Hey guys I have a question. I love to shoot, and shoot almost every day. My question is, is there a danger of shooting a gun to much? Can the barrel heat up too hot and cause damage? When shooting, lets say a .30-06, how many shots can you fire before you should stop to let the gun cool? I clean my guns everytime after shooting them. But is it dangerous to shoot too much without letting the barrel cool?

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That's a pretty good rule that I try to follow when shooting at the range....but it's also temp. susceptible...i.e. ....hotter days in the summer require a lot longer waiting period than days in the winter. I personally shoot 5-shot groups when working up loads, and let the barrel cool to a reasonable temp. between shots. Some others will shoot a group as fast as they can, feeling the barrel will not heat up that rapidly if the group is shot rapidly. I personally don't subscribe to it. In any regard, if you can't hold your hand on it, let it cool.

Unless you shoot thousands of rounds a year or you shoot a 100 rounds at a time in a short period of time every range trip, you aren't going to wear your 30-06 out.

FWIW, high power rifle competitors shoot rifles that are more accurate than your hunting rifles, often chambered in 308, 223, and sometimes 30-06, in timed fire events where 50 or more shots are fired in about a 20 minute period (1/2 of them are fired in 10 shot rapid fire strings). The barrels on these rifles are usually good for 5000 rounds or more of accurate shooting.

The hotter you get your barrel, the fewer rounds you can shoot through it before the barrel needs to be replaced. When the barrel becomes WARM to the touch, let it cool! That means after every four or five shots!

Other long term effects include marital problems

We generally say we "wear" out a barrel, but in truth we "burn" them out. The faster the round or the faster you shoot, the faster your barrel will wear out.

thanks guys. I also have a mosin nagant that I shoot often. I will start letting them cool a little bit more! thanks!