Rapid Fire Damage?

[tikka6.5]

Can you shoot fast enough or long enough to damage a bolt action rifle barrel?
If so, what happens to the barrel?
Does barrel length, caliber or diameter make a differences?

I like making up plinking rounds for my Tikka Lite 6.5x55 and 30-06 and just keep shooting at steel targets.
Is there a point I should let the barrel cool? I have an IR thermometer but have never checked barrel temp.
I use to load reduced loads in the 30-06 for my son (when he was younger) and he shot them like it was a 22lr one after another.

 

[buffybuster]

Yes, you can shoot fast enough with a bolt action to prematurely burn out the barrel. Rule of Thumb I use is if it's hot to hold, give it a rest, to cool off.

A 22lr burns such a small amount of powder that you can't get the barrel hot enough.

 

[Supersubes]

Yes you can. The level of "shot out" isn't the same for all people though. Barrels erode from the throat forward, and the erosion is caused by heat and pressure. This can sometimes be felt with a cleaning patch, but that's unscientific. A bore scope can give you an idea of the barrels state, but nothing replaces test firing to see if the barrel is still shooting. I don't agree with using touch as an indicator either because skin burns at a pretty low temp. If you have access to an infrared thermometer, you can try it. At the point the barrel is too hot to hold on to, it's probably only 130-140 deg. The interior is hotter of course, but that heat is migrating out at a pretty constant rate.

I don't know what your accuracy requirements are but I wouldn't worry about the barrel for even a moment. Just shoot it, and replace when necessary.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

What does uncle say in his TM's the sustained ROF for M24's an M40's is?
I Know what it was for an XM21, and assure you,... you will never fire anything close to that with a bolt gun.