How much time left?

[Icallem]

My wife has a 6.5 CM with ~1787 rounds down it. Rifle built by a local gunsmith and is good. She shoots 123 amax @ ~2875 fps. Her shooting the last 100 or so rounds has been atypical. If this were a bunch of guys, we would have somebody else shoot the rifle and move on, but I like to think I’m smarter than that.

Yesterday I measured the chamber and found it to be 80 thousand longer than when new. I loaded some shells longer, 15 thousand off the lands in an attempt to correct problem.

She also has an AWC bought off of JSTARSZ that just shoots. I’ve never loaded anything for it, just shoot whatever is available and it has always preformed. Anyway, she shot the AWC and was back on her game. I then gave her the new shells and she still shot well.

So my question is how much time could be left on this barrel? I have always heard that once the barrel starts going it goes pretty quick. Is there anything to that?

 

[JSTARSZ]

She also has an AWC bought off of JSTARSZ that just shoots. I’ve never loaded anything for it, just shoot whatever is available and it has always preformed. Anyway, she shot the AWC and was back on her game. I then gave her the new shells and she still shot well.

I see you are still taunting me with the AWC...oh that hurts. I must have been hurting to sale it which I am sure I was. This is an interesting conversation as I am going to be in the same boat with my Creedmoor too. I have started the cycle that I only shoot my 223 bolt or 308 Bolt when I am shooting less than 600 yards and the Creedmoor for beyond so that saves me some time. I will be interested in what people say on this topic.

 

[Bear24]

Honestly I don't have a dog in the fight here because I am only ~1year into the precision game and with my FN SPR chrome lined 308 truck axle I have a ways to go to shoot out the barrel.

BUT... I would say if you are starting to have doubts in your system no matter what it is I say replace it. Especially if it is a ware item such as the barrel and the 6.5's and 6's especially. To me, being unsure of your equipment or loads can cause a shooter induced accuracy problem. I need to have confidence in my equipment so I can focus on what I need to do... YMMV

 

[Willys46]

How much bullet is still in the neck of the case? As long as you can continue to chase the lands with a reasonable amount still in the neck you should be good for another 500-800. Either way with the wait for barrels I would be ordering one up.
Watch the velocity, as it all wears you start to scrub velocity and drops out of the accuracy node.

 

[Rhyno]

Before ordering a new barrel, ask the smith who made it if he can set the barrel back.

The throat might be wearing out but the majority of the rifling may be good, might as well take advantage of it and save the cost of a barrel.

 

[Icallem]

I have no question in the eq. and if something needs replaced I'm good with that. My question rather is; once things get to the point that you notice it and make a correction, how much time have you bought? Will she get another 400, 500, or just 200? In other words, should I order a barrel now?

This will be the first barrel that we have that has had enough rounds down it to warrant attention.

 

[Icallem]

Before ordering a new barrel, ask the smith who made it if he can set the barrel back.

I have a call into the builder, but he told me that my wife and I were his test people, as he had nobody else that shot as much as we do. However,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, he does have a new 6.5 built on a Stiller Tac 30 setting in a McM A-5. Said he would trade for mostly the difference in price on parts. My wifes rifle is in an A-5 with a trued 700. I have to many supplies laying around to not get another 6.5.

 

[thrusty]

I would expect a 6.5CM barrel life to be beyond 1,787 rounds...at least in the 3,000 round range. The 123Amax at 2875FPS also doesn't sound like a hot load, so massive throat erosion sounds odd as well. But, if you measured it and it's growing then it is what it is.

What barrel do you have on it currently?

I would consider chasing the lands and setting the barrel back before swapping the barrel out completely...

 

[Icallem]

I would expect a 6.5CM barrel life to be beyond 1,787 rounds...at least in the 3,000 round range. The 123Amax at 2875FPS also doesn't sound like a hot load, so massive throat erosion sounds odd as well. But, if you measured it and it's growing then it is what it is.

What barrel do you have on it currently?

I would consider chasing the lands and setting the barrel back before swapping the barrel out completely...

Loaded out to 15 off, she can still load into the mag. Will be able to do that for at least one more time such as this one. Builder thought the 6.5 should run ~2500 or more.

This year we have not had the time to shoot as much as we usually do, so when we do go, she might warm it up more than she should.

I hate to tell what brand barrel it is because I have no complaint with it / them. It has provided lots of good times. Before I had my first rifle built, when talking with Terry Cross, he told me "if you are going to drive a Corvette, you are going to have to buy tires sometime".

 

[Hunt4life]

Clean, clean, clean, I would get some copper solvent in there and scrub the barrel clean, then reevaluate.

 

[bohem]

I just pulled off my latest 6.5CM tube, I was running the 140 Amax and 140 BTHP Match over 43.5gr H4350 (est 61ksi for each) and it lasted 3,49x rounds. FIgure 3500 rounds.

The previous barrel was from the same manufacturer, same material, different bar stock and it lasted 4600 rounds but the load was considerably softer at 41.5gr H4350 (est 49.5ksi)

I think you probably need to give it a good cleaning, go back to the load which shot daylights out and put the seating depth back. If you seat the bullets longer and longer you will have to add more and more powder. Hit me up via PM and I"ll help you out with a load to work from with that bullet, I'll need a bit of information on your end and then I can give you some excellent starting data.

The barrel should not be close to worn out at this point.

Also, when's the last time you trimmed, deburred, and annealed the cases? I found that if I go 4 reloads between annealings I get great results, by 6 loads I"m getting vertical fliers at 1000yd and by 10 reloads the brass is splitting out.

So... I anneal after ever 5 shots through the brass.

 

[Icallem]

Clean, clean, clean, I would get some copper solvent in there and scrub the barrel clean, then reevaluate.

When I measured it yesterday, it only had 25 rounds on it from the last cleaning. When I loaded the bullets longer, it was right back to shooting good.

 

[wadebrown]

My first 6.5x47 barrel went off a cliff at around 1,700 rounds, it went in the second half of the first relay in a MR comp. I mean fell off a cliff going from mostly 10 to mostly 7's sprayed around the target. I shot that gun hard and fast when the winds were favorable so it got hot every match 3-4 times a day.

The 6.5 CM has a little more case capacity so you may well have shot the barrel out. I tell people that are going to shoot a lot to have a 6.5 barrel on order when you install the last one delivery times on barrels may get to blank to you before you need it installed. Keep in mind barrels are consumable items.

 

[pinzmann]

I'm retiring my 6.5 Lapua barrel after 3800+ rounds. I also was shooting 123's at 2900fps. Started getting squirly at about 3K. Did the cleaning and moved the bullet up 80 thou and got up to 3800. Can't get it to group under an inch now. Thinking about cutting the barrel down the middle to see the condition of the chamber, bore etc.
Wadebrown has the right idea. I always order another barrel just after installing a new one. Since I usually get Bartlein's, it takes 6-8 months for the order to go thru. Then I ready to go when my current one goes south.

 

[Icallem]

Just got off the phone with the smith that built the rifle. Said the chamber was cut with a standard sammi spec reamer. He told me to chase the lands as long as it would go in the mag and still have plenty of bullet in the case. He thinks it should run another ~1000 at least.

 

[lte82]

I always order another barrel just after installing a new one. Since I usually get Bartlein's, it takes 6-8 months for the order to go thru. Then I ready to go when my current one goes south.

Not a bad idea.

 

[Barney88PDC]

The fact is no one can tell you exactly when it is going to go but the barrel. If you are seeing atypical results then I would say it is done. You could probably squeeze some more life if you set the chamber back but unless you are doing this yourself to me just buy a new one. My 260 started to fall off at 1700 rounds. I pulled it at about 2300 but really waited too long. Shoot it at distance, 1000 yards if you can and see what it takes now compared to what it did when it was new. The barrel should settle in somewhere between 75-200 rounds. Meaning it will get a little faster from new to somewhere in that range. Then once it starts to go you will see the velocity drop off and at further distances you will have to dial more and more elevation.

The accuracy was still there in my gun when I pulled it but the velocity had dropped over 80 fps. I really waited too long and should have pulled it sooner. Other team members have had very similar results at 1700 rounds. YMMV.

 

[Icallem]

Thanks for all the replies. The builder said he would set it back, but that he had seen that go both directions.

To the people that want me to clean it really good, what are your thoughts behind this? I'm not looking to start a rock throwing contest, rather really looking for info. What am I missing in the cleaning process?

My wife and I typically shoot 25 each in the evening. The first time her shooting was off we thought nothing of it. Second time little more concerned, but not much. Third time after we got finished I cleaned it. No better the next time, so this is why it had 25 rounds on it when I measured it.

Bohem, I somewhat understand your thoughts on seating the bullet back where it was, as all this wear did not happen in the last100 rounds.

 

[Delta4-3]

How did you measure the chamber? What part was moved foreword, the throat? Did you measure it before you ever shot it to know how much it moved? Usually the wear line isn't crisp enough to measure precisely, which is one of the reasons I ask?

 

[Icallem]

How did you measure the chamber? What part was moved foreword, the throat? Did you measure it before you ever shot it to know how much it moved? Usually the wear line isn't crisp enough to measure precisely, which is one of the reasons I ask?

When rifle was new, I measured it with the Hornady OAL gauge, with the Hornady Mod case. Took 3-4 different samples to arrive at a number.
Did the same yesterday.

 

[Delta4-3]

When rifle was new, I measured it with the Hornady OAL gauge, with the Hornady Mod case. Took 3-4 different samples to arrive at a number.
Did the same yesterday.

I gotcha, makes sense. I'd say it's time for a new tube.