Well, gentlemen, not everybody enjoys the freedom that our USA brothers in arms do. Where I live, gun laws are as stupid as everywhere, only more restrictive. To purchase a new rifle, one must be registered as a 'shooter' in an Army bureau (I am), and after more or less 257 pounds of paper and one year and a half of bureaucracy, maybe he does get a license. so, to us, barrel life is a very actual concern. I have read that the following factors shorten barrel life;
Powder charge
Bullet speed
Caliber
Pressure
I know that there is a correlation between them, and that they can not be analysed in an isolated way. More powder means more velocity, etc. Even so, any info will be wellcome. Many thanks.
PS> no reboring here, and rebarreling takes almost as time and paper.

Graff,
There is a direct relationship between barrel life and powder charge. Bore diameter is also related to this. The amount of heat produced and the duration of that heat under preasure are the cause of barrel wear. This is why the super magnum cartidges have a reputation as barrel burners. While a .30-06 and .300 RUM may operate at approximately the same pressure the .300 RUM produces, by my estimates, 2-3 times more energy as heat. The difference is like starting a campfire with a match and then with a blow-torch. The match may take awhile, but the blow-torch will have things ablaze in no time. Check out this thread under the reloading forum.

http://www.serveroptions.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/002452.html

This topic is quite relavant to your inquiry.

david schnabel

graff-

Try to avoid the overbore rounds if possible. 220 Swift, 6-284, 6mm-06, 257 Weatherby, 7mm STW, 30-338, etc. Keep it reasonable, space your shots if possible to allow barrel cooling, avoid the heaviest weights in each caliber, etc, and you should be set for a good while. The "larger" calibers tend to be better than the 22 thru maybe 26 (6.5 mm) calibers. Can you reload down your way? If so, maintain reasonable loads without trying to wring out that last 25 FPS, and use ball powders if possible.

In general, pick a reasonable caliber & shoot it somewhat gently, and you'll be good.

Graff,
Tell us what you will use the rifle for and we could help you narrow your search. Things like, will it be for hunting or targets or both, how far the average shots will be and will it be brushy or clear.

Graff
Is reloading much of an option?
There are ways to achieve the knockdown power without using the highest pressures, high velocity, bunches of powder etc.
I would suspect that a 375 Whelen with hard cast bullets would deal with any beast you have down there. The case is a 30-06, the powder charges are moderate, the bullets are cheap, the pressures are moderate. The wear and tear on the barrel is mild.
If you cannot get a wildcat cartridge like that, then a 30-06 with cast bullets would handle most shooting duties. Again your barrel will last forever.
Jim

The latest theory I've been exposed to indicates that the slower the burn rate of the powder the faster the barrel wears. I had to rebore the barrel of my .243, after 35 years of using 4350, H-380, WW-760 and powders of similar burn rate. Have no idea of how many rounds I fired through that barrel. It would still hold tight groups with 100 grain bullets but wanted no part of anything from 80-grains on down. Now that it is a .260 it won't be getting anything slower than H-414.

[This message has been edited by Slamfire (edited 10-13-2001).]

Tnahk you very much, gentlemen, for your input. The relationship between burning rate and bore erosion is absolutely new to me - thanks again, Slamfire. Fortunately, what we use most here are powders very similar in burning rate to IMR 3031. Heavyvarmint, most of us have only one rifle, for a little hunting and a bit more target work, 30 minutes allowed for 30 shots (Mostly, we use 25 minutes, and barrels get pretty hot.) My rifle is a sporterized Mauser 98, made in Belgium in l922. This action is 1/2inch shorter than common 98s, cal. 7.62x57 - yes, an odd wildcat. We only had .30 barrels at the time the rifle was build, and the original barrel was shot out. Lots of 7x57 brass made the decision. Shoots in a par with a .308win., a tad faster with heavier bullets.
A good friend of mine has a love affair with his rifle - a sporterized standard 98 with commercial barrel, 7x57. Shoots targets like the rest of us, and hunts with it, including, believe it or not, waterbuffalo. He does not even think in having another iron, and, like me, has nightmares about the life of his barrel. Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by graff (edited 10-14-2001).]

[This message has been edited by graff (edited 10-14-2001).]