Over 1000 rounds on a PPC barrel? 2000? 3000?

[thumper4fun]

I haven't been participating in short range group shooting very long but from the get go I've heard that a PPC barrel was not worthy of match duty after 1000 rounds and in most case less than that. So I was surprised to read on the "How do you shoot a teen agg?" thread about a shooter who had a .1504 agg with a barrel that had over 3000 rounds down it. So I would like to hear from those that have had good performing PPC barrels with 1000+ rounds.

At what point did the barrel finally give up? 200? 3000? More?
Did you have to set it back to get the round count up or was it on the original chamber?
Did you do anything special to extend barrel life?
Anything else that was pertinent to getting long life and good performance out of your barrel.

 

[abintx]

I haven't been participating in short range group shooting very long but from the get go I've heard that a PPC barrel was not worthy of match duty after 1000 rounds and in most case less than that. So I was surprised to read on the "How do you shoot a teen agg?" thread about a shooter who had a .1504 agg with a barrel that had over 3000 rounds down it. So I would like to hear from those that have had good performing PPC barrels with 1000+ rounds.

At what point did the barrel finally give up? 200? 3000? More?
Did you have to set it back to get the round count up or was it on the original chamber?
Did you do anything special to extend barrel life?
Anything else that was pertinent to getting long life and good performance out of your barrel.

Give your fellow Alabamian, Billy Stevens a call in Brundidge, He's not only a fair competitor with the 6PPC but a pretty good gunsmith to boot. He can set you right. Here's his shingle info: http://www.stevensaccuracy.com/html/benchrest.html

 

[zippy06]

First off a barrel is like tires on your truck. Some guys like no treads and slide all over.
Up in the "Great White North" that will kill You, Your family, and the guy you hit.
Hope I got your attention.
By the way. Joe don't fish. Nor does Jack. I don't fish either.
I shot a .069" Group with 3500 rounds on that barrel. And the wind was 8-10 mph and a little switchy. Joe can back that up.
But, Joe is a way better shooter than I.
First time I meet Joe. He says "You will never beat that guy". Pointing at Jack Neary.
I says, maybe someday.
Joe says never. Jack has shoot +1 million rounds. He knows where every bullet hits, before it's shot.
Lowell, Joe, Jack and a lot of people, helped me to set that record.
My point. It takes a lot of practice.
And luck.
The range you are at, plays a ton, on your ability to shoot well.

I hope, I get this right.
Holton Gun and Bow Club changed the range 3 yrs ago. They evened out the field. Used to sloop left to right.
Most good shooters were down in the middle of the pack.
NBRSA Eastern Region-Regionals. We have our own "Hall of Fame". I got a point.
I think, most guys were used to the old range. The mirage is terrible on Sunday afternoon.
You can't see any bullet holes. It starts about 10-11 am.
Me. I don't care. What do I know. I am a new guy just having fun. I did not know, I won the HV 200 for an hour or more.
Ate lunch. Helped another guy set his flags. Went back to the loading barn. Get ready for the afternoon. Billy Mitchell says "Hey!. Good shooting." I said thanks. I'm not shooting that good. Billy says. What a bunch of "BULL. FALSE. MODESTY". Ya know how Canucks can get.......I did not know I won........It was like some BS comedy on TV.....

Any how. I am thinking about setting back that barrel.
No one makes a good barrel anymore. The Steal is junk. Ya buy Stainless Steal and it rusts. That is BS.
last Answer. Practice.
Back then. 2 yrs ago. I was on Tues Morning at a local club. Score. I treated it like a group match. And I shot something on the weekend. I even drove 4 hrs to shoot a score match.
Practice.

 

[zippy06]

It has been said. Most new guys win first yr or 2. They practice more.

Your first 2 gun win is followed by a 7 yr drought. no wins.

Some don't use a barrel after 8-900 rounds. I am still not sure what to look for.
I have a barrel that will not shoot < .157 @ 100y. But, will shoot <.259 @ 200y.
In the Tony Boyer book. He states. He had some time off work for medical reasons. Got bored. And dragged out his used barrels. Tried this and tried that.......To Tony, they were dead. Hope I got that right......

 

[goodgrouper]

In the Tony Boyer book. He states. He had some time off work for medical reasons. Got bored. And dragged out his used barrels. Tried this and tried that.......To Tony, they were dead. Hope I got that right......

Yep Tim, that's right. He also said that if he takes a barrel to a major match that has more than 600 (memory?) rounds thru it, he's having a hard time finding good barrels. Kinda scary thought since most of the barrels I take to matches have AT LEAST that many rounds through them!


As to round count, I had a barrel that went 2150 before it started spitting shots outside the group no matter what I did to try to fix it. Had another that started doing that in 550. I'd say the average has been around 1400. When I start getting close to that number, I start looking around for another tube.