Fmj= barrel wear?

I have worn out barrels three times. I got enough rounds through an AR15 unlined barrel that it would no longer stabilize 5.56 ammo. I have shot out two 1911 barrels, the worst one being nearly mirror-like except for the last inch where you can still see some of the rifling with a bore scope.

That it will take a lifetime and bankrupt your kids, or being chrome-lined will last forever are ever bit as much of a false claim as fmj will wear out a barrel in 1000 rounds.
 
As has been said, barrels can be worn out. This usually takes many thousands of rounds. It also usually happens in higher velocity firearms than in lower. It normally occurs at the muzzle where the lands begin to deteriorate for that last 1/8" or so. Hot gasses leaving the bore are a major factor. The expansion and contraction of the barrel as it heats and cools also contributes over time. A barrel fouled with lead and copper build up can also wear prematurely.

As was said some high velocity rifle barrels will show a drop off in accuracy after 1000 rounds or so and will need the barrel cut down or replaced to remove the worn section of rifling. But hand guns, not so much.

The service life of a Glock G19 is about 40,000 rounds. Of a Browning High Power 30,000 to 35,000 rounds. While some parts will need replacing the barrels may not need it.

But 1000 rounds of fmj? All service caliber handguns can do this readily.


tipoc
 
old fart
Fmj= barrel wear?
my brother came by this morning and told me not to buy any full metal jacket ammo, he said it will wear the gun barrel out in less than a thousand rounds. is this true?, i use federal 115 grain fmj to target shoot and hollow points for defense. thanks
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Your brother is absolutely correct. Since your barrels are worn, I'll buy the guns from ya. I'll give you what your LGS will give you, less the barrel wear, of course. :D

Ok - Seriously - HANDGUN barrels will not wear out in less than a thousand rounds. A quality barrel will not wear out in tens of thousands of rounds. Where ever your brother got his info, he needs to stop getting any more info. A match grade large caliber rifle is a different story, but even then - it would not negatively impact your "normal" user. A normal user would never know the difference. Maybe he got confused?
 
Flip side:

If handgun barrels actually wore out in 1,000 rounds, you'd either have a significant number of lawsuits against barrel / gun manufacturers, or you'd have more warning labels on the gun than your average ladder (ala 14 warning labels on my last one), or on Cali products that state "this product contains substances known to the State of California to cause ... / not for use by pregnant ... / children...", or other high risk products.

I've yet to find a gun that has such labels for wear, and conversely see virtually no wear on any of my 1K + FMJ barrels.

If you're still worried, I'll sweeten the deal, and offer you $1 more than you LGS for all of your guns :D
 
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Is it just me or is there an 'inordinate' amount of 'bunk' threads tonight (like the one on WWB being bad for your gun being just one more example)? Maybe I just need to hit a pub and put the tech to bed for the night (of course, there's always the phone and the ....). Granted I can post a few stinkers myself here and there ;) but I'm just sayin'...

-Cheers
 
If handgun barrels actually wore out in 1,000 rounds, you'd either have a significant number of lawsuits against barrel / gun manufacturers, or you'd have more warning labels on the gun than your average ladder...
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Now the benchrest shooters I used to chat with told me that they didn't like to keep their barrels over 1000-1500 rounds because of the decline in accuracy which was a fraction of an inch at 100 yards. However, 1000 rounds for a decent pistol should be just about getting the gun broken-in, so to speak.

Of course, there are gun owners who will never get 1000 rounds through a gun and a bunch that won't get more than a box or two through it.
 
Some people would say that the barrel isn't broken in unless you shoot 1K jacketed rounds.

In fact, lots of people shoot lapper rounds to speed up the process. Which is a cast round filled with grit to help wear down the high spots.
 
He's not completely wrong. Jacketed bullets are harder on barrels than lead bullets, and steel jacketed bullets are harder on barrels than gilding metal jackets.

And it takes many thousands of rounds to tell the difference, more rounds than most of us will ever fire from one gun.

Jim
 
Now the benchrest shooters I used to chat with told me that they didn't like to keep their barrels over 1000-1500 rounds because of the decline in accuracy which was a fraction of an inch at 100 yards.
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More likely due to throat erosion than rifling wear.
 
Tell your brother to buy the ammo you will put up the gun . And see . He will be out money and you will have plenty of target practice.
 
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