Number of shots, possibly a stupid, uh, Question

how many rounds

first, there are no stupid questions if one gains knowledge from asking questions. as far as barrel life, superb accuracy will begin to go away between 5000 to 8000 rounds. your barrel should continue to give fairly good accuracy up to 10000 rounds at which point you will notice a big difference. all this depends on cleaning procedures and the ammo you use, also depends on how fast you shoot, a hot barrel is an eroding barrel. there are lots of variables that pertain to barrel life. hope this helps. i am sure there are some more with longer barrel life but this is just from my own personal experience.

Thanks, I shoot South African 7.62X51 and yes the barrel does get a bit on the warm side now and then. When I do get to the range I've been averaging around 160 rounds during the session, but it's been cold, I usually drag along 1 or 2 cool down guns during the warmer months and because a work don't get out much atall during the summer. I had been told to expect about 10,000 rounds outa my barrel till I realized that the guy was refering to a cromelined GI barrel, that realization got me to asking the question. Thank you. JB

There are a lot of variables, as harley guy notes.
Some say a match rifle is good for 4000 rds, some say double that.

You might be interested in the interesting discussion / FAQ at Mike's Shooters Supplies http://www.mikesshooters.com/faqs.htm and at Fulton
http://www.fulton-armory.com/Barrels.htm and http://www.fulton-armory.com/Barrels2.htm.

-- cw