Bullet weight vs barrel wear

[Jamesj]

Hello, I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting this in the right section.

Is there any correlation between different bullet weight and wear on the barrel? I ask because I have recently purchased a Remington 700 .300 WIN MAG and am trying different factory ammunition. Anything between a 145 grain up to a 210 grain to try and find what shoots better grouping but don't want to end up prematurely wearing the barrel with a particularly heavy bullet.

Any advice would be appreciated.

James.


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[WelshShooter]

Bullet mass won't impact your barrel life alone. It's a product of both bullet mass and muzzle velocity. I don't know enough about 300 winmag to suggest typical velocities.

[ovenpaa]

James, welcome to the forum. We have a forum member who shoots 300WM with over 2000 rounds through the barrel. An important consideration is avoiding string shooting, if the barrel is too hot to touch it is too hot. Also it is best to avoid double base powders such as the VV N5x series as they certainly lead to throat erosion.

[Racalman]

An important consideration is avoiding string shooting, if the barrel is too hot to touch it is too hot. Also it is best to avoid double base powders such as the VV N5x series as they certainly lead to throat erosion.

That's me stuffed then. I shoot rapid snaps with 185gn .30cal Berger Juggernauts and N550. My barrel is always hot ... aaarggh

[Duey]

It's my Winmag that Ovenpaa is referring to with now in the region of 2300 rounds through it
It is still capable of holding the 4 & 5 ring on a 900yd Fclass target, shot from 1200yds but not as consistant as it once was
I would suggest you try and find what twist barrel you have and the try appropriate bullet weights to suit

1/10 twist would be best suited to 180 to 220 gr bullets and 1/11.25 would be best suited to 170 to 190 gr bullets
I have a 10 twist and have stuck with SMK 200gr as I couldn't get to grips with the Berger 210

I wouldn't bother with the lighter bullets as the extra powder and velocities would soon toast the barrel and it is powder quantity as much as anything that toasts barrels

The main problem with my barrel is not throat erosion but fire cracking

I have use predominantly N160 & N165 with a short period of using N560 and I am currently running H1000 which has improved accuracy at this later stage in the barrel life, I will however be considering RS70 over the H1000 due to the REACH regulations that will come into force in the near future which may make H1000 unobtanium along with many other powders

These of course are only my personal findings and preferences along with my requirement to not waste too much barrel life on load development, others however may have different experiences

Good luck and happy shooting