Maybe somebody can give me a good idea how many rounds I could expect to get out of my Rem 700 in 300 RUM with the factory barrel before accuracy goes out the door. I generally shoot 8700, a healthy charge with 180 NP's to about 3200-3250 fps. Don't overheat the barrel and don't do any extended shooting with it. I've heard all sorts of things ranging from around 900 to 1200 rounds or slightly higher. It currently has around 250 rounds thorugh it so I know the life is still there and accuracy is fine at this point which of course is the thing to watch. Just curious as to what you all think.

Thanks!

I'd say if you were reasonably kind to it 2500 give or take 23 or so...grin

I spect around 1700 or so the thing will take a semi strong liking to fouling. Then around 2K you'll be chasing and it'll be all down hill from there.

Dober

Interesting, appreciate the insite. I saw a formula years ago that used powder charge, bore diameter, and some other things like when it's going to rain next (never here in NM!) and gave you an idea but don't remember where I saw it.

Yeah, 2500 out of that thing would probably be stretching it a tad but 2473 more than likely would be a lot closer! Burning 100+ grains of powder just doesn't tend to keep barrels playing nice!

Forget the formula's... When a magnum barrel goes, it'll go all at once. One day it's fine, the next day it's "gone".And that COULD happen in under a 1000 rounds in a barn burner like a 300 RUM.Then again, maybe not...

Personally I don't worry about tube life anymore....I deal with it by ordering barrels way before I need them;have a spare around now so you don't have a 16 week to one year wait when you do need them.Life is simpler that way.

Dont think you will come close to 2500 before accuracy drops off, about half that.

Tulie, if you watch the ads on www.gunbroker.com you will seen new take off Rem 700 stainless barrels in that caliber for $65 or so. I sold a brand new SS 300 UM two months ago for $65, never a round through it.

Good luck

Yeah, good advice and I am starting to keep my eyes open already. I don't shoot this a lot but having thinned the herd to the core group or closer to that group anyway I figure to shoot it a lot more this year. That's why I was wondering about the life and yeah, I figured it will be somewhere in that 1200 to say around 1500 range. I will say I like this caliber but not sure I will go with it again. Thus, now starts the fun of deciding what to play with the next time around! Maybe a little less recoil but fast and flat and hard hitting......

I shot a Sendero in 300 Ultra in the 1K stock class for a couple of years....fast and hard....

Took the barrel off at around 400 rounds......

Whew! Wow....that was fast...

Not to hijack, but this thread got me thinking... what do you guys usually give a barrel as far as rest time btwn shots to keep it from heating up and shortening barrel life? Does it depend on caliber, barrel quality, etc? Do you guys use anything to help cool the barrel btwn shots so you don't have to wait so long? The Op really got me thinking about this barrel life thing. I've got two brand new rifles, both with fluted barrels (an M70 EW in 338, and a Rem700 AK TI in 300Win Mag) both factory barrels, that were expensive (to me anyway), and I'd sure like to get as much life out of them as possible. Never though much about this before... till now.

Fluting will help with cooling and a heavier barrel will take longer to heat up but it also will hold heat longer. To me, I do 3 shot strings and let it completely cool between. Now on a target rifle that isn't always possible and my 1000 yard rifle is also a RUM and I do not expect it to last anywhere near as long as a hunting barrel. I've always heard when it's hot to the touch you have gone too far. I'd go as far as to say warm to the touch and it should cool down.

My STW will heat up even quicker than the RUM so each barrel depends on contour, bullet and powder going down it, fluted or not, ....

I will say though, 400 rounds through a barrel, is just like aalf said, a result of fast and hard. Not typical of normal hunting barrel shooting but a lot more typical of match type shooting depending on the match.

Tulie- funny, I noticed the same thing. I was able to keep 3 shot groups with a few minutes btwn shots easily under 1 MOA with both guns... In fact my first 3 shots on the Rem700 300 Win Mag clover leafed at 100 yds. But if I did not give the barrels about 15-20 mins btwn 3 shot groups, they started really opening up. Cool the barrels, groups got tight again. I'm going to use the warm to the touch method in the future as more of a real time gauge, as opposed to just watching the clock.

Thank you for sharing some of your wisdom... I learn so much on this forum, it's crazy.

What Tulie said...

During the summer,I soak a towel and drape it over the barrel between strings or as needed.

Yeah, I know this sounds strange but when I plan to shoot a longer string and didn't bring a towel, I've even removed the bolt and blown down the barrel between strings. I know, I know, not safe, looks like I'm ending it all and all of that but I figure moving some air through the barrel has to help! Just be careful, if it's a pretty warm barrel it will be the hottest kiss you ever got!

redfoxx, as for wisdom, I wish! It's more banging my head against the door until I figure out how to open the silly thing!

Sorry, that problem solving technique was patented and perfected years ago by me, you'll have to pay me a licensing fee for using it... I do find that every once it a while it actually works though.

I'll be testing the barrel cooling technique in more depth this weekend a the rifle range. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks again.

Get one o those air mattress inflating devices which is powered by four D-cells. then get some flexible tubing of the right size. Use this to insert the tubing in the action and blow air up the barrel.

I find that I can cool my .300 Weatherby, after firing three shots, to the same extent with this device after 5 minutes that I can in10 minutes just sitting it down muzzle up.

For some reason, my .300 Weatherby barrel gets A LOT hotter than my .375 H&H after firing three shots. The Wby uses about 10 grains more powder and I'm sure the pressures higher.

When a friend and I were messing with those blue barnes bullets, the XLC,we noticed the barrels did not heat up as much as they did with conventional bullets....This was just the hand feel thing;not scientific but we noticed it.

.....less heat from less friction maybe?

Bob, I remember Bobby Hart telling me about the first Remington Sendero he rebarreled that was chambered for 7 STW. He said it looked like the first several inches of rifling were completely gone. That was after 800 rnds.

I had a Model 70 in 7mm STW for a while when it was a new factory cartridge, and after 150 rounds the throat was more eroded than a .30-06 after 1000.

Pictures! We need pictures!

If serious about cooling I squirt water down the bore from the breech end with a bike bottle, then patch it dry.

Hey Tulie where are ya at in NM? I grew up in Socorro...