barrel, maintenanceI’ve heard that firing high velocity rounds can drastically affect barrel life for a given caliber. Likewise, shooting non-lead ammunition can have a deleterious effect.
Are those cliches true?
Given that one goal of firearm ownership is responsible shooting and maintenance, what will best extend the barrel life of a regular shooter firearm*?
*Where “regular shooter” indicates a firearm shot on a frequent basis - monthly, weekly, etc
There are a couple of ways to wear out a barrel: shooting and cleaning. Most gun owners will wear out a barrel through improper cleaning faster than they will with shooting.
High velocity cartridges will wear a barrel faster than lower velocity. The chief point of wear is in the throat of the barrel (just ahead of the chamber) where gas temperature and pressure are at their highest. “Overbore” cartridges (those that burn a lot of extra powder for a little more velocity) are the hardest on the throat. The difference between a higher velocity load in a given caliber is not really going to be drastic unless you push the load well beyond book loads.
Cleaning will wear out a barrel where the cleaning rod rubs the rifling, particularly if cleaning from the muzzle end of the rifle. Even proper cleaning, done to excess, causes a great deal of wear.
The higher the pressure and velocity of a cartridge the faster it will wear out a barrel. However, quality gun makers know this and use a tougher material to create a .50 BMG barrel than they would use to make a .270 barrel. The 50 cal barrel may still wear out faster (less rounds) than the .270 though.
To prolong barrel life, avoid:
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