don't know if this has been asked much. but what is the expected life of a 22lr barrel if properly maintained. Reason i ask is i still have the 22 my father bought me when i was a younen. It has to have atleast 500k rounds down it. was paying 4.99 for a brick of sears, way back in the day.thanks
- Thread starter Ruslow
- Start date
Based on comments by gunsmiths and barrel makers, somewhere around 200,000 shots fired.
The area just forward of the chamber is worn out of round by the silica in the primer residue.
That's roughly 40 plus cases of 22lr, or about 100 shots per week for 40 years.
If you can get y'er hands on a 5mm borescope, I'd like to see pics of that bore.
The area just forward of the chamber is worn out of round by the silica in the primer residue.
That's roughly 40 plus cases of 22lr, or about 100 shots per week for 40 years.
If you can get y'er hands on a 5mm borescope, I'd like to see pics of that bore.
From my experience and research, you can't "wear out" a 22LR barrel unless it's been abused. I have no idea how many I've sent down the pipe...a lot.
How is the accuracy of that rifle after that many rounds?
The Teslong one fits just fine down a 22LR bore, adequate picture quality. Just wish I had the Wi-Fi adapter so I could ‘scope at the range, but oh well.
A small laptop or tablet with the right app will work just fine at the range if needed.
I use this one with my surface pro and you only have to open the camera for it to work.
There are several factors that need to be considered to answer this question and in many ways the answer boils down to "it depends".
First, what are you referring to as "life"? Top flight accuracy for competition or shooting soda cans in the back yard? That alone can vary the round count "life" significantly.
In addition, the quality and hardness of the steel makes a significant contribution to the lifespan of the barrel. The purity and production standards of modern steel has certainly improved along with the custom blends that are used by some barrel makers that deviate slightly from the standard 416R cocktail.
As always, barrel care plays a major role as this is where many barrels are abused and lifespan is significantly reduced. The .22 rimfire has always been hard on barrels primarily in the chamber and leade areas due to the abrasives that are in the priming compound. Over time, different ammo manufacturers have used different blends with some appearing to be more damaging than others. Unfortunately this aspect is difficult to quantify. Throw in bad cleaning methods - or not cleaning at all - causes it's own share of deterioration.
With all of that said, for a match grade stainless steel barrel I would tend to agree with 125k to 200k range, unless it is a Lilja - due to the soft steel used I would max out top accuracy by 75k rounds.
While the numbers I mentioned above are a discussion point, one also has to remember that to top flight competitors, barrels are like the brake pads on your car - a disposable item when they wear out. Again, the never ending pursuit of the ultimate "hummer" barrel is never ending.
Regards,
ken
First, what are you referring to as "life"? Top flight accuracy for competition or shooting soda cans in the back yard? That alone can vary the round count "life" significantly.
In addition, the quality and hardness of the steel makes a significant contribution to the lifespan of the barrel. The purity and production standards of modern steel has certainly improved along with the custom blends that are used by some barrel makers that deviate slightly from the standard 416R cocktail.
As always, barrel care plays a major role as this is where many barrels are abused and lifespan is significantly reduced. The .22 rimfire has always been hard on barrels primarily in the chamber and leade areas due to the abrasives that are in the priming compound. Over time, different ammo manufacturers have used different blends with some appearing to be more damaging than others. Unfortunately this aspect is difficult to quantify. Throw in bad cleaning methods - or not cleaning at all - causes it's own share of deterioration.
With all of that said, for a match grade stainless steel barrel I would tend to agree with 125k to 200k range, unless it is a Lilja - due to the soft steel used I would max out top accuracy by 75k rounds.
While the numbers I mentioned above are a discussion point, one also has to remember that to top flight competitors, barrels are like the brake pads on your car - a disposable item when they wear out. Again, the never ending pursuit of the ultimate "hummer" barrel is never ending.
Regards,
ken
A round count of "at least 500k" is quite considerable. A brick has 500 rounds, so that would be 1000 bricks of ammo or 100 cases. If it's been shot regularly for 50 years that's an average of two cases or 20 bricks or 10 thousand rounds each and every year. (Or on average about half-a-box each day for 50 years.) That's a lot of shooting.
The important and most relevant question is how does it shoot now, after however many years have passed since you were a young'un?
Well I would shoot around 200-250 rounds in a weekend.NOT every weekend but when it was not raining. It is a winchester 74 semi auto. and did that for 4-5 years. then cut back to about 100 rounds in a weekend. reason being Dad bought my ammo till i got a paper route then i had to buy the ammo!ok maybe not that much but still somewhere north of 200k.
