mleeber Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I have heard from a few folks that 3N37 will "burn out" a barrel over time. I have worked up 38 Super Comp loads with 3N37, N105, and 7625 and find that 3N37 and 7625 are the best with 7625 being a little better overall. But...I have about 5 lbs of 3n37 so I am going to use it up before settling on 7625. Is there any thruth to this myth about buring out the barrel of a comp gun with 3N37? Thanks! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 not in my experience; been using it since '96. i think that's a load.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I have read this about 3n38, but not 37. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Its all BS. 4756 burns out barrels... not the VV stuff.... :D (that's sarcasm people) You know what burns out a barrel? Using it. Some load characteristics will accelerate the wear - burn temperature, pressure peak, sustained pressure, how much powder is burning in the barrel itself vs. solely in the case, etc. But, by and large, your usage pattern and the care you show for your pistol seem to make the biggest difference. Shoot the crap out of it while its hot, so that you get burned if you touch the slide - barrel wears out quickly. Shoot it some, let it cool off, repeat... barrel lasts a lot longer. I know of people who've burned out barrels in 30K shooting N350 - they tend to shoot 600 rounds in short practice sessions. Then there are people w/ over 75K rounds shooting similar loads, and their barrels still look awesome - their practice and cleaning practices are quite a bit different.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric nielsen Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 +1 Check how hot the front of your slide is during practice. If it's too hot to touch, stop shooting for a few minutes then check it again. 3n37 and 7625 may heat up a little sooner but you can always let the gun cool off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Heat is bad for barrels and so is unburnt stuff scraping along sandblasting everything at 1500fps. Fast powders have more of the former, slow powders have more of the latter. Barrels are wear items. 30,000 rounds of ammo (on the low end of good barrel life) is about 10x the cost of a barrel and fitting, so relatively-speaking, it's a cheap part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mleeber Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Thanks for all the info!!! You guys make sense to me so I will keep loading 3n37. Besides, the fireballs coming out of the ports provide entertainment value for the spectators which distracts them from my lack of ability in this sport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moverfive Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Thanks for all the info!!! You guys make sense to me so I will keep loading 3n37. Besides, the fireballs coming out of the ports provide entertainment value for the spectators which distracts them from my lack of ability in this sport! Ability aside - you are correct about the entertainment value of fireballs. Just ask Sharyn about the many comments she gets about her flame thrower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 AA7 is the real barrel eroder and my current barrel gets real hot with 100+ rds of 3n37 in 2 or 3 minutes I lock it back and let it cool and repeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 The rumor was that AA powders were made with base material that coverted to a hard material under heat and pressure, and any residue left acted like sandpaper in the bore - and then there's plenty of reports on this forum contradicting that, as well... Again, I tend to think that its the nut behind the wheel more than anything else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 The rumor was that AA powders were made with base material that coverted to a hard material under heat and pressure, and any residue left acted like sandpaper in the bore - and then there's plenty of reports on this forum contradicting that, as well...Again, I tend to think that its the nut behind the wheel more than anything else... Are you saying I am a nut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Are you saying I am a nut? With a blaster like the one you shoot, Bill, I think its pretty much self explanatory!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPoLo Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Thanks for all the info!!! You guys make sense to me so I will keep loading 3n37. Besides, the fireballs coming out of the ports provide entertainment value for the spectators which distracts them from my lack of ability in this sport! Fire in the hole! Fire in the ports! -Chet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 im starting to notice some wear in the throat area of my barrel..ive shot too many different powders to know what exactly caused it..but it did seem to get worse from shooting Silhouette in the gun than anything else. i like 3n37, im probably gonna stick with it, n350 or 3n38... Harmon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 (edited) Are you saying I am a nut? We didn't say anything ........... you did. Edited December 3, 2006 by CHRIS KEEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Xre wrote: "Shoot the crap out of it while its hot, so that you get burned if you touch the slide - barrel wears out quickly. Shoot it some, let it cool off, repeat... barrel lasts a lot longer." -that's funny, your description sounds just like the Titegroup Major .40 loads I used to run. AND - Titegroup has the highest Nitro content (about 37%) of any modern double-base. Coincidence? Wear? Who knows? -agree that we should all stop worrying about it. Nothing lasts forever - not even your USPSA pistol nor its barrel, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 As shred likes to point out to me all the time, as compared to the expenses required to burn said barrel out, the cost of a new barrel and fitting is trivial... Hell, the cost of a new gun is trivial.... Titegroup is definitely a hot mofo of a load, IME... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 As shred likes to point out to me all the time, as compared to the expenses required to burn said barrel out, the cost of a new barrel and fitting is trivial... Hell, the cost of a new gun is trivial.... Yeah, but carrying all those hundred dollar bills around makes a guy walk funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 I've heard rumors that powders are the cause of barrel erosion. Something that didn't get brought up was bullet size. Though most people tell me and things that I've read tell me that most bullets of the 9mm/38 super class are sized either .355 or .356. Some people have gone one more significant figure and say they are all at .3555 regardless of the higher or lower number. I load my 38 super with Zero's that are apparently sized .356 in an effort to cut down on flame cutting the barrel with gasses that might get past the bullet. My theory (if it holds water) is that I'd rather have a better seal and a better burn rather than having undersized bullets allowing the hotter gasses to blow past the bullet. Flame cutting appears to be a factor in revolvers on their top strap, it's not something usually associated with semi's but it's something to think about. The suggestion about letting a barrel cool down after XXX rounds is also probably a good idea. Vince Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allgoodhits Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 All powders "burn out" barrels. That is what causes barrels to be worn out. Barrels are either carbon steel or stainless steel, either of which is multiple times harder than lead or, copper plates or copper jackets. The heat generated by the burning powder heats the barrel, thus softening it. The hotter the loads the more the heat, the more the heat the greater the wear. Some of the "rifle cartridge" barrels can be shot out in a few hundred rounds if the shooter does let the barrel cool between shots, even then some will be shot out in 500-700 rounds regardless if you are shooting the hot factory loads. Heat is the destroyer of barrels. Burning powder causes the heat, more powder burning causes more heat Several or the reloading manuals refer to barrel life as being proportional to pounds of powder run through a barrel. They reference that is doesn't matter whether the load is hot or mild, but after so many pounds of powder has been burned down the pipe it is shot. I think the reference would have to be "same powder" for this to hold true. Never can find enough info on some of this stuff. PPC and BE gun barrels last much longer than NRA AP, IDPA, & USPSA barrels. Action shooting style gun barrels wear out quickly because the speed of the projectiles require more powder and the splits between shots do not permit the barrel to cool. Machine gun barrels can have a very short life, if they can not be cooled. In fact shoot a BE NMC match 300 rods with ball ammo that is about 195PF and you can touch the hot barrel with out burning yourself. Try shooting 300 rds of USPSA Qualifiers or IDPA Classifiers and after the 300 shots at that pace the barrel is probably not touchable. So the next time you are out doing those BILL DRILLS time after time think of your barrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 What's the difference if the gas/flame leaks around an undersized bullet or stays behind a perfectly sized bullet? It's still going to travel the full length of the barrel and exit out the muzzle. It is like a venturi (?) effect where the gas increases speed through the smaller space? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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