lands &grooves wear

[3006bluffhunter]

Someone give me an idea how many shots out the end of the barrel a handi can take before they are inaccurate worn out!......someone told me some calibers will wear out quicker than others .......Like the bigger the powder charge the more wear it does on the rifling.....i'm hoping to get thousands of rounds out of my handi !!!!!  :-)  thanks guys

[quickdtoo]

I would think throat erosion would be worse in a handy with the specs of most of em, particularily in the .243 and .25-06 barrels.

[Nixter]

I can't really answer your question but I thought most worn out barrels were from throat erosion. From the reading I have done (not personal experience) hot loads were more apt to affect the throat of the rifle not the rifling.

 Many here with more knowledge on the subject. I'm sure they will be more than ready to address your question.

I'll be watching this thread hoping to learn more.


Nixter

[Major]

OK, here is my 2-cents.   Lead and or copper are both much softer that ordinance grade steel.   It would take hundreds of thousands of rounds (maybe millions) to wear out the rifling in a barrel.  

BUT, heat is the enemy of steel.   The hotter a shell burns it’s powder the faster that little blow torch coming out the end of the shell casing will eat away at the throat, just as the others here have said.   There are some calibers and loadings that are worse than others are but generally speaking if the velocity of a round is backed off a bit and slower powders are used there will be less heat and less throat erosion.  

Rapid firing will also allow heat to build up.  Again, it is the heat and not the bullets that cause the damage to a barrel.

I hope that helps a little bit.

[Nixter]

Cool, I was right. Even though I couldn't give a technical explanation or how to avoid it, I was giving good information. (vague as it was)


Nixter


(I'm Learning)

[Major]

I forgot to say, the other thing besides heat that will damage a barrel is corrosion.   Barrels need to be kept clean of powder, lead and copper fouling between shooting secessions so they don’t draw moisture and get pitted.  

[Airsporter]

Given the long length of the throat on most Handi rifles, I don't worry too much about the effects of throat erosion.  More barrels are probably messed up by neglect (rust/corrosion), improper cleaning, and/or too frequent cleaning than by actual shooting.  The barrel's crown is particularly vulnerable to improper cleaning technique and has a noticable effect upon accuracy.

Properly maintained, a non-magnum should be good for 5,000 - 10,000 rounds before barrel wear is any kind of a practical issue.  

If you consider the cost of that much ammo, the cost of a replacement barrel is a moot issue.

[jbtazgrabber]

most small  bullets   plus   large cases  and FASSSTT bullets is what shot out barrels are,....17 rem. etc....i heard today the 204 is MAYBEone of these.... but ..its that the barrels dont shot accuretly enough because of the amount of shot fired is what MOST people mean  by shot out...it is the throut erosion from the heat of being fired....i have bought some shot out 17 rem.barrels from a gunsmith and  had  them put on a h&r,they shot 2 in groups at 100 yds with the first and only reload i tried it was good enough for me....but was not for the previous owner who shot a lot farther than me...

[Major]

Airsporter brings up a good point about “The barrel's crown is particularly vulnerable to improper cleaning technique and has a noticeable effect upon accuracy.”

The Handi really has an advantage here because it is so easy to clean from the breach end so we don’t mess up the crown.