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Posted: 1/26/2008 7:14:23 PM EDT
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real simple question. what is the longevity of a standard m4 rifle? im talking about how many rounds it can handle before accuracy is effected. how about until when you need to replace the barrel? well say the rifle is broken down after each and every 300-500 round session and throughly cleaned and lubed. how long does the military see out of their rifle barrels? |
| For the longest live of your rifle make sure whatever you buy has a chrome lined bore and chamber. And the barrel will last longer if you try to keep the multi bumpfire mag dumps to a minimum, the more you shoot a hot barrel the faster the throat of the chamber will erode. |
Obviously, you've never been there. Where the heck did you get the idea that front line ops are constant shooting? Rambo movies? Yes, if you get into a hot situation you might pop off 200-300 rounds in a short time---and then go 2-3 weeks (or more) before that happens again. Posts from some of the guys who'vw been in Iraq indicate that full auto fire is hardly ever used. It's almost all semi fire; which makes sense when you think about it 
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Simple answer on bore life...it varies depending on ROF & how often high ROF's are used, ammo, how well the bore & chamber are inspected & maintained, environmental conditions, etc. Replace your barrel when you start to see a degrade in accuracy. What round count indicates this? Again, it varies depending on type of use. If you're not dropping 500-1000rds a day using full auto your rifle will prolly out last you as long as it's maintained reasonably well. Inevitably, some parts will need to be replaced after a while & when that needs to happen, again, depends on maintenance & quality of those parts. Still, many rifles used in combat will need fixing or replacement at some point. Certainly some shook troops are not wearing out their rifles on a monthly basis even under harsh use, but parts in rifles being recycled from unit to unit in the combat theater will not last as long as a civ range toy. Rifles issued to troops holding a combat arms MOS that never see combat, but put a lot of rounds down range during training, will not last as long 100% original either. Easy way to figger it out is to use your rifle per usual & then determine what needs to be replaced as the need arises. |
apparently not if im asking this question... i know a lot of guys who go to the range and pop off 500 rounds in one session every other week. figured the rifle would last a lot longer than the numbers posted. |
excellent answer. thanks. |
Pretty soon ammo prices will curtail that kind of shooting. I'm fortunate in that 8 to 10 times a year I go out for qualifications (as an instructor) and get to shoot up agency ammo. 
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does the type of powder and amount used have much to do with it? it would seem that the hotter the load you shoot would cause more damage.. how about a bull barrel. do they usually have a longer life? when t he time comes what are the upgrades i can get for the barrel to improve its life? chrome lining, fluting, etc? is there any way to refinish the bore of an old barrel? |
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