hands of a master shooter starts life shooting two inch groups and wears to the point of five inch groups it would be scrapped for bullseye but would be sufficient for pretty much any other handgun event for many more years and rounds
brickboy240
10-07-15, 12:34
Your old WWII Colt sounds like my Argentine Sistema.
Proof positive that a 1911 does NOT need tight tolerances or a "match grade" barrel to run like mad. LOL
Before determining if the barrel needs to be replaced I look at barrel/slide lock up. Comparing past groups shot with current groups is the best way to determine if the barrel is shot out. Some pistols just won't shoot well in the first place depending on who made them.
If lock up is good and a pistol won't shoot acceptable groups, I soak the bore with Kroil, clean it thoroughly and see if accuracy has improved. If it won't shoot either dirty or clean, it's usually time for a new barrel.
When sorting through used barrels I pass on any barrel that won't pass the muzzle/bullet test.
How do you know when your pistols barrel is shot out, and about how many rounds would make up an average life span?
The best way to tell is when accuracy drops off. But determining that means you had some idea of the guns's accuracy before you started, and you've documented it over a long period, and that you've ruled out all other factors including bad lots of ammo, shooter problems, loose sights, fouling, etc.
How long that takes depends on a lot of things. Corrosive priming and hot loads can shorten barrel life substantially. Lead bullets in mild loads can extend it just as much. But if you're talking about a modern service pistol with modern jacketed ammo, then I'd expect well north of 50k rounds at the low end. Kyle DeFoor had a G17 that was well past 100k, but it had a bunch of stuff replaced over the years. I worked on a range that had a Gen1 G17 with about the same round count.
Fouling also plays a role--a lot of barrels that seem shot out just need a vigorous scrubbing and accuracy comes right back.
Okie John
By the way, the only part (other than a few recoil springs) I ever replaced on that G17 was a locking block pin(you know the tail bone of pins) I removed the half that was left and shot it the rest of the weekend without it and the slide stop.
What? But the guy at the LGS says he can't get his brand new used Sigma to group and says he can shoot 1/2" groups at 50 yards with Tulammo. His barrel is shot out he says.
:suicide:
I can't shoot a 1/2" group at 7 yards, he must be a wizard.
This is what happen to SA 1911 I have, the first inch of rifling was toast after 9k of FMJ. I started to notice I couldn't hit what I wanted to in IDPA.
That's pretty surprising on a 1911. Most go many, many times that, even with jacketed bullets. Only time I've seen ANY barrel go down that quick was when it had a steady diet of ammo with lead free primers. The bore looked like it was sand blasted. Yours may have just been a bad/defective barrel.
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