.243 barrel life question.

[Lofty]

I'm ordering another barrel to have chambered in .243 Win. My understanding is that barrel life is very low, from what I've read around 1500 rounds.

Ive heard that certain cleaning techniques can extend barrel life. I'm also thinking melonite.

Anyone had first hand experience meloniting a .243 barrel and know how much I can expect barrel life to improve?

 

[Mike]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

First, ignore what you read. Depending on your load 2000+ rounds is realistic. Second, personally I'm not sold on this melonite crap. I want to see the proof before I go believing in the magic barrel life elixir.

 

[Lofty]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

I gotcha....thanks for the feedback. Nice to know barrel life is better then popularly thought.

 

[boltgunluvr]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Don't get crazy about barrel life. Its way better than you think. Too much bs about that. What do you consider accurate and not accurate????

 

[raptor99]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Barrel life is subjective. Some people think the barrel is gone if it won't hold .5MOA at all distances some MOA.

It will also depend on how you shoot it. You get it hot a bunch of times it will be junk in less than a thousand rounds. If you don't get it hot it will last a long time. Try to use as slow a powder as possible and that will help.

 

[Mike]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: raptor99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
It will also depend on how you shoot it. You get it hot a bunch of times it will be junk in less than a thousand rounds. If you don't get it hot it will last a long time.
</div></div>

Sorry, this I bullshit. Dozens on here including myself shoot 243 in comps including rapid fire and still get >2000 rounds. Yes, rapid fire will wear a barrel out faster but you're not going to blow it in less than a thousand rounds

 

[Charles00]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Barrel life is subjective. Some people think the barrel is gone if it won't hold .5MOA at all distances some MOA.

 

[Lofty]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Im putting mine on a Badger action. With its integral recoil lugs, barrel swaps are a snap. Ive got a .308 barrel for it as well, so I can swap out quick and easy.

I'll shoot the .308 for fun and any classes I might take and shoot the .243 in matches for the most part.

Even if I only get 2000 rounds out of it, thats fine with me considering the performance advantage.

Im gonna take the advice of OutlawTen5 on here as well, gonna go with 28 inch at first. Once I wear the throat out I'll set the barrel back and get some more life out of it.

Im thinking anything around 3/4 MOA or better is more than fine enough for a tactical match gun.

 

[JGorski]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: raptor99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Barrel life is subjective. Some people think the barrel is gone if it won't hold .5MOA at all distances some MOA.

It will also depend on how you shoot it. You get it hot a bunch of times it will be junk in less than a thousand rounds. If you don't get it hot it will last a long time. Try to use as slow a powder as possible and that will help. </div></div>
Now I read where using slightly faster burning powders will prolong barrel life.

 

[boltgunluvr]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

What do you consider accurate? Inaccurate?

 

[Bryan W M]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

meloniting does it work?? i agree with mike i want some proof before i send a good barrel off...

 

[joebino55]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

I have a 243 that I shot in F Class that was a sub .5 MOA gun. It held out for about 1000 rounds before the accuracy started falling off. I was pushing it pretty hard though (105 AMAX 3270 fps). Now it holds just under 1 MOA with 1500 rounds and its new purpose is plinking steel and hunting.

 

[raptor99]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Mike,
I don't want to start a pissing contest with you but like I said you hitting steel targets with your 243 with 2000rds through it may not be the same requirments as someone shooting F class with theirs.

I "Shot one out" in about 1200rds. It went from a .5moa rifle to a .8 then 1"+ in 1200rds. When I sent it in to be set back my smith told me it was toast.

THe barrel was black and fire cracked for over 8"s up the barrel from the throat. It would still shoot 1" to 1.5" groups and would probably last a deer hunter for years but for what I wanted it was junk.

Like I said in the begining accuracy is subjective. And yes you can "Junk" one out in a 1000rds I seen it happen in one day at the D&L shoot. In a man on man shoot in 100+ degree heat with way to many rounds one after another down the barrel. When he was finally eleminated he couldn't hit or keep his rounds on an 8" plate at 500yds. (And he was a damn good shot)

 

[ggmanning]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

It definitely depends some on load. I have just over 1000 on one .243 that has seen many strings of fairly rapid fire. It is still one of my most accurate rifles but I am only pushing 105 Bergers to 2800fps so the load is very kind. It should go past 2000 easily I expect because I have not even had to chase the lands yet. I don't care though either way because I like the caliber and I shoot until it isn't accurate enough for me and rebarrel. I have not personally seen one shot out in 1000 rounds....not saying somebody hasn't done it.

 

[raptor99]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

I just pulled the barrel on my 243SLR and had it rebarreled to a 6BRX. It had just over 2800rds through it. It still doesn't look to bad on the inside for having that many rounds down it.

It started life as a 6XC for the first 14 or 1500rds and then I had it rechambered to the 243SLR and put the rest of the rounds through it.

When the barrel was pulled it was still shooting 3 shot groups into 1" to 1.5" groups at 400yds on a good day. The problem was it was throwing "Unexplained" flyers past 600yds and was opening up at 1000yds to at least MOA.

From experience this tells me I have around 400 to 500rds left of shooting to 600yds then the barrel will really start throwing flyers even at closer distances.

The reason this barrel has so many rounds through it is because I only shot it in competition once and I didn't abuse it like I have some of the other barrels I have shot out.

My 260s are usually gone around 2000 to 2400 when shooting comps with them but since I don't shoot comps like I used to I now have one with 2900+rds through it and it just shot some .3s the other day zeroing it after a scope change.

My first 6.5x284 had 1200+ rounds on it when I had JR at H&S bore scope it for me after coming back from the D&L shoot. (The gun was only gotten hot one time) and he said it was just starting to show some throat wear and should be good for another 1000 if I kept shooting like I had been.

Long story short, I couldn't go back the next year so I gave it to my son and he got in the man on man match and went down to the finals with it and when I got it back (Less than 400rds later) it was JUNK. Went from shooting .3s to .8s

Trust me guys when I tell you barrel life is dependent on "HOW" you shoot the rifle and how "HOT" you get it and "STILL" keep shooting it hot. Believe me when I tell you I have went through a load of barrels in my years of shooting.

 

[JWV]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Hold the DTACS to 3000fps instead of ramping them up to 3100-3150 and barrel life should increase. DTACS at 2900-3000 are still very impressive.

 

[Lofty]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Well one way or another, Ill be finding out as my barrel should be here soon and Ive ordered 1000 115 DTACS and 500 pieces of Remington brass.

 

[Mike]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: raptor99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mike,
I don't want to start a pissing contest with you but like I said you hitting steel targets with your 243 with 2000rds through it may not be the same requirments as someone shooting F class with theirs.

I "Shot one out" in about 1200rds. It went from a .5moa rifle to a .8 then 1"+ in 1200rds. When I sent it in to be set back my smith told me it was toast.

THe barrel was black and fire cracked for over 8"s up the barrel from the throat. It would still shoot 1" to 1.5" groups and would probably last a deer hunter for years but for what I wanted it was junk.

Like I said in the begining accuracy is subjective. And yes you can "Junk" one out in a 1000rds I seen it happen in one day at the D&L shoot. In a man on man shoot in 100+ degree heat with way to many rounds one after another down the barrel. When he was finally eleminated he couldn't hit or keep his rounds on an 8" plate at 500yds. (And he was a damn good shot)</div></div>

I'm not trying to argue with you either. I'm just saying that all of this talk of 243 being a "barrel burner" just never seems to present itself in real life in the dozens of 243s I've seen including a few of my own. And I don't think anyone can say that shooting tac comps doesn't stress a barrel out with shooting movers and other rapid fire drills. So if that's your experience, then I don't discount it but I would not hesitate to have complete confidence that a 243 (especially shooting a mild load a la 115's at 3000) wont give you a 2000+ round barrel life.

 

[spot69221]

Re: .243 barrel life question.

Just plan for 2000 rounds of service life. Anything more, you got a winner. Don't waste time on a "setback". From my experience is velocity will slowly decline so, tick more powder here, tick more on OAL length you will be good.

I am still waiting on the Melonite crowd to report in, not just this one barrel or 2.

I don't like to clean, I would only guess that it could help marginally, some like to run the Tubbs coated bullets I hear.

I have shot with and OAL of 2.785 all the way to 2.965 I don't find much difference in the speed I can push a 105gr - 115gr bullet. I found that H4350 or H1000 suits my needs and the OAL I want to run can dictate what powder to use. Other powders work well and can give more velocity but stability is key for me.

I find (with a borescope) that H4350 torches the first 6-8" of the barrel where H1000 will do the same in about 18". I get close to the same lifespan with either.

I had a 5r barreled action that with H4350 looked comical that the lands were basically melted GONE in the first .150" of the chamber. Set the ol' DTAC out to the end of the mag length and back to 1/2-3/4" MOA gun for another 500 ish rounds. I had an AW that the OAL was so short I never thought it would work, still had room for more powder with H4350. And, it still shot at 2990fps.