Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Question / Who here has actually shot out a rifle barrel

No, no...it's true, someone else reckons he can count to ten as well.

7RM, 7WSM, .243, .25-06, .22-250, etc, etc.

Barrels are like brake pads. Driving habits affect wear patterns and longevity, but all brake pads wear out eventually. Same goes for barrels. They're a wear item.

Yep, I've done a few... I'm one my 6th new re-barrel, only 2 of those were shot out.

A Ruger 77 V 22-150 purchased in 1974 is on it it's third barrel. Targets are Prairie dogs, Woodchucks. coyotes and 13 lined Ground squirrels.

I load it to 'kiss' and shoot and seat bullets out to follow throat erosion to a point accuracy is not acceptable.

I had a Ruger 77 Varmint rifle in 223... guy I bought it from had documented 5,000 rounds down the barrel.. he was a hard core sage rat shooter...had quite the arsenal... he was selling it off after his arthritis got the better of him...

I put another 10,000 rounds using Blue Dot loads down the barrel... paid $300 for the rifle... and local gun store offered me $400 for it, toward trade for a new Savage 11 BVSS.. which ran me an additional $125! too good a deal to pass up...

ran across a guy at the range a year later who had bought it...

I was asking him how well it shot for him...
told me he had put 2,000 rounds thru it the previous varmint season.. as he had family who works at Nosler and had given him 2,000 55 grain ballistic tips...as he did annually...

We walked down range to look at his target... 3 shots coverable by a dime still...he was using a bread and butter load of H 335....

I took the Savage deal as I wanted a one in 9 twist.. I was debating to rebarrel that Ruger... but upgrading for $125 only was too good of a deal... really the only reason I let it go...

Those Blue Dot loads do stretch out a barrel's life quite a bit...

Up until about 8 years ago I competed heavily in NRA National Match course and John C. Garand CMP matchs.
I put over 12,000 rounds through a colt AR Hbar and was still shooting pretty good, high expert scores. It was roached however.
Went threw about 5 M1 barrels ---- thousands and thousands of rounds.
Burned out a 6mm remington barrel
Currently working on burning out the 30-06 barrel on my rem 700, It's taking a very long time!!!!

The Savage 110E in .22-250 that Dad gave me had over 1500 rounds through it at the time and would still shoot 5-shot groups you could cover with a dime.

Several years later it was shooting patterns several feet in diameter. I would clean the barrel and it would be good for 2-3 shots and then back to patterns.

Sold it to a guy that wanted the action. Used the money to buy another rifle. No regrets about the exchange because I didn't have a lot of money back then. Now the kids are out of college and my wallet and I'd rebarrel the Savage. And buy the other rifle.

I don't know if I shot out a barrel but I'm pretty sure I've "cleaned out" a barrel to ruin.

About 300 shots on a 22-6mm Ackley and 75 gr Amaxs would not make the target. 1/7 twist stainless barrel. Dale

BTW - many people "think" they have shoot out a barrel when they haven't (bad crown, or other dings)

Bob, what rifle and how many rounds did it take?

The only barrels I can honestly say that I have seen that were shot out, were M60 machine gun barrels when I was in the USArmy.

Saw this post and thought WTF, when did I post that? Hell, I don't even own a rifle like that. Then I realized our screen names are REAL similar.

That said, I did shoot out a Ruger 77 in 270. Round count was about 4000. I shot a lot of groundhogs and deer with it over the years but I think what did the damage was my teenage years. I had a 100 yd range in the back yard and a reloading setup in the basement. Load a box, shoot it off quickly, load and repeat.

Dale (the one who's been here awhile)

Actually, that would be 20 as I have ten of each...... bore scope showed first several inches of barrel with some rifling left but most gone.

Shot out:
1 WW factory 270
1 280
1 7RM

The 280 & 7 went pretty quickly because I was running heavy/hot loads.
The 280 was fine one day and then I couldn't hit a 24" target at 250 yards.
The round count for the 7 RM was about 30% of the 280 and it was done.
I shot the 270 on rabbits and rockchucks beginning at age 18. Took it into a guy with a Hawkeye and he said there wasn't much rifling for the first 10". Funny thing, it still made 1.25" groups. Today it is a 35 Whelen.

A Sako 7 Rem mag, 1700 rounds

264 win mag. Bought it used so no telling how many rounds were through it. It would shoot 5 within a quarter (coin) at 100 yards then all of the suddenness 2-3" groups. Had a gunsmith true the action and rebarrel to 300 win mag which is my main hunting rifle. Current barrel has about 500 rounds through it in 5 or 6 years. Trying to shoot out current barrel so I can go with a heavier contour.

.22/243. Less than 1500 rounds.

Couple a hundred give or take..



Actually only one 264 Win barrel never kept track of the round count but if I had to guess somewhere around 1500-1800.

I have. Not counting military service.

Two 270 Winchester barrels. That rifle is now on it's 3rd barrel

One 375H&H. That rifle is now on it's 2nd barrel

One 44 Mag revolver. Rebarreled by Ruger in 1977.

And 3 other rifles and a few other handguns that have enough erosion to easily see with a bore scope, but they are still shooting well. They may be in line, but have not been rebarreled yet. Probably will be in the next 3-4 years.