204Ruger

Hey Guys, I've been looking at Gun Broker at .204 bolt rifles. Seems there quite a few used rifles available. I am wondering if this is because the barrels are quickly shot out. Waddaya say?

It really depends on "how" the gun was shot. Out in a pdog/rat field and the shooter was under heavy attack, one can burnup/toast a barrel in a day if the barrel gets too hot to hold you hand on. Using really hot/fast loads will shorten the barrel life as well. Even powder selection in the reloads can have an affect on barrel life. If the previous owner/seller did not allow the barrel to get overheated, and used sensible loads, then it could still have some barrel life left. If the brand of firearm allows for easy barrel swapping (ie Savage for one), then you can just re-barrel for a modest sum. Things to ask the seller if all possible.

Hard to find reloading components could be another reason. I see lots of ads for various guns with the seller stating they are consolidating/reducing their calibers due to the current conditions.

As jpx surmised, much depends on how the rifle was treated in the field in regard to barrel heat.

So far we've figured out that if the rifle was treated properly, a good barrel will last in excess of 4,500 rounds before accuracy starts to degrade in this caliber. The rifle may still shoot "okay" for many, but not for the guys that expect less than .5 MOA on a regular basis.

When considering a used varmint rifle, especially one that has the speed of the 204, it's a good idea to ask the seller about round count prior to sealing any deal, and hope he's being honest with you. With all the hassles of shipping firearms now, along with the increased cost of doing so, you want to get it right the first time.

I got 3500 out of my last one.

A investment in a bore scope may be a good idea since there are some out there that are reasonable. The down side is you need to know and be able to interrupt what you actually see.

4000

One time my late father was at my house, and looked at all of my rifles. Why do you need all these guns? You can only shoot one at a time....and I told him if I am in a PD town shooting, when one gets warm I set it aside and grab another one, etc. The light bulb went on for him that day.

I try to not burn mine up. I dont have to have the fastest round, I go for what is the most consistenly accurate

My excuse is the right tool for the job.
I have more than one wrench, screwdriver or hammer.

We've found that during a hot time in the rat patch or on PD's, a soaking wet towel draped over the barrel while it's being cleaned cools it off quickly and with even cooling over the entire length of the barrel. When the barrel is clean, it's then about cool enough to resume shooting.

Of course, the rifle will also sit horizontal in the shade to help too. Grab another rifle, shoot until too warm, repeat with the first one. Any wonder why a guy can blow through 400 rounds in a day? Remember the old CO2 cooling units offered in the early 90's? We even saw a guy shooting PD's in MT one year that had a portable compressor in his truck in order to blow cool air down his hot barrels.

Life is good with warm barrels, fun too.