I can only reply to part of your question........about barrel life.

The 6PPC is mostly a target round.....however it' s certainly been used for varmints and other things as well.

There are people that consider a barrel burned out when the best it can do is 1/2" groups. That' s certainly not me!!!! The barrel life therefore is a matter of what one' s standard is.

Having said that I' ll now say that the PPC is good for well beyond 5,000 rounds if cleaned properly and not fired hot.