Best powders for barrel life

[Mr.Snerdly]

What would be the easiest powders on the barrel for erosion? 243 Winchester and 223 Remington in particular.

Thanks for any help.

[Stumpkiller]

I have been using IMR4198 in my .223 to launch 52 gr HPBT at a moderate 3,150 fps for 35 years in a single-shot and the barrel is still fine. But, if your .223 is a semi your results may vary.

.243 WIN - I only owned one for a few years and I used IMR4831. Didn't shoot it enough to make a judgement on barrel life.

[Whynot]

How fast will have more of an impact- as in how fast you push the bullet- and in how fast between shots.

223 is pretty easy on barrels and the 243 is a barrel burner.

This usually turns into an argument- but (in my opinion) a single base powder is easier on a barrel than a double base-

Also- downloading 243 win can be dangerous because it is known to have issues with pressure spikes (much more than other cartridges).

[charlie b]

Throat erosion is a combination of mass of powder, type of powder grain, rate of combustion, and velocity of the powder through the throat, not necessarily in that order. I would consider that the mass of powder and velocity in the throat are the driving factors.

.223 barrels seem to last a while. Mine was still around 1/2MOA when I took it off the rifle. That was as good as I could ever shoot it at my skill level at the time. It had over 4500 rounds through it, almost all near max loads with 77gn bullets. Why do they last longer? Probably the small (relatively) powder charge and moderate velocity (for a .22 bullet). If I was shooting 40gn bullets in the 3700fps range it might have worn faster.

.243 is a bit big for the bore. That means it takes a bit more powder for the same velocity as a bit smaller case. That extra powder means more erosion.

As mention\ed above, shooting in a 'hot' barrel will also aggravate the problem.

[CFJunkie]

I agree with the posters who specify powder volume and barrel temperature as key factors.
Higher powder volumes result in higher barrel temperatures and increased chamber pressures and more intense erosion at the chamber/rifling interface.
I don't have a .243 so I can't provide feedback on that caliber, but the causes of barrel wear are pretty well understood.

Barrel wear is exacerbated by increasing muzzle velocity because it requires larger powder loads for a given bullet weight.
Turns out that shooting in the middle of the powder table results in pretty impressive barrel life.

Since I don't have the luxury of a long distance range that I can access, I concentrate on accuracy in the distance available instead of trying to achieve velocities to maintain stability at long distances.

Barrel Temperature Control:
For me this is mostly a summer problem.
Winters in Northern Virginia are not especially severe, but I was shooting today at 27 to 29 degrees with some light snow falling. Barrel temperature wasn't a problem.
But in Summer, when air temps are at 90 and above, it only takes 6 rounds of 6.5mm CMs or .308 to heat barrel temperature from cold to over 120 degrees, even with light loads.
A .223 takes about 8 to 12 rounds, depending upon how fast I am shooting.

I have temp strips on all my barrels and try to keep the temperature under 120 degrees although I occasionally have allowed barrel temps to get up above 130.
Above 120, I find that bullet drop becomes a problem.
A 1/4-inch bullet drop is a big deal when you are trying to shoot 1/4-inch groups at 100 yards.

I also load for exit time to keep the shock reflection at the chamber instead of at the muzzle to reduce harmonics.
Keeping the shock wave at the chamber reduces group sizes by as much as 0.090 inches at 100 yards and also just happens to result in loads well under Pmax.
Reducing barrel temperature and chamber pressure seems to yield longer barrel life.

My 6.5mm CMs all have over 4,500 rounds down the barrel and are still as accurate as when they were new.
I have been told that 6.5mm CM barrels are toast after 2000 rounds. You can't prove it by me.

My .223 bolt actions - a CZ 527 with over 7,000 rounds down the barrel) and a Savage 12 FV with over 5,000 rounds down the barrel - are both still as accurate as they were when new.
My Les Baer .223 Super Varmint AR just exceeded 3,800 rounds and has averaged 0.278 for 34 groups this month in cold and windy Northern VA.
Can't say I see any signs of barrel wear in that 416R SS barrel either.

[Mr.Snerdly]

How is CFE 223 for barrel life? I use it mostly in the 223 but it will work in 243 with the lighter bullets. I have more of it than anything else.