Is there any data showing a comparison of barrel life for the following 3 cartrages: .223, 22-250, 204 ruger? When someone says that a particular round leads to short barrel life, how short are we talking, 100�s of rounds, 1000�s of rounds??

I am a newcomer to varmint hunting and need to find a compromise between performance and barrel life.

Thank you.

David

I don't have any hard data as such but in my experience and from reading other's input, using near max loads but a disciplined rate of fire the life expectancy of a 22-250 should be several thousands of rounds for varmint hunting purposes. I would imagine the .223 would double that longevity. I've never shot out a .223 barrel so I can't really say.
The key to it all is self control with your rate of fire. Wait at least one minute between shots and every 10-15 shots let the rifle cool down completely. That's not hard to do when shooting from the bench or shooting ground hogs but its another story when shooting pairie dogs. Its really hard when you're looking at several hundred acres of p dogs running around screaming "shoot me next, shoot me next". You're better off taking two (or more) rifles.