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Thread: On barrels...

  1. #1
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    On barrels...

    I've heard on various occasions that, all else being equal (firing schedule, cleaning, etc.) that a .308 barrel will generally have a longer (in some cases much longer) life than many other calibers. Any truth to this and if so, why?

  2. #2
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    A .308 Winchester? It should have better barrel life than either a smaller bore cartridge on the same case, i.e. 243, 260, 7-08 or a hot 22 centerfire. Barrel life for the .30 caliber in general depends on case capacity and velocity. A 30-378 can run through a barrel in 400 rounds.
    Andy

  3. #3
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    A good .308 barrel will last a while on a bolt gun. I'm at 4 or 5k on mine and it's still able to stay sub MOA.

    I checked the leade erosion a while ago and it had kinda tapered off/slowed. It's a REM 700 HF barrel with the usual long leade when new.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slater View Post
    Any truth to this and if so, why?
    Yes. Think of the amount of burning powder vs the size of the hole it has to escape through.

  5. #5
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    There are all kinds of factors that lead to end of life for a barrel. But the bottom line, only factor that matters is what is your needed accuracy and what amount of deterioration acceptable. what the hunter needs vs the bench rest shooter is completely different. what the bench rest shooter needs is different than the PRS type shooter and so forth.

    So while 308 does have a longer life than the 6.5, 6, and 7mm choices, that life can still be "short" based on your needs/criteria vs mine.

    I have stuck with 308 because I am not shooting competition, and because as you say in the OP, all things being equal, on average the 308 has a longer life.

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