Vanguard Barrel Life

[sroc112]

Greetings all,

New to the rifle scene but have owned and shot handguns and shotguns for quite some time now. Purchased a new Vanguard Weatherguard Bronze in 6.5CM to be used as a potential hunting rifle down the road. I also signed up for a new private outdoor range to start practicing at a little bit longer range than i am used to with my other guns. Needless to say, im having too much fun. This rifle has now turned into my target gun and have been running it on the weekends each time i go out shooting.

I started reading about some of the potential wear and life expectancy concerns on lightweight barrels when fired too often/too hard. When i am at the range, ill typically run through maybe a 3-4 round group, stop and reload, resight in, put through another 3-4 rounds, and then maybe take a few minutes down time or switch to another gun for a bit and then come back. In general, im averaging somewhere between 20-40 rounds per range visit, over the course of 3-4 hours, 2-3 times per month.

On a #2 lightweight barrel, is this type of frequency of any concern in regard to getting the barrel too hot and causing premature barrel wear? My concern is that if i spend 6-12 months practicing on this gun and learning it in this fashion, that by the time i actually make it out into the woods for a first hunt, will i have caused any damage to the barrel at that point to where accuracy or overall barrel life may have been impacted? Are these barrels meant more to be fired one and done and then put away, such as in a single deer hunt?

I may be over thinking it a bit, and likely i am, but for a lightweight barrel just trying to really understand my limitations. I understand no one wants to sit there and rapid fire 30 rounds through non stop and smoke the barrel. But in a manner as mentioned above, 3-6 rounds give or take with minimal time in between, is that causing too much heat for this style of barrel?

[Grouchy]

Welcome to the nation! I tend to let the barrel cool a bit between 3 shot strings by firing a different rifle for another 3 shot string with slim barreled rifles. 

[224KING]

If used for just getting the rifle broken in,sighted in,getting used to it,then as a hunting rifle I doubt you would shoot the barrel out over a lifetime of just hunting.

I'm hearing that long range target shooters are getting 2500 to 3500 rounds of barrel life before their rifles are beginning to lose accuracy from throat deterioration.I would suppose the best of those rifles could be used for years as a hunting rifle after being retired from long range competition.Just because accuracy needed for hunting is a lot less than accuracy level needed for long range shooing.

I am talking about the 6.5 CM

[sroc112]

Well, to be clear - Its not that i am just using it more frequently now to break it in, and then it will retire to a designated hunting rifle only.

My question or concern in general is more so in regard to: based on the type of use i am doing with the rifle now, is that considered too excessive for this type of barrel to where it would speed up the wear or this still considered normal use? In order words, for a #2 contour lightweight barrel, was is normal acceptable use when people talk about 2500-3000 round life expectancy? Is that 2500 - 3000 rounds based on firing 5 shots a year?

[224KING]

It wouldn't matter if the barrel is a lite weight 1 or a heavy 4 the throat will be where the wear is from shooting it a bunch in a short amount of time.The CM is not a hot cartridge,but shooting it many times at a fast rate is going to deteriorate the throat.Any cartridge will.If you were talking 6.5x284 it will take less rounds to do the same damage.Over bore capacity is your enemy along with amount of rounds in a short period of time.

Shooting your CM 6 or 7 times over a few minutes of time and then letting it cool completely down before you start shooting it again will make it last a long time.

[eford]

I let a barrel cool after each shot when sighting or doing load work ups. Cold barrel accuracy from a fouled barrel is what I want to know? I am not concerned with three or five shots as fast as I can make them. I make three shot groups for load testing at 100 yards, then 200 yards to see how much the groups open. Throat burnout is more from the heat from shots in quick succession than the simple number of shots.
Since a 6.5 Creedmoor is not burning a lot of powder and pushing a heavy bullet you ought to be able to keep the original barrel for decades if used as a hunting rifle. I know some target shooters who replaced barrels yearly due to throat burn out and knowing with a new barrel they can get through a whole season.

[sroc112]

I let a barrel cool after each shot when sighting or doing load work ups. Cold barrel accuracy from a fouled barrel is what I want to know? I am not concerned with three or five shots as fast as I can make them. I make three shot groups for load testing at 100 yards, then 200 yards to see how much the groups open. Throat burnout is more from the heat from shots in quick succession than the simple number of shots.
Since a 6.5 Creedmoor is not burning a lot of powder and pushing a heavy bullet you ought to be able to keep the original barrel for decades if used as a hunting rifle. I know some target shooters who replaced barrels yearly due to throat burn out and knowing with a new barrel they can get through a whole season.

Your definition of "used as a hunting rifle" would be what, a rifle that is fired just a handful of times per year, when there is an animal in target to take down? Wouldnt one also assume that the same hunting rifle would need to be practiced on, given some range time, shot throughout the year as well?

[txaggie]

Many factors go into this discussion and the turn it's taken.

What you have is a traditional hunting rifle by design light contour barrel it's not a target rifle intended to blow rounds and rounds like a heavy barrel rig. Now having said that the amount of rounds it would take to shoot one out is extreme - most likely get tired of owning the rifle and purchase something different before those days come or just something else and she becomes less used. Creedmoor is not a hot round which burns allot of powder so it can take more rounds than most before cooldown. Bottom line is do not get it "HOT" by hot most would say if you can't hold your hand around the barrel for a few seconds it's too hot.

Now i'm sure what i'm sure most were referring to as a hunting rifle is something that goes to the range annually for a quick check and used for hunting season. Everyone's hunting season varies - again if you bought the gun to shoot just be conscious about wear. Anything would be a guess because there's no standard on wear like the tires on your car rated at 50k miles, doesn't account for burnouts, powerslides, mountain trails etc etc.

My hunting rifles goto the range I fire 2 shots they land where they are supposed to and I go shoot a deer - 5 different rifles to shoot 5 different deer and I don't use the same 5 in back to back years - I own many hunting rifles and I rotate. I won't shoot the ammo I have in my possession much less burn out a barrel with them. Nor will i for more target rifles, at some point 2-3 times a month at 20-40 rounds will dwindle to 2-3 times a year. Enjoy your range time, be conscious and try not to worry about something that is years and years away. I sold a 7mm rem vanny deluxe model to a friend 30 years ago and he shot everything with it, what I consider used allot for a hunting rifle - took him 20 years and he replaced the barrel. The gun was used when I bought it so who knows what the round count was? Only one I've ever heard of,

[sroc112]

Many factors go into this discussion and the turn it's taken.

What you have is a traditional hunting rifle by design light contour barrel it's not a target rifle intended to blow rounds and rounds like a heavy barrel rig. Now having said that the amount of rounds it would take to shoot one out is extreme - most likely get tired of owning the rifle and purchase something different before those days come or just something else and she becomes less used. Creedmoor is not a hot round which burns allot of powder so it can take more rounds than most before cooldown. Bottom line is do not get it "HOT" by hot most would say if you can't hold your hand around the barrel for a few seconds it's too hot.

Now i'm sure what i'm sure most were referring to as a hunting rifle is something that goes to the range annually for a quick check and used for hunting season. Everyone's hunting season varies - again if you bought the gun to shoot just be conscious about wear. Anything would be a guess because there's no standard on wear like the tires on your car rated at 50k miles, doesn't account for burnouts, powerslides, mountain trails etc etc.

My hunting rifles goto the range I fire 2 shots they land where they are supposed to and I go shoot a deer - 5 different rifles to shoot 5 different deer and I don't use the same 5 in back to back years - I own many hunting rifles and I rotate. I won't shoot the ammo I have in my possession much less burn out a barrel with them. Nor will i for more target rifles, at some point 2-3 times a month at 20-40 rounds will dwindle to 2-3 times a year. Enjoy your range time, be conscious and try not to worry about something that is years and years away. I sold a 7mm rem vanny deluxe model to a friend 30 years ago and he shot everything with it, what I consider used allot for a hunting rifle - took him 20 years and he replaced the barrel. The gun was used when I bought it so who knows what the round count was? Only one I've ever heard of,

Helpful, thank you.

[BB340]

I bought a Weatherby Mark V wood blued lightweight rifle about 20 years ago. I have used it for hunting, load development and some target shooting over these past 20 years. One year on a pig cull I got that barrel scorching hot quite a few times. I have never worried about really letting the barrel cool when on a cull. When I do a bit of target shooting and testing different loads I let the barrel cool after every three shot group. This rifle has now only just started to show signs of barrel wear and is in need of a new barrel. So if a 25-06 can last 20 years of hard work I feel you won't have much to worry about with the milder velocities of a 6.5 Creedmoor.

[sroc112]

I bought a Weatherby Mark V wood blued lightweight rifle about 20 years ago. I have used it for hunting, load development and some target shooting over these past 20 years. One year on a pig cull I got that barrel scorching hot quite a few times. I have never worried about really letting the barrel cool when on a cull. When I do a bit of target shooting and testing different loads I let the barrel cool after every three shot group. This rifle has now only just started to show signs of barrel wear and is in need of a new barrel. So if a 25-06 can last 20 years of hard work I feel you won't have much to worry about with the milder velocities of a 6.5 Creedmoor.

Interesting, thank you for the response. I thought the Mark V were much higher quality standard than the Vanguard line. When you say you let the barrel cool after every 3 shot group when target shooting, how much time of a break are you refering to?

[224KING]

You're worrying yourself to death over a $750 rifle barrel that it's going to take $1200 worth of ammo to shoot the barrel out if you were trying to tear it up on purpose.

[sroc112]

You're worrying yourself to death over a $750 rifle barrel that it's going to take $1200 worth of ammo to shoot the barrel out if you were trying to tear it up on purpose.

$1200 of ammo / $20 (cost per box of 20 rounds for target ammo) = 60

60 boxes of 20 rounds = 1200 rounds

1200 rounds / 30 rounds shot per range trip = 40 range trips

40 total range trips / 2-3 range trips per month = 13 - 20 months of use

So my worries have now placed me into the fact that this fun will only last me 1 year

 

[sroc112]

^^^ That was my attempt at humor

Im not worried about breaking a cheap gun.

I am enjoying it, alot. And i am also enjoying the new range that i signed up for, and have been going every weekend the last month and a half.

New hunter, planning my first trip this fall.

My worry is that while i have fun, enjoy this gun, train with it, practice, learn my zeros, and learn my ammo - I am maybe putting too much use through it that come this fall, or next year, when i do take it into the field to hunt - Will i then at that point have used it too extensively for what a hunting gun should be used for. That was the overall purpose of my main inquiry with this thread.

New to rifles, and therefore, new to learning barrels and life expectancy. I want the gun that i take out to hunt, to be reliable, accurate, and last me as long as i can possibly get out of it. However, in the meantime, i do want to have fun with it and train on it so that i am efficient. Just really trying to understand my true limitations with a hunting rifle like this one.

[224KING]

Even when long range target accuracy levels wane,the rifle will still have hunting accuracy levels for many years I would guess.

I was using $45 per box of ammo too.I figure if you tried to ruin the accuracy of the barrel on purpose that it would take you at least 500 rounds and a bunch of range trips to do so.