light barrels=short life????

[The Shooter]

I have heard that smaller diameter like a #1 contour have a shorter life than a standard sporter weight or like a #3 contour. Is this correct. I am seriously looking at Remington Mountain rifle and if this is true i am going to look into Moly coated bullets or lower the velocity a little.

Why work when you can hunt???? Heck why work at all!!

[mounting man]

I don't think this is a fact ? What kills a barrel is heat. A sporter barrel,I may shoot 3 to 5 rounds and than let cool off. My heavy barrels,5 to 8 rounds,unless i am shooting in a match .
The barrel throat is what goes. The pressure and blast of gun powder erode it away. Some calipers quicker than others.
Unless you do a lot of shooting,there is a better chance of messing up the barrel,with a cleaning rod !!!!!
M.H.O.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> As to moly,it comes with its own set of problems.

Mounting Man/in PA.

[Vapodog]

Mountain Man.....I agree totally.....if you're a hunter, the barrel weight is not a factor at all. Just be careful that you don't shoot the barrel &quot;hot&quot; at the bench sighting it in or at prairie dogs some time.

If you want to take a three shot group in twenty seconds at the bench.....go for it.....but let it cool between groups. Simulate the most severe hunting conditions.....A .257 Weatherby or even a .220 Swift will shoot thousands of rounds accurately if you don't go bonkers shooting it hot!!!

Shooting it hot means that you continue to shoot it after you can't hold the gun vertically by the barrel in bare hands!!!

[stubblejumper]

Moly coated bullets may slightly increase barrel life and even this is debatable but as stated earlier they do add their own problems.If you do not overheat your barrel it will last several thousand rounds or more.

This is somewhat true for shooters who go to the range alot. See, a bigger barrel will act like a heatsink. Therefore cooling off the metal in your throat or &quot;heatsink the metal around your throat. If you shoot one shot and then let it cool off 10 min., then it shouldn't be a problem. But for shooters who shoot 3 or 5 shots, then let it cool off, your throat is hotter each round being fired. Hotter metal erodes faster. For the everyday hunter who goes to the range twice a year, it won't amount to much. But for those who shoot 500-1000 rounds a year thru a gun, I bet you will see faster throat erosion unless you let it cool down between every shot.