Another post on here, made me think of this.

The Alaska guys can relate, I am sure. Alaska is the birthplace of just a lot of common sense.
It has to be, because unlike the lower 48, Walmart or 7/11 is not just down the street.

A guy I know was an Alaskan resident in his youth. One of the first things he did after relocating there, is to have a rifle rebarreled for one of the HOT Magnums of the period. Long range hunting and shooting was his intended purpose.

He had the rifle (a 1917 Enfield) rebarreled by one of the older gunsmiths in that little corner of Alaska where he was residing. Familiar with Throat erose, and that a barrel had X amount of life to it.. when he picked up his rifle, before leaving he asked the old gunsmith " How long a barrel Life should I expect out of it?"

The old Alaskan Gunsmith answered, " Oh about the same as any other caliber, big or small.....
about 8 to 10 pounds of powder"

If you handload and shoot a lot of calibers, big and small, fast and downloaded, that formula is not that far off base if any at all.

Not only is it humorous, I think it is one of the best and most accurate answers I have ever heard to that question!

Hope a few of the rest of the crowd get a chuckle or two out of it.

"The old Alaskan Gunsmith answered, " Oh about the same as any other caliber, big or small.....
about 8 to 10 pounds of powder" "

That does seem to have a certain logic to it.

An interesting, and probably accurate, way of looking at it!~

I'm way past the 8-10lbs of powder in my 338. I was well past that in my 3rd year of owning the rifle. It's now going on it's 7th year. Just don't tell it about the Alaskan 'common sense'

in that light ten pounds of powder in my .30-06 will shoot 1,400 rounds or there abouts....

Properly cleaned and not shot hot, I'd expect about 5,000 rounds from it or more.

I know a guy with 5,000 rounds from his .220 Swift that still shoots little tiny groups.

That may be the number for a real barrel burner but it is WAY to conservative a number for most cartridges. That's only 2900 rounds of 223 which usually go 5000 rounds or 1500 rounds of 308 which are always good for 6000 rounds or so. His wisdom would seem right on for the .264 win mag or hot 7MMs and 30s though.