Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters does the 6.5x284 eat barrels because

of the rapid strings of fire in competition... or because of the case geometry directing the hot gasses onto the leade??? or something else?

i am interested in the 6.5x284 for hunting... hoping a barrel could last well past 1000 rounds...

Surely it will last a 1000

It will last well over 1,000 rounds, used as a hunting rifle. Mine is doing well, probably 500 or so down the tube. It shows early throat erosion thru the Hawkeye, still as accurate as it ever was. It's a 26" Krieger.

My 26 Nosler with 400 rounds shows just a bit more erosion, I'm thinking it'll go 1,000.

Once I work up loads, they don't get shot as much. I have too many other rifles/projects to wear these out.

DF

You're sweetin the small stuff.

And, if you're worried, don't.

They making new barrels every day...

DF

I could probably be happy with a 264 WM.....

IF IF I build any 6.5 it would be a 6.5X284.

Like D F, I hunt too many diff rifles to worry about burning a barrel out. That's the way I like it.

Jerry

Loaded to the same pressure and fired under the same circumstances, it's hard to believe the 6.5-284 and the 6.5 GAP would be much different as far as barrel life goes.

I believe that 6.5-284s wear out quickly for two main reasons. One is quite a bit of powder down a small hole. The other is that is has historically been a competition cartridge where people run it at _high_ pressures and need a replacement when they lose a couple to few tenths of precision at distance. Run it at 6.5-284 Norma pressure limits, and use it as a purely hunting rifle, and I believe you’ll get well more than your desired minimum life out of a barrel.

My old friend down in East Tx has been hunting with the same Mod 700 .264 Win Mag since the late 70s! He "might" shoot 20 rds a year and both he and his sons have used it to take some pretty long shots down pipeline Right of Ways and clearcuts. I'm old enough to remember all the naysayers about the .264 being a notorious barrel burner...compared to what though? As mentioned, there are "degrees of accuracy", only Benchresters and Competition shooters worry or have to deal with that issue, certainly not hunters. Don't worry about burning your barrel out in a hunting rifle, even if you shoot several hundred rounds a year. Just shoot slow and don't heat it up. Have a ball with it!

+1

DF

6.5x284 is a very good cartridge ,the 6.5x284 has a lot of bench shoots,yes it would burn out for benrest shooters all cartridges will sooner or later burn a barrel out. the 6.5x284 used only for hunting and some target practice will never burn out in your life time. I have the 6.5x284 in a Savage S.S. weather warrior and for just being a factory rifle its very accurate.i still would like to build a Ruger # 1 in a 6.5x284 with a bunx 26 inch barrel. good luck ,Pete53

Pete,

You sure seem to be a fan of those bunx barrels!

I shoot a 6-284 which should be even harder on barrels than a 6.5..... 1800 rds down the bore and still shoots 5/8 or less at 100 yds. Hunting rifle

yep ,here`s the deal one of the better machinist who also puts barrels on a lot of bench guns that do win including a couple of national titles at 1000 yd. benchrest. this fine machinist always mics all barrels before he starts and says bunx are one of the best plus he can get them faster too.i even had them make me 2 for my 257 weatherby Ruger no.1`s with same contour as what was on the no. 1`s new 7 mag barrels I took off,Bunx is very easy to work with.

You've got nothing to worry about.

If I shoot out a barrel I slap myself on the back and use it as an excuse to treat myself to a new one.

Exactly.

The 6.5x284 will not disappoint.

SWOOOSH ! ! right over his head.



Jerry

Overbore cartridges burn barrels because they try to squeeze a large quantity of very hot gas down a small tube that does not have much surface area and volume.

Browning did some tests that they published that showed that the 22-250 tends to open up at about 1500 rounds. I don't know of any reason that the 6.5-284 would be worse than that.

Denton - I like that. --^ ^ ^ ^


Jerry

Just don't try to shoot up all of your ammo up at the same time.

Space your shots and don't overheat the barrel.