.308 barrel life

Acm

Well-Known Member
Just had a catch up with a chap who I've known since I was a nipper , his .308 needs a re barrel , since buying it 8 years ago he has put exactly 1460 rounds through it . They're factory federal 150grn , the same as I use . The rifles a sako . In all fairness he's only ever cleaned it with an oily pull through but surely that's way to quick to wear out ! Makes me concerned about my tikka !
 
really? has it been cleaned and borescoped? 1500 rds seems too few rounds for a 308 ? mine is still ok with over double that?
 
Just had a catch up with a chap who I've known since I was a nipper , his .308 needs a re barrel , since buying it 8 years ago he has put exactly 1460 rounds through it . They're factory federal 150grn , the same as I use . The rifles a sako . In all fairness he's only ever cleaned it with an oily pull through but surely that's way to quick to wear out ! Makes me concerned about my tikka !



Its very unlikely a 308 with 1500 rds down it needs rebarrel in fact of all the available caliber rifles the 308 win is one of the better if not the best for barrel longevity. For one to need a new barrel and a sako at that after 1500 rds no I personally can't see it why does he feel the need for such action ? is it not shooting accurately ? so many other things to consider first, give it a good clean then check scope/mounts/stock/moderator if fitted make sure everything is as it should be the try it out again.
 
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+1 - I had mine re-barreled after over 15000 rounds... I'd give it a thorough clean with Wipe-out or C2R etc. If the OP is ever up near Riflecraft, take it in there - Bentley posted on here a while back that he cleans rifles to show how good their bore cleaner is!

Its very unlikely a 308 with 1500 rds down it needs rebarrel in fact of all the available caliber rifles the 308 win is one of the better if not the best for barrel longevity. For one to need a new barrel and a sako at that after 1500 rds no I personally can't see it why does he feel the need for such action ? is it not shooting accurately so ? many other things to consider first, give it a good clean then check scope/mounts/stock/moderator if fitted make sure everything is as it should be the try it out again.
 
Just had a catch up with a chap who I've known since I was a nipper , his .308 needs a re barrel , since buying it 8 years ago he has put exactly 1460 rounds through it . They're factory federal 150grn , the same as I use . The rifles a sako . In all fairness he's only ever cleaned it with an oily pull through but surely that's way to quick to wear out ! Makes me concerned about my tikka !

Who has advised him that it requires a new barrel?

I can only assume that he has noticed a dramatic loss of accuracy in which case I would be investigating a lot of other potential problems before looking at rebarreling.
 
Somebody is tugging his leg.

.308 perhaps the most durable calibre, after the .303.

Our club sporterised P14 shoots hundreds sometimes a thousand rounds every outing. I've been shooting it over 5 years, it wouldn't surprise me if it had seen 50,000 rounds in that time and it is still good for 1-2 MOA, with milsurp ammo, currently steel jacketed MEN, which is rather good. It was old when I joined the club, and the action, not the barrel, is soon to celebrate its 100th birthday. Frequently shot until you can burn your fingers on the barrel. Gets cleaned maybe once a year.

Get a second opinion.
 
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Ah! Tis not the quantity of the rounds fired through but the FREQUENCY. And, of course, what the owner considers an acceptable size of group.

I reckon that I could burn out a 308 barrel with but, say, sixty to eighty rounds put through in maybe ten minutes if I wanted to and had a pair of asbestos gloves!
 
Ah! Tis not the quantity of the rounds fired through but the FREQUENCY. And, of course, what the owner considers an acceptable size of group.

I reckon that I could burn out a 308 barrel with but, say, sixty to eighty rounds put through in maybe ten minutes if I wanted to and had a pair of asbestos gloves!

I doubt it. Not unusual scenario. E.g Mad Minute.
 
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Ah! Tis not the quantity of the rounds fired through but the FREQUENCY. And, of course, what the owner considers an acceptable size of group.

I reckon that I could burn out a 308 barrel with but, say, sixty to eighty rounds put through in maybe ten minutes if I wanted to and had a pair of asbestos gloves!

Doubt it. Might be toasty but not even in the same postcode as being burnt out.
To the OP a good clean and a dose of reality should do fine.

If he wants to rationalise getting a new barrel then so be it.
I know someone who said they'd get a funky caliber fitted to their TRG when the barrel wore out.
5 years and 5000 warm rounds later and he eventually got fed up with waiting...
 
Cheers for all the info chaps ill pass on what you guys have said , I think he's had a loss in accuracy and had the barrel inspected by two differents guys . Ill keep you posted .
 
My 308's only a year old and ive put as many rounds through it, i hope it's good for a lot more than that !
 
If you had said a 22-250 or 220 swift i might have believed it , but .308 ? i doubt it , sounds like a damn good clean would not go amiss !
 
My S75 S/S in same calibre with same ammo churns through that quantity in an average year and was secondhand!

Could be many things - pounding rounds quickly down the bore will accelerate wear as will poor cleaning practise.

From the info provided, there has been no copper solvent down the bore ever? It is likely that the fouling build up has effectively filled in the grooves/ rounded off the lands so it appears to have worn.

Bore scope best first step. Otherwise set aside plenty of time to work through cleaning solvent. Get a rod! Patch through to shift the powder residue and use Forest, Wipe Out, Shooters Choice etc - and leave it. Patch again with a bronze free rod/jag and see if any colouration on the patch.

Keep repeating the cycle - and could take a week or more of it.

In the end, he may be back at square one, because that ( possible ) accumulated fouling stands a good chance of having harboured lots of nasties against the bore and induced pitting.

I hope pans out ok for him.
 
I shoot my .308 on the running moose range. 20 round series in a few mins makes the barrel so hot you could not touch the barrel and i won't put the rifle back in its case for fear of it melting the foam. I shoot over 500 rounds a year and the rifle still shoots thumb nail size groups. I don't see the rifle needing a new barrel in my life time.
 
Anyone else noticed the link between the 'need' for a new barrel and the rise of the 'farm workshop riflesmith' in the UK?
 
I had an old sako 308 that would not hit a frying pan. Once not cleaned for a while and shot hot we could get here to group.
Now with a Lothar Walther Barrel she shoots the clean barrel shot, cold bore shot and hot barrel shot to the same point.
If I would get a new Sako now I probably would get the barrel changed before shooting. I have no time for hammered barrels.
edi
 
I had an old sako 308 that would not hit a frying pan. Once not cleaned for a while and shot hot we could get here to group.
Now with a Lothar Walther Barrel she shoots the clean barrel shot, cold bore shot and hot barrel shot to the same point.
If I would get a new Sako now I probably would get the barrel changed before shooting. I have no time for hammered barrels.
edi
Yeah, if I bought a new BMW I'd get the engine changed before I drove it. No time for factory motors.
lol, what are you on about? A new Sako should shoot, if it doesn't it should go back. :)
 
I had an old sako 308 that would not hit a frying pan. Once not cleaned for a while and shot hot we could get here to group.
Now with a Lothar Walther Barrel she shoots the clean barrel shot, cold bore shot and hot barrel shot to the same point.
If I would get a new Sako now I probably would get the barrel changed before shooting. I have no time for hammered barrels.
edi

​Weird post mate ?!
 
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