I like better than 1 moa usually
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I'm a huge fan of the 7mm-08 or the ackley version.
With a .318 reamed neck, you won't have to turn down brass. The straight 7mm-08 can get the 162gr ELD-M to 2700 out of a 26". The ackley can get up to 2825. Great barrel life and just a bit more recoil than a 6.5.
With a .318 reamed neck, you won't have to turn down brass. The straight 7mm-08 can get the 162gr ELD-M to 2700 out of a 26". The ackley can get up to 2825. Great barrel life and just a bit more recoil than a 6.5.
Agreed. It's my do all caliber. But when you consider the arm chair shooters (myself included at times), the goal is to minimize recoil for points on steel. Most calibers popular on this site are good for steel, not flesh (reliably and with sufficient energy at distance), but that's the end game for the criteria set.
For a do it all rifle it’s about perfect.
Bigger bullets for game.
Heavier bullets to see hits and splash.
Better BC and trajectory than 308
With Less recoil
Better barrel life than the 6 and 6.5mm.
Easy powder selection.
Good bullet selection.
Lots of brass options.
7 saw is another.
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Do you have a saw?
No
I’m going a bit bigger for my 7mm project but a few here do and I think it’s a smart concept.
I have two rifles chambered in 7mm SAW. Easy to form brass with the sizing die and easy to load for
So do you just run 7mm08 brass into die and have saw brass?
velocity and associated friction and heat, and of course the shooter's rate of fire.
and then of course, barrel type and coating if any
chrome lining increases life (particularly under rapid fire conditions) which is why the military uses it (in general?)
most people will agree that the nature if this coating reduces the potential for accuracy (but obviously sub moa or .5 moa are still possible), which is close enough for government work (usually).
and then of course, barrel type and coating if any
chrome lining increases life (particularly under rapid fire conditions) which is why the military uses it (in general?)
most people will agree that the nature if this coating reduces the potential for accuracy (but obviously sub moa or .5 moa are still possible), which is close enough for government work (usually).
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you can quote metallurgy books, or look at real world experience.
your Scar is a cold hammer forged chrome lined barrel (made by FN).
FN advertises the military version (Scar-H) or MK17 as having a 16,000 round barrel life (20k for the 16s)
for people like me that has to pay for every round down the pipe, shooting at public ranges that don't allow rapid fire, i expect to get more than 20k or more than i will ever shoot out of it, unless i move closer to a good outdoor range.
What Sort of Barrel Life Can I Expect From A Criterion Barrel? - Criterion Barrels
Discerning rifle builders frequently want to know what kind of barrel life they can expect when purchasing a new Criterion barrel. We try to provide them with a detailed answer so that they can make the most educated selection to serve their intended needs and requirements.
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Everyone pretends the 308 is chop liver, but who doesn't have one?
Right? The internet acts like 556 and 308 are nothing more than Boomer paperweights. It’s the Indian, not the arrow.
Per Cradock and some "generalized knowledge" button rifles supposedly don't last as long as cut rifled. They also tend to need 100-200 rounds to settle into their best accuracy. A Bartlein or Rock Creek will shoot right away.
As has been said though, barrel life is very dependant on lots of other factors.
Stop stressing barrel life, it's an expendable item. The sooner you realize that barrels are like car tires the better. If you want a race car like a fast 6mm or 300 Win Mag you will replace the tires more often. If you want to drive a Buick (308) every other Sunday you might not ever need to replace them.
All that being said the 7-08 or 224 Valkyrie or 6.5 Creedmoor are pretty good compromises between the two extremes.
Since he specifically asked about 1200 yard calibers I think 308 and 223 are less than ideal for that purpose. With a longer barrel and shooting heavies the 308 can get there but he still hasn't clarified how much he wants to stretch the normal parameters of his build/cartridge.
Location matters too. My 308 at 5000 feet above sea level does better than it would in Mississippi, lol.
He asked "1000yd caliber has the best barrel life?" He casually mentioned steel out 1200.
Definitely and I agree 100%. However the thread started off with the title, where he’s looking for the best barrel life for a 1,000yd system.
I only mentioned 223 in tonight’s comment as it gets shit on just as much as 308 these days, which while it isn’t the most efficient, it isn’t a paperweight. Definitely not advocating 223/556 as a recommendation for the OP, rather it was just side chatter lumped in with the topic (my bad for any confusion).
My 175s where I’m at now (5200’ ASL) serve me well but also did what they needed to do down in FL. Is the 308 the best thing going? Nope. Are there more efficient rounds that should be considered? Yup. Does it have a long barrel life and able to hit at 1k? Hell yea.
As @verdugo60 mentioned above, barrels should be looked at as expendable items. I’m a new subscriber to that mindset but it makes sense, as Frank and many other experience peeps in here have mentioned over the years. With time the mindset will shift, as it always does. Until then, 308 gets my vote for best barrel life with reliable hits at a 1,000yds.
#ItsAllSubjective #WhatIsBestInLife #MakeEachShotCount
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All true, 15 years ago the 308 was the end all be all tactical round that savvy snipers and shooters used. A trued Rem 700 with a match barrel was the shit! Funny how quickly things change. I have hit at a mile with a Savage 308 and 168/175 SMK's. Our understanding of ballistics has improved exponentially along with the technology and improvements in scopes, rangefinders, rifles, bullets, etc.
Turns out it was idiot administrators in the 1950's that hoodwinked us and NATO into the ballistically inferior M14/762 combo. We could have had a 6.5 ish FAL instead which would have been much more ideal. Funny now the Army wants to go to something in the 6.5-7mm range now, lol. The more things change the more they stay the same. We're always preparing for the last war we had, yadayadayada.
My vote would be to lean more towards a 7mm-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Better ballistics, lighter recoil and still take years to shoot out the barrel at 500 rounds per year. 308 wouldn't be wrong, it all depends on what balance the OP wants between speed and burning out tires.
Turns out it was idiot administrators in the 1950's that hoodwinked us and NATO into the ballistically inferior M14/762 combo. We could have had a 6.5 ish FAL instead which would have been much more ideal. Funny now the Army wants to go to something in the 6.5-7mm range now, lol. The more things change the more they stay the same. We're always preparing for the last war we had, yadayadayada.
My vote would be to lean more towards a 7mm-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Better ballistics, lighter recoil and still take years to shoot out the barrel at 500 rounds per year. 308 wouldn't be wrong, it all depends on what balance the OP wants between speed and burning out tires.
Cheers bro, here's to knocking steel with the old 30 Cal workhorse!
I'm building a 280 Rem AI for hunting, great caliber. Less recoil but performance of a 7 Rem mag minus 100ish fps. High bc 7mm bullets are plentiful. Barrel life I'm not sure on maybe 2000 rounds give or take.
