Another forum I am on has a argument as to weather or not the 204 in a sporter configuration is a barrel burner?
I was under the impression that they aren't and that a couple of thousand rounds down the pipe should be no problem, another fella thinks that they are only good for1000 shots because of the speed of the bullet travelling down the barrel?
Any other opinions?
Thanks Greg

With all due respect the other fella is wrong! Any rifle is a barrel burner if you take a 1000 rounds set down and shoot till you can brand cattle with the barrel and that includes a .223 or a .30-30.
I have a .204 as well as a .20 Tactical that is a near ballistic twin. The .20 Tact had 1,675ish rounds give or take a couple when I measured the throat as opposed to new this spring. It had moved less than .002 from brand new.
I shoot a lot of real hyper velocity rounds but I'm a fanatic about not getting them too hot. Heat eats throats not velocity in and of it's self.

Thanks Doug

Of course it is- all calibers are.
I agree with Doug that rate of fire is a very important factor in the life of a barrel, a high rate of sustained fire will erode a barrel before its time. However; the amount of powder burned compared to the bore diameter and the velocity also contribute to barrel wear. So if you would compare the 204 to the 222 mag shooting the same powder charge it would/should wear out faster. But, if the 204 lasts to 4000 rounds and the 222 mag lasts 4400 rounds, does it really matter?
The argument might change if you are comparing "dead nuts" accuracy but, you would need to do many barrels of each to develop data that would be considered reliable. Most barrels maximum accuracy is gone within the first 1000 rounds, but usable accuracy will continue for a considerable time. Norma once published that their test barrels in 6.6/55 last about 3000 rounds.

www.duanesguns.com

Fasteel,

I kinda had to convince myself also of this..

just like Duane says, of course any barrel will wear out...

I had to convince myself, that they are just like tires on the old car or truck...

Use em, and then replace them...... I like most of the actions I have, so I will just rebarrel them...

I use to hardly trade off any firearm... but the last time I did, I traded off a 223 Ruger VT that had about 15,000 rounds down the barrel...

I ended up getting $400.00 for it in trade.. toward a new Savage 12 BVSS....

I have learned that by using faster powders and living with a little less velocity in some rifles that get a lot of shooting, that I can stretch out barrel life a lot....

Using some of the faster powders, it is amazing how long a barrel will shoot accurately with the throat all washed out...

Especially on varmint rigs, just get a straight no contour barrel, and you can just set it back and rechamber it and it should out last your lifetime...

I am doing that to a 6mm Rem with a fast twist and a 31 inch bull barrel on it...

When I set up for varmint shooting off the hood of the truck or whatever, I usually set up with 3 rifles...a pair of 223s and a 22.250...

The 22.250 gets the long shots.. .( about 145 to 20% of the days totals).. the 223s take care of about 80% of the shoots... I alternate between them, 15 shots each...

That is kinda why I love using Blue Dot tho, as I can shoot a 223, all day long, and not heat up that barrel enough to have to let it set and cool... and even if I do, it doesn't take long to do so..

But like 3 shots every 2 minutes or so.. and I can shoot one all day long, or 500 plus shots and never have to set it down to let it cool off....

a 40 grain bullets gives me an MV of 3250 fps.. and a 55 grain bullet is at about 2950 fps.. which has proven fine for ground squirrels out to 300 yds...

Right on Duane.
What a competitive benchrest shooter considers "shot-out" and the average guy does are worlds apart.
I've often wished in fact that I was good friends with a top benchrest shooter so I could follow him around like those little birds following "Hansel and Gretel" picking up crumbs.
I agree with you also it's the amount powder creating the velocity and not just the velocity in and of it's self which a lot of guys think. A good example to me would be the .17 Ackley Hornet, one of mine has a favorite load of 12.1 grains of N120 with a 20 grain V-Max in a WW case with WSR primer for just at 3,800fps. As Duane lives in ND he probably shares the Gopher problems that plague our ranchers in MT. 5 or 6 hundred gophers (Richardsons Ground Squirrels actually) in a day is not at all uncommon. That particular .17 Ackley Hornet has a Pac-Nor 3 groove barrel with wider lands and grooves which they claim (and I believe) last longer and it has over 4,000 rounds through it and is still shooting .2's and .3's if I do my part. As little powder as it burns it's difficult to shoot it fast enough to to even get the barrel warm, much less hot. Even with it I'm cautious.
My .204 on the other hand has been rechambered with a minimum spec reamer with zero free-bore and it's load is 24.8 grains of RL10X in a WW case with 7 1/2BR primer and a 39 grain BlitzKing at 3,880ish fps (that load does not transfer to a regular factory chamber, unsafe!). If I were to shoot that .204 as fast and as many times as the .17 Ackley under the same conditions it would most likely heat up real fast and cause problems. I don't so it'll last be a long time.
When I go p-dog or gopher hunting I take a number of rifles like a set of golf clubs (not that I've ever golfed), one gets warm and I swap it for a new one. I also clean carefully and regularly so barrels last me a lot of rounds (I keep track).
Interesting topic.
Sorry for being so windy, too much coffee this morning .

Howdy Seafire, you must of been typing at the same time I was. Good stuff.