rifle barrel

[glocklover]

How do I know when to change the barrel in my rifle? I have about 5000 rounds through it now. How many rounds can I put through it? AR-15 rifle.

[M.E.Anglin]

a bunch.. stainless? chrome moly? chrome lined???

[Mark K]

I can't give you a number. But most often the problem is erosion of the throat of the barrel, and depending on the profile of your barrel, a gunsmith can shorten the barrel and rechamber it. You can have many more rounds of shooting through it.

Mark K.

[caspian guy]

Does it still group ok? Does it still make the velocity you need... If so leave it alone till it doesn't...

[glocklover]

Bushmaster rifle. It still groups well at 200 and 300 yards. I have the most problems at 600 yards. I might try some different ammo. Thanks, Craig

[milanuk]

If all you were using it for was a short-range bullet hose with 55-64gr bullets, you'd probably still be okay.

For use in NRA HP - using heavier (69-77gr) bullets @ short range and dedicated long range (80gr) bullets @ 500-600... people may start seeing their 600yd X-count go down around 3500rds and generally have a new barrel installed shortly thereafter.

If it were being primarily used for say, F-Class i.e. scope only, steady diet of long range bullets and on the smaller target, I'd have a new barrel in hand ready to stick in there around 3000rds or so.

YMMV,

Monte

[bigbrowndog]

I have my original iron sight AR that I used for 3 gun when I was a newbie!!!, it gave 1.5moa to 2moa out to 300 when it was new, it is now 8years old and has 30000+ rds thru it and still shoots 2moa out to 300.

it just depends on what kind of accuracy you feel is adequate, for 3 gun a 2moa rifle is all you need.

Trapr

[glocklover]

I have a buddy that told me about "bullet jump" that I'm not reloading my rounds long enough. I have always just copied factory rounds. Have you guys had any experience with this? Will it help my groupings?

[twodownzero]

I have a buddy that told me about "bullet jump" that I'm not reloading my rounds long enough. I have always just copied factory rounds. Have you guys had any experience with this? Will it help my groupings?

You can't load long for an AR-15 because the magazine is too short, so just forget everything he told you.

[glocklover]

I have a buddy that told me about "bullet jump" that I'm not reloading my rounds long enough. I have always just copied factory rounds. Have you guys had any experience with this? Will it help my groupings?

You can't load long for an AR-15 because the magazine is too short, so just forget everything he told you.

When I shoot slow fire at 200 and 600 yards I load one at a time (service rifle matches).

[glocklover]

I only need to load magazines with the rapid fire at 200 and 300 yards. Which I could load my bullets as far as the magazine would let me.

[Dave.O]

If you can single feed at the longer range, load the bullet longer..

Do you have a way to measure your throat on your rifle? If you can get that measurment, reload some ammo that will get you close to the rifling (ie .005 .010 .015 .020 ) off the lands and shoot it for groups at 600.. If you make your loaded ammo longer, you will also have a little more room for powder.. If you have a chronograph, that would help too..

If you get the bullet's out to the lands and it still won't shoot to your expectation's, might be time for a new barrel..

[AlamoShooter]

On Barrel life, it is an old school thing that a rifle barrel is eather getting better or worst. the first part of the barrels life the groups should get better, how fast the groups fall to crud is a big varriable. But the paper punchers think that once a barrel starts to go bad, it gets worst at a much faster rate than it got bad.

If a barrel takes 5000 to start opening up the groups 2" larger , in the next 1000 rounds the group may open up to 6" larger. No hard rule though most of the rules was writen buy guys that mesure groups buy fraction of inches, and rapid fire is 5 rounds in 3min.

A barrel that shoots bullets slower than 3,500 fps will last much better than a barrel that shoots near 3,800 fps ...

The bench rest guys ....from what I read any way, will not keep a match barrel past when it starts to open the groups and or 2000 rounds. =Thats one of the things a beginer can do is buy a much cheeper used barrel for his bench gun and not burn out a new barrel learning.

Edited January 24, 2010 by AlamoShooter