View Full Version : Daniel Defense barrel life
I feel like every time I ask someone this question or look it up I seem to get different answers. I have a 16 inch cold hammer forged mid length gas system government profile barrel that has around 4,000 rounds through it and I was just wondering, what can one expect to get out of the barrel life of a Daniel Defense barrel like this? I take care of my guns but I don’t clean them after every range trip. I live in the desert and there is no humidity where I live either. Thanks guys.
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I feel like every time I ask someone this question or look it up I seem to get different answers. I have a 16 inch cold hammer forged mid length gas system government profile barrel that has around 4,000 rounds through it and I was just wondering, what can one expect to get out of the barrel life of a Daniel Defense barrel like this? I take care of my guns but I don’t clean them after every range trip. I live in the desert and there is no humidity where I live either. Thanks guys.
The reason you can't get an answer is because there is no "one" answer. How you shoot it, and what your expectations are from it, are the key factors.
For example, if you were a benchrest shooter going for max accuracy, at 4k, a barrel may very well be shot out. If you use full auto and pretend your AR is a fire hose, it may be shot out. For most of us though, a barrel with 4,000 rounds through it is broken in and shooting well. Most of us aren't engaging in heavy volumes of full auto fire, and those people who are buying barrels for bench rest max accuracy shooting aren't using barrels like the one you have.
Lastly, your own personal standards are going to be the marker for your barrel. If the barrel shoot a 1.5" group when new, for most of us a 2" group wouldn't be that much of a change. However, if what you are getting with good ammo and on a good shooting day is no longer acceptable, its time to get a new barrel. If your barrel was shooting .75" when new and went to 2", most of us would be ready to get a new barrel.
ETA- One last thing, when you start thinking your barrel is no longer accurate, think about giving it s heavy cleaning. Use solvent multiple times, and scrub it really good. It is amazing how many barrels return from the dead once they are scrubbed super clean and the copper is all out.
Hope that is of some help.
what can one expect to get out of the barrel life of a Daniel Defense barrel like this?
My estimate for a combat accuracy, if barrel does not have any initial defects, is anywhere between 15k-25k rounds. Primary factors - rate of fire & ammo (bullet/powder).
Accuracy will typically degrade slowly - biggest difference you'll see at distances past 200m if you're doing any accuracy shooting.
If you're just doing range practice, plinking, or under 200m training - you might not notice any significant difference well past that mark (15k-25k).
Somebody told me that a good indicator - when using a known good match ammo and scope your groups start to open up ~8" at 200m then it's probably time to replace your barrel. At 100m distance - very hard to say, your barrel might still be shooting 2MOA.
The reason you can't get an answer is because there is no "one" answer. How you shoot it, and what your expectations are from it, are the key factors.
For example, if you were a benchrest shooter going for max accuracy, at 4k, a barrel may very well be shot out. If you use full auto and pretend your AR is a fire hose, it may be shot out. For most of us though, a barrel with 4,000 rounds through it is broken in and shooting well. Most of us aren't engaging in heavy volumes of full auto fire, and those people who are buying barrels for bench rest max accuracy shooting aren't using barrels like the one you have.
Lastly, your own personal standards are going to be the marker for your barrel. If the barrel shoot a 1.5" group when new, for most of us a 2" group wouldn't be that much of a change. However, if what you are getting with good ammo and on a good shooting day is no longer acceptable, its time to get a new barrel. If your barrel was shooting .75" when new and went to 2", most of us would be ready to get a new barrel.
ETA- One last thing, when you start thinking your barrel is no longer accurate, think about giving it s heavy cleaning. Use solvent multiple times, and scrub it really good. It is amazing how many barrels return from the dead once they are scrubbed super clean and the copper is all out.
Hope that is of some help.
An excellent, very practical answer ^
I feel like every time I ask someone this question or look it up I seem to get different answers. I have a 16 inch cold hammer forged mid length gas system government profile barrel that has around 4,000 rounds through it and I was just wondering,
Forget the guesswork and buy a good bore scope.
Forget the guesswork and buy a good bore scope.
That just means obsessing over everything with magnified horrors. The proof is in the pudding, when a barrel no longer shoots the way the owner demands, the party is over.
Why do you guys worry about barrel life? It cost a lot more to wear it out than it does to replace it!
Why do you guys worry about barrel life? It cost a lot more to wear it out than it does to replace it!
More true now than ever.
pointblank4445
07-16-21, 20:09
Forget the guesswork and buy a good bore scope.
Most people don't know what their looking at and are horrified by things they don't understand or things that don't matter. Not the best idea for most.
pointblank4445
07-16-21, 20:15
Why do you guys worry about barrel life? It cost a lot more to wear it out than it does to replace it!
Can't speak for the OP, but I've got a DD 16" that actually is in an SPR. IF at all possible, I like to feed it the flavor of ammo it likes and what suits my needs...hopefully getting as much of that as I can in the same lot#. While it's not all that critical for 5.56 as I have other guns that can shoot that ammo, it is a big deal to me in terms of bigger, more expensive precision stuff.
Example: I've got 5400 rounds of 6.5cm to spread over 2x barrels...I no longer have to worry about amassing ammo for that setup.
ETA- One last thing, when you start thinking your barrel is no longer accurate, think about giving it s heavy cleaning. Use solvent multiple times, and scrub it really good. It is amazing how many barrels return from the dead once they are scrubbed super clean and the copper is all out.
Hope that is of some help.
There is a point of copper equilibrium where the buildup is minimal (shooting it out at almost the same rate it is being added) where accuracy tends to stay very consistent for a good many rounds.
You clean out all the copper and then have to start over.
Of course there are others with precision rigs that like to clean after every shot...
Different strokes for different folks and all.
I personally fall in the camp that lets the copper build a bit and watch for the accuracy taking a fast turn south before cleaning (and starting over).
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