Posted by on 9/15/2021 to
Barrels are the most essential part of any firearm. When you take the gun down to its most essential piece, it is the barrel. The first part of the firearm that could be considered a firearm, this essential part is what allows the round to be aimed and what it is fired through. Anyone who has had a lot of experience with firearms will tell you: “Don’t skimp on the barrel.” Luckily, if you don’t skimp on the barrel, it should last you for quite a while. But how long is that? It depends, there is a lot of differing information out there. Most barrels can be used without any real maintenance for 1500 to 3000 rounds. After that reports go from barrels that last for 5000 rounds without loss of accuracy, up to 20k. That seems to be the high number, twenty thousand rounds, but then you hear higher numbers, approaching 100k. This might mean that there are vastly different standards to when a barrel is done. At 100k rounds it might not have any holes in it, but it can’t be very accurate. It doesn’t sound very safe to be firing a barrel that worn either.
So how can you tell when it’s time for a new barrel? If you have access to a borescope, that can give you a lot of information on what’s going on inside of the barrel. Simply shooting it should also give you a lot of information. There have been reports of crappy-looking barrel internals having great accuracy results when fired. Some would say that you don’t need to replace the barrel until it starts keyholing, where your ammo is hitting the target lengthwise. This means that it’s lost the spin imparted by the rifling, flying end over end instead of like a well-thrown football. Others would say you should replace your barrel when you see a noticeable accuracy decrease. That might be different from person to person, regardless of the barrel. Someone who competes in marksman matches will probably have a higher standard of accuracy than one who just goes to the range every now and then. Though it seems to be highly subjective, it also seems reasonable that you should get somewhere between 3k to 10k+ rounds for barrel life. Ultimately it’s up to you to determine when your barrel needs to be replaced. If your shots start going wide, that may be an indication that your barrel needs to be replaced.
Barrels might top the list of parts that you want the best quality product possible. Investing in a good barrel now will help ensure accuracy and longevity for years to come. Whether upgrading a new firearm or replacing a worn barrel on a reliable favorite, check out our selection as we have many options available. All barrels listed here are made to last with high quality treated steel, and offer many lengths, calibers, twist rates, feed ramps, and compatibility to gas systems.
