Sandblasting Ammo

[Joe Friedrich]

Don't be disheartened. The Benchmarks and tight bore Lilja's have both won plenty of matches, and they can win plenty more.

Sure some guys have to have the "latest and greatest" and that is fine.

But always remember "shooters win matches" not barrels.

Tony

I agree, there is a tendency to be a lot of hype. I still shoot with a BM barrel that has well OVER 50,000 rds. through it, is it pitted, you bet, does it still shoot, yes and very well.

It's just that important for those to stay on top that need to have the latest. Some true, where other is hype. JMO

Thinking back,the biggest pleasure I've had shooting this game is when i bought a rifle and pistol from the same builder who's friends claim both of the barrels were worn out and pieces of crap and turned out both shot great Aggs. and a record target.

Joe

 

[Douglas]

Garrisone............

...........you weren't the OP either, but I'll stab at your question with another question. Eley is made in GB and the Englishmen pay more than we do, what's with that? Thanks, Douglas

 

[Kent Owens]

I think the English have to pay a "value added" tax over there like the new administration in DC is in a hurry to put on all our purchases.

 

[Travelor]

Glass in the priming compound?

I have a friend that used to shoot on the All Guard Pistol Team. In shooting with fellow team members this subject of groud glass and barrel wear came up. It seems that at the time the Army Guard was testing ammo lots (Eley Tennex) for their rifle teams and the acceptance criteria was 100 consecutive rounds into a 1" group at 100 yards from a known machine rested barrelled action. The Guard armorers told him that they were forced to replace their test and Team barrels every half million rounds to maintain the 1" 100 shot group criteria due to ground glass priming compound. They were using a known lot of ammo for checking the barrels for accuracy periodically.

How true the above is, I do not know, but I believe my friend believes it.

I shoot RF Silhouette and shoot about 5,000 rounds per year through a Anschutz 1712 in a custom beddined fiberglass stock. THis is over the past three years or about 15,000 rounds through it to date using Eley ammo. I periodically shoot it from the bench at 100 meters to verifly zero on the tiny Rams and it has not dropped off in accuracy yet - it still shoots about 3/4" at that distance for 5 shot groups (a magazine full).


George

 

[Pete Wass]

Visited a friend this weekend

Who had a new Turbo 10.5 rifle built last fall. The rifle shot exceptionally well until he had put around 1500 rounds through it. The accuracy fell off dramatically around that number of rounds through the barrel and his barrel has a "Frosted" land in it he told me.

It's one thing to hit targets an inch or better but trying to repeatedly hit a dot the size of a #4 pencil lead tip and fit each bullet inside a ring just slightly larger than the bullet is quite another. We have to be real about accuracy levels and what it takes to be there.

To be on the top of the heap one has to use "Fresh Stuff". Sure, one can win the odd match with a 10-22 but it won't happen with any great frequency, I don't think.

Learning to do one's own Smithin is an answer, perhaps but at my age - - - --

 

[glp]

Ok...

How many barrels have you replaced in the last two years? If you have not replaced a barrel, have you lost accuracy?

I have been talking with several shooters who seem to be replacing their barrels at an alarming rate. It appears that some shooters aren't even getting a full year of competition out of a new barrel. What seems to be the problem? I have notice that over the past couple of years, there seems to be a lot of gritty residue left in the barrel from the ammo. It appears that the primer (I think it is the primer anyhow) is leaving a very sandy like material in the barrel, when the next round is fired, it is pushing this grit into the barrel and seems to be sandblasting the barrel. If you can, take a bore scope and look at your barrel. I think you will find what appears to be sandblasting at 6:00 down the barrel.

I have pushed a patch through and collected this material from a couple lots of my ammo. My ammo is two years old. I have some Lapua and Black box Eley. Every lot of ammo that I tried had this real gritty substance in the barrel. I then used some of my old Gold box Lapua. It was completely different. The residue left behind seemed to be more of a powder material. I know people who (when we use to have the gold box Lapua) had over 50,000 rounds down the barrel and it was still shooting well. Now, it seems that if you get 5,000 rounds through a barrel you have done well.

I believe our ammo is killing our barrels. Has anyone else noticed this and what can we do about it?

If Eley and Lapua "may" have issues, which ammo brands (Federal/RWS, RWS, Wolf, etc.) do not produce the "gritty substance in the barrel"? Tks --Greg

 

[Fiddler]

If it's

sand blasting our barrels, why wouldn't we see equal wear on the top and sides of the barrel?? Anyone ever think that the solvents we use to clean with, may be causing some kind of chemical reaction with the metal that the barrels made of and combination of residue in the barrel?

 

[DonMatzeder]

The residue falls to the bottom of the barrel. When the next bullet is fired, the residue enbeds in the bullet and then "laps" the barrel on that land.

 

[Fred J]

Over 100 years

And it will never change.

 

[Pete Wass]

Has anyone observed

The residue falls to the bottom of the barrel. When the next bullet is fired, the residue enbeds in the bullet and then "laps" the barrel on that land.

the residue left in the bottom of the barrel? I am going to take my borescope to the range next time I shoot my Sporter and see if I can see grit residue

 

[Keith23]

Pete

ith your rTE=Pete Wass;576924]the residue left in the bottom of the barrel? I am going to take my borescope to the range next time I shoot my Sporter and see if I can see grit residue [/QUOTE]

See grit? You will. Just fire one round and take a dry patch and push it thur the bore. Feel the stuff on the patch. Pretty gritty huh! Gravity probably makes most of it fall to the bottom of the bore. I'm sure some gets stuck in other place, but the most of it ends up on the bottom.

You should also be able to see the "gravel road" in your bore with your bore scope. Just look at the 6 o'clock position all the way down your bore. If your rifle has more than a 1000 rounds down it the "gravel road will be there. Just pick a point and rotate the scope around 360 degrees. The top of the bore will not show the same "gravel road" as the bottom will.

Don't even start thinking about how this effects our bullets. With the top of the barrel being smooth, and the bottom rough, one might think our bullets would not be balanced very well by the time they exited the muzzle.

Don't you hope you have a barrel with a perfect twist rate so it turns the bullet an equal amount of times down the bore.

It is a wonder we ever hit anything.

Tony