Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Barrel life on hunting rifles?

I realize beforehand that there are many variables involved...but what is considered the average live of a barrel in a production hunting rifle chambered in something like .308 or .30-06?? Im sure the overbore calibers have less...

They'll last a lifetime or longer for most.

Don't shoot em hot I'd expect 3000-5000 rounds out of most hunting cartridges.

I have my Dad's 30-06 which has the original barrel and it must be over 50 years old, used every year for deer hunting at jp,e and the in many years for elk, antilope, and deer hunting our west.
Still kills deer, though the bullets do wander a bit more now then when it was young.

My oldest rifles are both made in 1951 and they both still shoot lights out




Hunting rifles using hunting bullets Both 30-06.

Most people figure about 6,000 rds. in a .308 target rifle
but they are pretty fussy about accuracy compared to hunters.
A hunting rifle should last longer if properly cleaned IMO.
I have heard you are lucky to get 2,000 rds from a 7mm Magnum.
whelennut

I've one receiver on it's 6th barrel...but I retired it quite some time ago...................

You hit a good point about cleaning properly. My guess is, far more barrels have been ruined over the years from poor cleaning and/or over cleaning vs the number of rounds down the tube. Most guys won't live long enough to shoot out the barrel on a medium or big-bore hunting rifle.

Big Stick,
You must have shot a pile of bullets in your day to wear out six barrels!

Roasted lotsa tubes,but that receiver in particular,was a favorite for a good spell.................

JMHO but generally I don't worry a whole bunch about barrel life....if you aren't cooking tubes, you aren't shooting enough....

The best thing to do is keep spares hanging around...eliminates wait time when a barrel is frosted....best preventive medicine in the world

It depends on the cartridge and how you use it. If you have a 22-250 and you shoot prairie dogs as fast as you can reload, you'll use a barrel or two every year.


If you have a 30-06 and you shoot a few practice rounds at a normal rate and hunt with it, your grandchildren will still be using the same barrel.

I have a .303 onto its third barrel, fourth stock and second receiver.

listen to natman.

Barrels are consumables...............

I rank them with P-Line and bass jigs...

And boots/socks..................

I have burned through my share of barrels and finally caught on to this concept...got two spares in reserve, and a couple extra rifles to shoot while the faves are cooling....

Ingwe it strikes me as a good idea to have spare tubes hangin' around....

I have at times supplied the troops,then replenished...kinda like spare boot laces..

I admit it took me awhile to catch on to the concept.....waiting 16 weeks for a Krieger will cure a guy real quick...then the light goes on!

Hey! Why not burn the 16 weeks while I DON'T need the barrel....dduuhh!

Yeah..I'm a slow learner too....but the spares are now leaning in the corner!