The 'barrel burner' rep has to be understood in the context of:
1) benchrest accuracy standards are tighter than hunting standards
2) benchrest shooters put a lot more rounds downrange during practice and matches over the life of the barrel than the average hunter
3) benchrest shooters put rounds downrange very quickly during matches lots of rounds at high velocity in short period of time + hot barrel = shorter life

Consequently, if you are a hunter, the barrels shouldn't 'burn out' any faster than any other caliber. The point is well taken that cartridges like the 257 Wby, 257 STW, 7mm RUM, etc put out rounds just as fast if not faster. Since this is the Savage forum, it can be assumed that replacing a barrel, should one actually shoot one out, wouldn't be that big a deal or that difficult. For those who lose sleep over such things, there is always the .30-30.