Barrel life?

[Grizzly405]

I found an older used No.1 .243, looks to be an 80's model, looks pretty good few dings and scratches. The current owner says it's had several rounds thru it. I usually buy new guns and don't shoot a lot. Any thoughts on how many rounds are too many???

 

[22/45 Fan]

Barrel life is dependent on both the number of round fired and how "hot" those rounds were loaded. If the original owner loaded all of his ammo to the absolute fire-breathing max, the barrel will be a lot more worn than if he used moderate loads.

 

[RJ556]

Also, firing many rounds in succession causes a lot more throat erosion than a longer pause between shots. RJ

 

[pisgah]

A big consideration is -- what is your definition of "barrel life"? If you are a benchrest shooter, 2500 rounds may turn your match-winner in to an also-ran, even though you are still getting eye-popping accuracy. If you are a hunter or casual target shooter, you may not miss any performance lost after even 15-20,000 rounds.

 

[Bearcat]

A big consideration is -- what is your definition of "barrel life"? If you are a benchrest shooter, 2500 rounds may turn your match-winner in to an also-ran, even though you are still getting eye-popping accuracy. If you are a hunter or casual target shooter, you may not miss any performance lost after even 15-20,000 rounds.

Yep. Usually not an issue for most shooters.

 

[pisgah]

Another thing to keep in mind -- the No. 1 does not have a reputation for sterling accuracy. I don't mean you won't find some that are tack-drivers, but especially in earlier versions they tended to be relatively ho-hum. Opinions as to the reasons for this vary. Some have been able to improve accuracy with a variety of modifications, usually centered around regulating the pressure between forearm and barrel, while in other cases folks have simply had to settle for around-2MOA accuracy or replace the barrel. Ruger used to outsource their barrels and I have always thought that to be a prime culprit. Once they started making their own -- and once they got the hang of it -- things seemed to improve. Personally I have owned several and loved them, but my affection has always been for the design and not necessarily great accuracy.

 

[steelshooterco]

Find a gunsmith with a bore scope and get a look at the bore from chamber, throat and down the barrel. Should be a Hawkeye scope. Will show you if the barrel is fouled with copper, carbon, etc. too.

Compare it to a new No. 1.

 

[pisgah]

Find a gunsmith with a bore scope and get a look at the bore from chamber, throat and down the barrel. Should be a Hawkeye scope. Will show you if the barrel is fouled with copper, carbon, etc. too.

Compare it to a new No. 1.

Certainly you could do that, but what would it tell you? That one bore is new, one has been used? That's already known. The first round fired in a new bore will cause wear. Maybe the new one, sharp rifling and all, is a bum barrel, and the old one is a gem. And maybe the old one looks like a sewer pipe -- but I have known many, many fouled, worn and pitted barrels that, once cleaned, performed in an outstanding fashion. Personally, I have often used the sorry condition of a bore to negotiate the price down, knowing that the odds are in favor of things not being anywhere near as bad as they look.

I guess my bottom line is -- if the rifle overall looks good, the bore looks at least decent, the price is right, and you want it -- jump on in. The average hunting rifle barrel is not shot enough in a lifetime to go bad.

 

[Grizzly405]

This is what I love about this forum, great information and I always learn a new perspective and things to look for. I'm not a bench shooter so the info posted was very useful. Overall appearance it looked good, he claimed it never had hot loads thru it...um hmm, but a lot of reloads.My though was this would be a great go to versitle rifle while out on the farm that I wouldn't cringe if it got some wear. Unfortunately we couldn't agree on a price, so the search continues. I appreciate the very informative info.
DW