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Posted: 5/30/2014 4:08:15 AM EDT
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I've been using the same Daniel Defense M4V1 carbine for the past four years and have put, perhaps, around 6,000 rounds through it. I'm beginning to wonder when I'll know that it is time to change my barrel, specifically, what are the first signs that a barrel change is in my immediate future. At this point, I'm getting rounds on target accurately, and when I take my time, still getting tight groups at my 25 yard zero (most going in same small group). Just was curious what I should expect and what I should be looking for. |
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Quoted: I've been using the same Daniel Defense M4V1 carbine for the past four years and have put, perhaps, around 6,000 rounds through it. I'm beginning to wonder when I'll know that it is time to change my barrel, specifically, what are the first signs that a barrel change is in my immediate future. At this point, I'm getting rounds on target accurately, and when I take my time, still getting tight groups at my 25 yard zero (most going in same small group). Just was curious what I should expect and what I should be looking for. I'd say look for your groups opening up (if you can even notice this, many average shooters can't), and wait for it to keyhole at 100 yards. Barrel life depends on so many variables, like Taylor mentioned. Ammo type, how fast/hot you shoot, etc. will all have an affect on how fast you wear out a barrel. Some say CHF can go 20,000 rounds, however other rifles have been documented to exceed twice that (like Filthy 14, which didn't even have a CHF barrel). You could get some gauges and check your throat and muzzle, however you'd have to have taken a measurement when new to actually see how much wear the barrel has seen after said rounds fired. I believe bigbore tried to shoot out a SS barrel a while back, and even after 14k+ rounds it was still shooting to acceptable accuracy levels for his needs, and the throat still looked great. ETA: he also had a RRA 4140 1/9 barrel with over 20k rounds, with plenty of full auto fire, that was still not "worn out". I personally won't worry about barrel life until I either notice my groups open up at 200+ yards, or it starts to keyhole. ETA: here's a link to his SS barrel test: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_2_130/158390_.html |
I am sure that there are some folks here that actually wear out barrels, but the majority of people that own firearms will NEVER wear out a barrel. I wish I could shoot enough to wear out the barrels on my AR's. If you only have one or two firearms and shoot every week, I can see wearing out a barrel eventually, but it is time consuming and expensive to shoot that much. I am not LEO or MIL. There are too many things that I enjoy in addition to shooting. 
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You may shoot that barrel another 6k or more without accuracy issues provided you don't do magazine dumps or other wasteful practices. It's impossible to know. Do you clean your rifle after every outing? That will help extend barrel life. Getting a barrel HOT ruins them in short order. Higher pressure ammo shortens their life.
Accuracy loss gets discovered at long range (600 yards) first. Competition rifles will still shoot tens (12" circle at 600 yards) but X counts (6" circle @ 600 yards) will fall off dramatically. That rifle would still shoot fine at short range or for defensive purposes, perhaps for 1000's more rounds. Match ammo must be used and a new rifle baseline developed so you know if you've actually started the down hill slide. It's too late to know (6k rounds already fired) how far along you are. Only you know how hard you run the thing. If you shoot combat style or 3-gun tournaments your barrel is probably toast for long range. Buy or reload some match ammo and shoot for groups at 400 or 500 yards and see how it does. Even if it fails at long range doesn't mean it can't continue to serve you in run and gun style shooting events. Why install a new barrel when you can still hit everything you aim at inside 100 yards when that's the rifles intended purpose? There is nothing wrong with shopping for your next barrel and having it "in house" ready to install. The problem is you'll probably find it impossible to resist the temptation to rebuild while your new investment is staring you in the face,. Good Luck. |
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As others have said, it can really depend on how hot you are getting your barrel.
I'd look for the groups really opening up, as well as key holing as signs that it's time for a new barrel. When it's time for that I'd go ahead and replace the bolt, gas tube, and buffer spring while you're at it (if they haven't already been replaced). |
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