243 barrel life
- Thread starter JO JO
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Scooter22
Member
No. Not what I've seen of from other shooters I know. If your taliking about the .243 Winchester. It's one of the first real dual purpose rounds. Great varmint round but can take medium game. Problem is relaoders load hot for varmints with light bullets. That burns barrels out. Load normal and it should last.
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
1,500 seems a little low.
If you load near Max, and never let it cool off, maybe??
I had a bubbly completely burn out a new Rem 700 6mm Remington barrel in less then 400 rounds in one morning on a Prarie Dog town.
He simply wouldn't stop long enough to let it cool off.
On the other hand, the average guy will still be killing coyotes and deer 25 years later with sane loads and no rapid fire.
rc
If you load near Max, and never let it cool off, maybe??
I had a bubbly completely burn out a new Rem 700 6mm Remington barrel in less then 400 rounds in one morning on a Prarie Dog town.
He simply wouldn't stop long enough to let it cool off.
On the other hand, the average guy will still be killing coyotes and deer 25 years later with sane loads and no rapid fire.
rc
Are you planning on using it for hunting, target shooting or varmints? I've got Remington 788's in 243 that have lasted me for many years. I don't shoot 100's of rounds them a year so they will probably last me the rest of my time here. It all depends on what your plans are for the gun. A lot of hunters use them for deer and may only shoot a box of ammo a year (or maybe just a couple to check their sights and then no more the rest of the season). No that feeling. Taliv is probably very close to how many rounds you can shoot if you're shooting warm loads, but that's one of the benefits of reloading in that you don't have to load rounds that hot to get good accuracy out of most guns.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
One recent innovation is super light for caliber bullets at close to 4,000 FPS!
That right there is bad news for varmints, And .243 barrel life!!!
rc
That right there is bad news for varmints, And .243 barrel life!!!
rc
Would I be better off with a 7mm-08 ? Will be mostly for target but want it to be hunting capable if needed and I do reload, need rifle to have a manageable recoil my body is fairly beat up thanks to a work injury so recoil is a concern
Bobson
Member
If you're not shooting more than 100 rounds a year, a 243 should last you 15 years or more, conservatively. 7-08 is a great, lower recoil hunting round, but you're still likely to have less recoil from a 243, depending on the rifle and load. Of course, given that you reload, it's probably a wash, as you can load up or down to make either option an absolute pleasure for even the most recoil-averse shooter.
7-08 is a bit more versatile, but they're both fine options.
7-08 is a bit more versatile, but they're both fine options.
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David Tubb told me he got about 1500 rounds of good accuracy with his .243 barrels. Barrel maker Boots Obermeyer agreed with that number. But this is for rifles starting out shooting 1/4 MOA average at 100 yards properly tested then getting worse to where they averaged 3/8 MOA; a 50% degradation of accuracy.
Hunting rifles starting out in the 1/2 to 3/4 MOA range at a hundred may well last 2 to 3 times as many rounds before opening up to 1-1/4 or so average.
Barrel life is determined by charge weight for the most part. The more powder you burn in a given bore diameter with equal pressure, the shorter the barrel life will be. It will vary a little with the powder's heat index; hotter ones wear out barrels faster.
Hunting rifles starting out in the 1/2 to 3/4 MOA range at a hundred may well last 2 to 3 times as many rounds before opening up to 1-1/4 or so average.
Barrel life is determined by charge weight for the most part. The more powder you burn in a given bore diameter with equal pressure, the shorter the barrel life will be. It will vary a little with the powder's heat index; hotter ones wear out barrels faster.
I spent some time talking to Wayne Forshee when he was shooting a 243 Win in NRA competition.
http://onezero.ca/wp-stallings/?page_id=356
He was changing the barrels between 700 and 800 rounds!
http://onezero.ca/wp-stallings/?page_id=356
Wayne Forshee
Owner, Stallings Machine
Some of my shooting accomplishments:
Distinguished Riflemen’s Badge
He was changing the barrels between 700 and 800 rounds!
Olympus
Member
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If you're shooting 100 rounds a year and not loading screamers, then 15 years would be a very conservative estimate. I'd say closer to 20 years. I shoot 243 for deer season and probably shoot close to 100 rounds a year. Barrel life never holds me back from shooting them. I love the 243.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Unless I'm load testing, I don't shoot a hunting rifle very often. Mostly, just check the sight-in and maybe a few more rounds to brush up on the "feel". So, I dunno, maybe 20 to 30 rounds in any year. Sometimes more, if the mood strikes. I have a bit over a thousand rounds through my .243.
I bought that little Sako in 1970. Haven't used it much, these recent ten years. Last time out was some prairie-dogging; maybe a hundred rounds or so.
Last time I shot it, I put three behind a dime. Since the point of impact was exactly where I wanted it to be, I went and took a nap.
I bought that little Sako in 1970. Haven't used it much, these recent ten years. Last time out was some prairie-dogging; maybe a hundred rounds or so.
Last time I shot it, I put three behind a dime. Since the point of impact was exactly where I wanted it to be, I went and took a nap.
Bbear
Member
I have a Remington Mohawk 600 in 243 that is at a round count nearing 2000 rounds and still shooting tight groups.
My grandson used it this year to take 2 whitetails.
My grandson used it this year to take 2 whitetails.
Sunray
Member
"...it's as bad as it gets..." Um, no it isn't. Had mine for 40 years or so. And it was used when I got it. Still shoots minute of deer all day long. No idea how many rounds through it.
"...400 rounds in one morning..." Will burn out any barrel in any chambering.
NRA competition will burn a barrel out faster in any chambering too. And the accuracy desired for any kind of competitive shooting is different than a guy with a hunting rifle.
It's thanks to guys like Wayne Forshee that the rest of us have the selection of .243" bullet we have too. No match grade bullets at all when I started.
"...400 rounds in one morning..." Will burn out any barrel in any chambering.
NRA competition will burn a barrel out faster in any chambering too. And the accuracy desired for any kind of competitive shooting is different than a guy with a hunting rifle.
It's thanks to guys like Wayne Forshee that the rest of us have the selection of .243" bullet we have too. No match grade bullets at all when I started.
I wonder what effect Black Nitride would have on barrel life?
I have thought of sending my .243 Win in for treatment, while it still has less than 100 rounds through it. FWIW, I only allow the nieces and nephews to fire 3 shots, then let it cool, same as for my .22-250 Rem.
Geno
I have thought of sending my .243 Win in for treatment, while it still has less than 100 rounds through it. FWIW, I only allow the nieces and nephews to fire 3 shots, then let it cool, same as for my .22-250 Rem.
Geno
Several hundred rounds through my #1 B in .243win.
It started to open groups, throat eroding.
Got it used, years before. Dunno how many rounds the original owner fired.
I got a decade of chucking from it, just under .75" groups.
Opened up to just over 1" so sold it (should have just rebarreled).
If I've had enough fun to burn up a barrel, I can have it redone and have more fun.
Not made of $, but can afford to rebarrel now (couldn't back in college).
Have a 700 ADL and #1 RSI, both in .243 Win.
Have had a couple other 700's, a model 7, 600, and a Savage.
70 gr Nosler BT on max charges of 4350..............mean chuck load.
.243 win is really too much HP for chucks, but if you offhand one and get sloppy, good chance it aint making I down the hole.
Have shot them running away, up the booty. Like a bomb going off.
I don't like tearing them up, but then I don't like missing more (and any hit chuck that goes down the hole is scored as a miss- unless you fetch it out).
It started to open groups, throat eroding.
Got it used, years before. Dunno how many rounds the original owner fired.
I got a decade of chucking from it, just under .75" groups.
Opened up to just over 1" so sold it (should have just rebarreled).
If I've had enough fun to burn up a barrel, I can have it redone and have more fun.
Not made of $, but can afford to rebarrel now (couldn't back in college).
Have a 700 ADL and #1 RSI, both in .243 Win.
Have had a couple other 700's, a model 7, 600, and a Savage.
70 gr Nosler BT on max charges of 4350..............mean chuck load.
.243 win is really too much HP for chucks, but if you offhand one and get sloppy, good chance it aint making I down the hole.
Have shot them running away, up the booty. Like a bomb going off.
I don't like tearing them up, but then I don't like missing more (and any hit chuck that goes down the hole is scored as a miss- unless you fetch it out).
243winxb
Member
IMR 4350 and 85/90 gr bullets will make a barrel last a very long time. Just dont over heat it. My vintage 1976 40x Rangemaster, can still shoot a few groups under 1" at 300 yds if i am up to it.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
taliv, my .243 is a pre-Garcia L579 Sako Forester carbine; 19". It came originally with a phony Mannlicher stock; turned out that it was two piece, mated at the barrel band. At first, it shot vertical strings. Up one inch at each shot. I removed the barrel band and the muzzle band as well as the front sight. Cleaned up the new fore end. Et voila! 3/4-5/8 MOA! Total weight, ready to hunt, is seven pounds. Great for walking hunting. 
My FFL buddy Frank decided it needed rebluing, and he has a stock guy who's gonna clean it up; new forearm cap and buttpad. Then I'll have to fight with Frank's BossLady as to who really owns it. Avid little deer hunter, she is.
My FFL buddy Frank decided it needed rebluing, and he has a stock guy who's gonna clean it up; new forearm cap and buttpad. Then I'll have to fight with Frank's BossLady as to who really owns it.
Avid little deer hunter, she is.- Status
