Bullet Speed
 

Is 140 grain bullet moving 3500fps to fast for a 26in barrel? I guess my question is could it hurt the life of the Barrel?
thanks

GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

As long as you don't let the barrel get to hot, it should last a little while. I would not shoot more than three rounds without letting it cool. If you burn out the barrel, you will just have to buy a better one. Good Luck.

Edited by - handloader1 on 08/19/2002 22:47:24

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RE: Bullet Speed
 

Barrels do not wear out but rather erode from pressure and temperature(sort of like flame cutting with a torch)in the throat area just ahead of the chamber.The hotter you let the barrel get the faster it erodes.If you do not let the barrel heat up(shoot three shot groups and let the barrel cool) you should expect peak accuracy for about 1500 rounds with this type of cartridge.My 7mmstw's both shoot 140 gr bullets at right around 3500 fps and provide 1/2" groups while doing it.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

To give a 140-grain 7mm bullet a muzzle velocity of 3500 FPS, you are burning a "prodigious" amount of powder. Such a load will result in a destroyed barrel faster than one using less powder and giving lower velocities. As the folks above have pointed out, if you let your barrel cool well between shots, you will extend its' life to some extent, perhaps even doubling it. But, under the best of circumstances, I predict you will still need a new barrel in 1500 shots OR LESS with such a load!! What cartridge is this? A 7mm STW, 7mm Rem. Ultra, or something with comparable case capacity??

Keep yore powder dry!!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

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Is 140 grain bullet moving 3500fps to fast for a 26in barrel? I guess my question is could it hurt the life of the Barrel?
thanks

It is in a 7mm Ultra Mag.

GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA!
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GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

The 7mm Rem. Mag. has a rep. for being hard on barrels. The 7mm Ultra would have to be worse!! But, barrel life is something you are willing to sacrifice for the increased performance, n'est ce pas? If not, get a 7X57 Mauser!!

Keep yore powder dry!!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

ditto to what eldeguello said.....
you don't get something for nothing. If you want screaming velocities, you pay for it in shortened barrel life... but... how many years will it take you to shoot 1500 rounds? And, rebarrelling is pretty cheap... just look at it like putting new tires on your car.. the faster you drive, the more frequently you replace them... And if you're really in love with your barrel, when the throat gets too worn, just have a gunsmith set the barrel back a few threads and rechamber... you lose about a half inch of barrel length, but you save about 150 dollars... in the grand scheme of things, that's pretty cheap....

&quot;Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.&quot; Santayana

RE: Bullet Speed
 

hornetguy, &quot;&quot;Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.&quot; Santayana.&quot; &quot;....those who CAN remember the past are condemned to repeat it ANYWAY.&quot;

Keep yore powder dry!!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Lets see, a loud, bouncing meat tearing up fat seven if I shaot 100 rounds thru it before I rebarreled to something with a bore diameter that matches the case size it would be a miracle. Heck I probably wouldn't even shoot it.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Rickt300-I have put over 800 rounds through a 7mmstw and accuracy is still great.I know of one stw with almost 1500 rounds through it and accuracy is still acceptable for hunting.I shoot all my deer in the lungs and lose very little meat.If you can't handle this type of cartridge don't worry about it as there are people out their who are up to the task.

Edited by - stubblejumper on 09/08/2002 22:31:51

RE: Bullet Speed
 

I only meant that the 7 STW would make a perfect starting point for a 375 H&H. Honestly a 140 at 3500 will be a destructive round under most circumstances don't you think? Since you could start the same bullet out at 3000 fps, sight in for 300 yards and only have 11 inches of drop at 400 yards and the bullet is still traveling at over 2000fps with longer barrel life and better bullet performance, why wouldn't you? Even this at normal ranges is a powerful deer load. I'd save the high end loadings for elk pushing the 160 or 175 partitions as fast as possible. Or I'd get a 300 Win mag and shoot 200 grain bullets.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

rickt300-I don't have to guess about the damage a 140 gr bullet at 3500 fps will do.I have taken well over a dozen deer as well as pronghorn,bighorn,moose,blackbear and elk with this bullet weight and speed.Who do you think has a better chance of predictig what damage this combination will provide -you by guessing or me by actually observing the results?

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Thats kind of funny because after examining the damage done by 270's and 30-06's at normal ranges (less than 300 yards) I can easily suppose that the extensive damage done by faster bullets will be somewhat worse. Now if you are trying to say that 3500fps is less damaging than 3000fps you will definitly have to show me. There is such a thing as poor bullet performance at the faster velocities else why would we be trying to get solid copper hollow points to work for us. Once again try to explain the importance of 3500 fps over 3000 fps to the rest of us poor unenlightened types.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Meat damage is often relative to bullet placement. I saw a .30-06 hit a deer in the tenderloins and spine and blew it totally apart. I have seen .300 Mags through the ribs that left a 1/2 dollar sized exit hole. It's all in the placement.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Barnesx.308-You hit the nail on the head.Proper shot placement results in very little lost meat reguardless of the caliber and speed of the bullet.
Rickt300-3500fps vs 3000fps gives an advantage at longer ranges due to flatter trajectory and less wind drift.If you never shoot farther than 250 yards or so the differences will be small but at 400 yards they become significant.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

stubblejumper, I must agree with you RE: bullet placement. I once shot a small TX whitetail buck at about 60 yrds with a 140 Nosler Partition at 3350 MV, right behind the shulder and a little low. It was a full broadside shot, and I lost NO edible meat at all. I also once shot a big N.M. mulie buck at about 40 yards on a quartering away shot as it ran. The bullet hit behind the last rib on the left, travelled up into the right shoulder, and destroyed most of the right front quarter. Same bullet, same load!! Placement is everything, but you don't always get a picture-book broadside shot!!

Keep yore powder dry!!

RE: Bullet Speed
 

The less than 2 inches of difference at 400 yards isn't all that significant as you still have to adjust for it (wind drift). Sure if every shot you get is broadside thru the ribs you won't damage much meat and if this is the case why shoot some barrel burner like the STW? I agree that the super sevens are useful about 1% of the time when you absolutely have to take that over 400 yard shot but the rest of the time you are putting up with extra weight, length, noise, barrel wear and recoil that is unnecessary. By the way I own one now that has had 1100 rounds put through it and it still shoots into 2 inches! I'm looking for that H&H barrel now.

RE: Bullet Speed
 

Rickt300-I don't have a problem with carrying an extra half a lb of rifle and hunt mostly fields or mountains where a 26&quot; barrel is no handicap.I don't find the recoil a problem and am willing to have a rifle rebarreled every 1500 rounds if necessary.My average shot is around 200 yards and have killed several animals at over 400 yards so for me the advantages of a flat shooting cartridge outweigh the disadvantages.If you aren't fit enough to carry the extra half pound and can't tolerate the recoil you should use a lighter rifle in a milder cartridge.If you are up to it is is no problem at all.