Author Topic: barrel life (Read 734 times)

hoggunner · « **on:** March 18, 2006, 03:02:37 AM »

I am new to this handgunning thing and love it :grin: . I have been a small bore rifle shooter for years and with the fast, flat shooters you hear a lot about burning out barrels :eek: . is this something that happens to handgun barrels. I have only owned my taurus raging bull with 8.5 inch barrel in 44 mag for about 3 months and have 500 to 600 rounds thru it. do i need to worry about shooting the barrel out of my lil ol pip squeek :cry:
sportingly
Hoggunner.

Questor · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2006, 04:20:39 AM »

Do you mean wearing out your Raging Bull? Yes, you can do it. I don't know how many full power 454 rounds the Raging Bull will last for, so hopefully someone with several years of shooting one will be able to give you a realistic estimate. Some handguns, using jacketed bullets, can wear the barrel out in around 5,000 rounds. Mauser marketed a clever pistol once that only lasted about 1,000 rounds before the mechanism wore out.

On the other hand, bullseye shooters who use 1911s with light target loads using cast bullets have put 500,000 rounds through their guns before they needed work.

So it varies a lot.

In general, though, the rule of thumb is that people don't wear out centerfire rifles, but do wear out centerfire pistols. The reason is that the pistols get shot a lot.

My advice if you want to maximize the life of your Raging Bull is to shoot a lot of light target loads based on cast bullets, and reserve the full power loads for less frequent use.

williamlayton · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2006, 05:25:55 AM »

On the other hand, I would think something would break on the body before the barrel was at half-life. :-)
Blessings

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2006, 08:22:41 AM »

Over 3000 rounds in my BFR 500 Mag and the barrel looks great. I am sure over a real long time and tons of ammo later you might wear out the barrel.

jro45 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2006, 09:15:54 AM »

I've replaced rifle barrels but Never a pistol or revolver barrel. Been shooting 44 years.

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2006, 12:14:18 PM »

You should see some taletell signs along the way with the revolvers. You would think that the throat would start to open up first making it nessary
to open the cylinder throats to go with a larger bullet.

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2006, 03:49:49 PM »

I can't imagine that it'd cost much to rebarrel a handgun, but I've never done it.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2006, 04:29:50 PM »

As with rifles, the key to it is the loads themselves. Avoid light-bullet loads with too much slow-burning powder, and you should be fine. They tend to sandblast the forcing cone and topstrap, and accelerate barrel wear. Use heavy bullets and mid-range powders, and the gun will likely outlive you.

I carry a Smith & Wesson Model 10, that I have put almost 52,000 rounds thru in the past three years, and while the rifling is getting a little thin, the forcing cone and topstrap are fine. I shoot a plated 158-grain slug (soft lead core) over a stiff charge (barely +P) of Unique, and I expect to get several more years of use from it, maybe more. The only thing that has needed fixing was a firing pin, and the gun was back in service in a few days. No frame stretching, no sandblasting. And I have no idea how many rounds it had fired before I got it, but the holster wear is atrocious, and I doubt it got cleaned very often. I may push my guns by shooting them so much, but they get cleaned often, and are kept well lubricated. A dirty gun will wear itself out a LOT faster than a clean one. Hope this helps.

Papajohn

lovedogs · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2006, 10:07:09 AM »

Good advice, papajohn. All these guys have good advice. Look at it like a car. Use it right, don't push it too hard, keep it clean and it'll last a long, long time. Usually, it's abuse that wears them out. It's possible to wear a pistol or revolver out but it takes many thousands of rounds if you've taken care of it. And it's correct that to re-barrel isn't that expensive. You'll spend a lot more on ammo than you will on barrel replacements.

PaulS · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2006, 04:32:19 PM »

My Ruger has well over 30000 rounds through it (over two years competing and practice at 1000 rounds a month) and 35 years of shooting. It is more accurate today (or I am) than when I was competing in the early eighties. I will never shoot it enough to wear the barrel out and I shoot loads that are at or very near maximum loads of H110.
I have also seen some revolvers that needed to be rebarreled and retimed after only a year or two of shooting of shooting. Taking care of your guns is important, yes but it is also important to have a well built gun.

Feldhege · « **Reply #10 on:** March 20, 2006, 02:45:09 AM »

Quote from: Dusty Miller

I can't imagine that it'd cost much to rebarrel a handgun, but I've never done it.

I rebarrel my Dan Wesson 44 mag all the time. I go from a 4 to a 6 to an 8 depending on what type of shooting I feel like. :-D

Seriously though, I like the fact that if I would ever wear it out, I can just get a new barrel, screw it in, and head out the the range.

Robb

lovedogs · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2006, 11:15:58 AM »

Rub it in, Feldhege! I know exactly what you mean. I used to have a DW44. Best shootin' revolver I ever had. Like an idiot I let someone trade me out of it. Been sorry ever since. Would someone please kick me?!

Mannlicher · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2006, 02:35:13 PM »

I think that the revolver barrel will outlast you.

Heavyhaul · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2006, 05:21:28 PM »

I rebarrel my Dan Wesson 44 mag all the time.

I have a 445 that I will try my best to shoo the barrel and forcing cone out. I just hope to contol the top strap cutting and I will keep buying barrels. :-D