375 Cheytac Barrel Life

[wooferocau]

Just after some feedback from users of the 375 Cheytac ...what round count , barrel life have you achieved?

I currently am using a Desert tech HTI with the factory LW barrel....

I am hearing figures from as little 450 rounds to as much as 2000 rounds...??

Any feedback appreciated..

thanks.

 

[Taylorbok]

I can't speak to 375 CT specifically however barrel life depends on so many things. Powder, bullet, maintenance, abuse, temperature, ETC.

I really don't think anyone is getting 2k rounds on a CT barrel I'd guess 500-1000 would be realistic depending on usage. You might be able to have it set back to extend its life but if your shooting 375 CT the barrel will cost less than the bullets you will be putting through it.

In my experience overbore cartridges really only shoot their absolute best for a portion of the useable barrel life 4-600 rounds. and this may or may not be during the "speed up" period.

 

[Dogtown]

400 is way too low for that barrel, OP. The DTA barrels are quality from Lothar-Walther but at the same time, if you’re serious about ELR then you have to think of barrels as consumables. Reloading components will add up quickly, especially quality bullets.

 

[badassgunworks]

Lots of people get around 1000 round life my last one had severe firecrack at 1000 rounds and went to crap as far as accuracy shortly there after. It had light signs of firecracking at 500 rounds but had no signs of accuracy loss made one adjustment inseating debth at about 500 rounds . And tried again after problems showed up around 1100 but could never get accuracy back. Area that was firecracked was about 8 " long. a friend of mine had the exact same results. The above barrels were cleaned and maintained and never shot smoking hot both barrels h5o bmg powder was used .

 

[6.5SH]

Lots of people get around 1000 round life my last one had severe firecrack at 1000 rounds and went to crap as far as accuracy shortly there after. It had light signs of firecracking at 500 rounds but had no signs of accuracy loss made one adjustment inseating debth at about 500 rounds . And tried again after problems showed up around 1100 but could never get accuracy back. Area that was firecracked was about 8 " long

What powder and projectile was primarily used on that barrel if don't mind the question.

 

[wooferocau]

400 is way too low for that barrel, OP. The DTA barrels are quality from Lothar-Walther but at the same time, if you’re serious about ELR then you have to think of barrels as consumables. Reloading components will add up quickly, especially quality bullets.

Absolutely acknowledge barrels as consumables. .... but I was hoping for a life in the vicinity of 1000-1200,so I was just a little taken back that it might actually be on the bottom side if 5-600.

My fault entirely for not doing a little more research...

 

[badassgunworks]

What powder and projectile was primarily used on that barrel if don't mind the question.

H50 bmg and serria bullets 350 grain about 10 years ago

 

[badassgunworks]

H50 bmg and serria bullets 350 grain about 10 years ago

Bullets won't really cause where as far as different types. But powder definitely will some of the guys that are getting short barrel life are using much faster powder like retembo or vv570

 

[GIXXER2000]

I have 705 rounds on my current barrel. The accuracy is now about1 moa+- up from 1/2 moa just 100 rounds ago. I am running N570 131.5 1-7 twist 34in barrel. I tried H50 and 8133 but never could get either to shoot close to N570 for accuracy or velocity. The barrel I have that will be getting spun up soon as I get the Cadex action wrench is a K&P 1-7.5 twist 37in blank finish at 36in. So I will give H50 another try and see if the extra 2 inches changes things.

 

[secondofangle2]

I burned up a Lilja in under 750 rounds with n570 and decided to abandon that powder. Lakebed effect on the bore looked worse that the undercarriage of a 60 year old Vegas whore and it quit shooting and velocity dropped. Like throwing a hotdog down the hallway LOL

I had a DT LW barrel with 1200+ rounds with Retumbo on it that was still going strong

I’m working on burning up a Bartlein now with RL50 but I’m below 400 rounds so it may be a while longer

 

[wooferocau]

I had a DT LW barrel with 1200+ rounds with Retumbo on it that was still going strong

Thanks.......that give me hope!!

 

[wooferocau]

Just to follow up...

Reply from "Desert Tech" is ........ the projected life of their factory 375CT barrel is 2000-2500 rounds..

 

[secondofangle2]

And half that with n570 LOL

 

[wooferocau]

A little while ago i ask what was the anticipated barrel life of the 375CT...using the Desert Tech Factory barrel.

A few replies indicated circa 600-1000 rnds. Desert Techs response was 2-2.5K !! ( Yeah Right)

Well as of today i can say i achieved circa 900rnds ...last 100 have been very problematic at around 1to 1.5moa ....as of this weekend its circa 3moa!!!!

Put a bore scope up to have a look....Yikes!!!!! Not pretty at all. Fist 4 -5 inches the lands are eroded and id guess 2/3 gone. heaps of fire cracking......Anyway ...she,s "Toast"

 

[badassgunworks]

A little while ago i ask what was the anticipated barrel life of the 375CT...using the Desert Tech Factory barrel.

A few replies indicated circa 600-1000 rnds. Desert Techs response was 2-2.5K !! ( Yeah Right)

Well as of today i can say i achieved circa 900rnds ...last 100 have been very problematic at around 1to 1.5moa ....as of this weekend its circa 3moa!!!!

Put a bore scope up to have a look....Yikes!!!!! Not pretty at all. Fist 4 -5 inches the lands are eroded and id guess 2/3 gone. heaps of fire cracking......Anyway ...she,s "Toast"

Avrage barrel life for cheytac is 1000 to1500 depending on what powder you are burning the shorter barrels running retembo or vv570 burn rate will be about 1000 rounds. The guys running h50 bmg, rl50 will get more life.

 

[Geno C.]

Lilja gone at 1100. H50. It was a snipetac

 

[Dogtown]

That's not bad for a Snipetac - notorious barrel burner but awesome ballistics.

 

[secondofangle2]

That’s one advantage of the 50 Cal, you get good barrel life

 

[Dogtown]

...and splash you can easily spot at 3000 yards.

 

[wooferocau]

That’s one advantage of the 50 Cal, you get good barrel life

Yep ...going to run the 50 for a while myself...

 

[Geno C.]

But there’s a reason they aren’t at the top of the leader boards for elr matches

 

[secondofangle2]

But there’s a reason they aren’t at the top of the leader boards for elr matches

What’s the reason? Recoil?

 

[Dogtown]

Not really. Just ballistics. A .50BMG is basically a scaled up .30-06. Now imagine shooting 1200 yards with a .30-06 vs a 6.5Creed.

 

[Geno C.]

What’s the reason? Recoil?

Never asked. The fcsa guys that usually shoot with us built 460s or 416s. I’ve seen a fair number of 50s try and compete. They just dont.

 

[Chandalar]

Does anyone know of someone using Bartlein 400 MOD BB in a 375 Cheytac barrel? Results?

 

[Sigma]

I think a 50 bmg would be more competitive if there were no weight limits and brass/primer selection/shortages weren’t an issue.

45” barrel, case taper and shoulder blown out, would push 850 grain cutting edge lazers in excess of 3k im pretty sure.

kirby allens 510 allen mag would do 3,000 fps with a 750 amax in a 33” barrel. a 45” would offer an additional 200 fps or so and also the cutting edge lazers drastically reduced bearing surface would offer even more speed.

 

[Geno C.]

Does anyone know of someone using Bartlein 400 MOD BB in a 375 Cheytac barrel? Results?

I have one in a 338 about the size of a snipetac. At 600rd it’s still shooting a tight knot. My 375 hadn’t been shot out yet but it only has a couple hundred rounds through it

 

[badassgunworks]

I think a 50 bmg would be more competitive if there were no weight limits and brass/primer selection/shortages weren’t an issue.

45” barrel, case taper and shoulder blown out, would push 850 grain cutting edge lazers in excess of 3k im pretty sure.

kirby allens 510 allen mag would do 3,000 fps with a 750 amax in a 33” barrel. a 45” would offer an additional 200 fps or so and also the cutting edge lazers drastically reduced bearing surface would offer even more speed.

changing the case taper on the BMG would be a huge mistake there is already an issue by Design the only way that the BMG would be a valid option for me.. forget about velocity and run an extremely heavy insanely High ballistic coefficiency bullet from Badlands in the 800 to 900 grain range

 

[Sigma]

changing the case taper on the BMG would be a huge mistake there is already an issue by Design the only way that the BMG would be a valid option for me.. forget about velocity and run an extremely heavy insanely High ballistic coefficiency bullet from Badlands in the 800 to 900 grain range

would love to hear more about the inherent design issue sir…..just trying to learn

 

[badassgunworks]

would love to hear more about the inherent design issue sir…..just trying to learn

Big ass hole of a primer and flash hole that is not needed for quality ignition. Taking to much matetial away from a already to shallow of case head. A flash hole that allows way to much pressure to find its way into the primer pocket. A rim diamiter that is to large in relation to to much taper that allows to much bolt thrust . Brass that is to soft and a oversized chamber allowing to much memory so case retains a new memory tightly aginst the chamber walls and improving the case making it straighter to reduce bolt thrust causes more extraction issues with over sized chambers. Lets face the facts its a 120 year old mechine gun round designed to operate at low pressures.

 

[wooferocau]

50bmg ....2.2 miles.....24"x24" Target...

 

[Sigma]

Big ass hole of a primer and flash hole that is not needed for quality ignition. Taking to much matetial away from a already to shallow of case head. A flash hole that allows way to much pressure to find its way into the primer pocket. A rim diamiter that is to large in relation to to much taper that allows to much bolt thrust . Brass that is to soft and a oversized chamber allowing to much memory so case retains a new memory tightly aginst the chamber walls and improving the case making it straighter to reduce bolt thrust causes more extraction issues with over sized chambers. Tets face the facts its a 120 year old mechine gun round designed to operate a low pressures.

sounds like alot of those issues could be fixed rather easily with a modern (alpha, peterson, lapua, etc) brass alloy and a case head designed for a large rifle primer.

the question then is at what case capacity is a large rifle primer no longer enough for consistent/reliable ignition?

 

[cameljockey230]

The shooters at the FCSA have tried Fed215 primers in the 50 bmg case and it didn't work. They also tried flashtubes from the M48a1 spotter tracer case for frontal ignition and that didn't help either.
I am unaware of anyone on this website ever shooting a smaller group at 1000 yards than the 50?

 

[Sigma]

The shooters at the FCSA have tried Fed215 primers in the 50 bmg case and it didn't work. They also tried flashtubes from the M48a1 spotter tracer case for frontal ignition and that didn't help either.
I am unaware of anyone on this website ever shooting a smaller group at 1000 yards than the 50?

from my understanding it didn’t work because they stuffed a large rifle primer into a 50 bmg primer pocket.

the case head would need completely redesigned around a large rifle primer.

just because nobody on this website didn’t outshoot the 50 bmg record group at 1,000 yards benchrest style doesn’t mean a damn thing.

 

[wooferocau]

The shooters at the FCSA have tried Fed215 primers in the 50 bmg case and it didn't work. They also tried flashtubes from the M48a1 spotter tracer case for frontal ignition and that didn't help either.
I am unaware of anyone on this website ever shooting a smaller group at 1000 yards than the 50?

Yeah, i am actually VERY impressed with the accuracy of my 50bmg ( Desert Tech HTI). At 1000yds......it easily holds 1/2 moa. Its quite boring shooting at a 10" plate.

At 2000yds ......... it again performs VERY well..

The below ISPC target was at 2000yds the left target has "3" 50bmg hits in the upper area ( from 5 shots) the lower strikes are from the 375CT..

 

[cameljockey230]

The flash hole was milled out then threaded and plugged then setup for the fed215 just like any other cartridge utilizing that primer including flash hole size.
On the group size if the 50 is such a poor design that isn't capable of any accuracy as is posted above surely someone here with a superior cartridge would have bested it a thousand times over by now.
They haven't.

 

[Sigma]

The flash hole was milled out then threaded and plugged then setup for the fed215 just like any other cartridge utilizing that primer including flash hole size.
On the group size if the 50 is such a poor design that isn't capable of any accuracy as is posted above surely someone here with a superior cartridge would have bested it a thousand times over by now.
They haven't.

he never said the 50 bmg wasn’t capable of good precision nor a poor case design from an inherent accuracy standpoint.

he said the 50 bmg currently suffers from an old case design as well as lack of support on modern components from an internal ballistics standpoint.

this is what is holding it back from being a superior/competitive ELR cartridge.

Many competitors and company's are moving away from the 50 bmg parent because of these annoyances.

 

[Sigma]

Yeah, i am actually VERY impressed with the accuracy of my 50bmg ( Desert Tech HTI). At 1000yds......it easily holds 1/2 moa. Its quite boring shooting at a 10" plate.

At 2000yds ......... it again performs VERY well..

The below ISPC target was at 2000yds the left target has "3" 50bmg hits in the upper area ( from 5 shots) the lower strikes are from the 375CT..

i am incredibly jealous of your range sir. absolutely beautiful country side there!

 

[cameljockey230]

The 50BMG round suffers in ELR from a ban on the cartridge in California which eliminates 40 million people from using it or 10% of the total population plus weight restrictions by sanctioning bodies limit its barrel length and burden the shooter with higher felt recoil.
It is further burdened with expensive brass single source primers and 27 rounds to the pound powder consumption.
If one looks at king of one mile rules it is excluded completely and king of 2 miles it is penalized to the point that nobody uses it.

 

[Geno C.]

It’s been tried in elr comps. It doesn’t win

 

[cameljockey230]

It wins at the matches I have attended

 

[Geno C.]

Which matches?

And I’m pretty sure the smallest group shot in a comp at 1000 was shot with a 6bra

 

[cameljockey230]

URSA and original ko2m rules.
And a 6 Dasher with 121 moa does well at 2100 yards but only if one can spot the misses which means sand

 

[TripleBull]

Lots of people get around 1000 round life my last one had severe firecrack at 1000 rounds and went to crap as far as accuracy shortly there after. It had light signs of firecracking at 500 rounds but had no signs of accuracy loss made one adjustment inseating debth at about 500 rounds . And tried again after problems showed up around 1100 but could never get accuracy back. Area that was firecracked was about 8 " long. a friend of mine had the exact same results. The above barrels were cleaned and maintained and never shot smoking hot both barrels h5o bmg powder was used .

A bit off topic, not sorry, but I'd love to see someone sell a profilometer that would work in a barrel. I've done plenty of image-based failure analysis with light and SEM, so I can interpret a borescope image good enough. But it would be great to be able to assess wear, fire cracking, fouling, etc. - quantitatively - across the life of a barrel. Even better if you could use it to measure brass internally.

 

[Geno C.]

URSA and original ko2m rules.
And a 6 Dasher with 121 moa does well at 2100 yards but only if one can spot the misses which means sand

What?

 

[cameljockey230]

Point out your confusion and I will try and explain it in simpler terms

 

[Geno C.]

You were going on about how the 50 is so king at 1000 yards. I pointed out that a 6mm holds that record. You bring up 2100

 

[cameljockey230]

Aw I see the confusion.
First I never said the 50 is the king of anything I just pointed out the fact that nobody here has ever outshot it at 1000 yards.
I think we are both in agreement on that?
I merely pointed out that it is a viable longrange round. Yes other cartridges are easier on the wallet to shoot and yes many more gunsmith can chamber a 1.450 barrel on a cheytac than can chamber a 2.5 inch barrel 45 inches long weighing 60+ pounds but the cartridge still works.
As to the 6bra shooting very small at 1000 yards the various 6mm cartridges have been extremely competitive for 25 years now.
I merely pointed out my record setting 6 Dasher has shot well at 2100 yards but conditions have to be perfect in order to do that as the bullet doesn't kick up much dust.

 

[badassgunworks]

sounds like alot of those issues could be fixed rather easily with a modern (alpha, peterson, lapua, etc) brass alloy and a case head designed for a large rifle primer.

the question then is at what case capacity is a large rifle primer no longer enough for consistent/reliable ignition?

Never is the answer... Delayed ignition is caused from lack of case fill . It has nothing to do with volume. The issues can be fixed but why. Why not just design a whole new case from scratch. And do it better

 

[Frank Green]

Several factors....

Rate of fire? (How hot you get the barrel)
Type of powder being used?
How hot the load is?
Type of bullets being fired ( yes type of bullets can affect barrel life)
Type of bullets being fired also affects accuracy.
Accuracy requirement?
How is it being cleaned and how often is it being cleaned?

A lot of variables to contend with!

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels