Flub's General Discussion - Can you wear out an air guns barrel???

Can you wear out an air guns barrel???

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Forum Name: Flub's General Discussion
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Topic: Can you wear out an air guns barrel???

Posted By: RangerPete
Subject: Can you wear out an air guns barrel???
Date Posted: 16 Jun 2023 at 1:26pm

Now there’s an interesting question!

Was having a discussion today about barrel lifespans and shooting out an air rifles barrel.

Super hot powder burners like the 220Swift are well know to burn out barrels prematurely with their 4000fps velocities, a barrel might only last 2000 or even only 1000 rounds.

More modest calibures around the 2500 to 3000fps can see a barrel lasting for 5 to 10000 rounds, and I’ve heard of rifles shooting almost 15000 rounds before they needed a new barrel.
But powder burners have a few things working against their barrels that air rifles don’t.
High velocitys, heat build up, and corrosive gasses. You can probably add hard projectiles (think monolithics) to that list as well.

Air rifles shoot comparatively slow projectiles, made of soft conforming lead, seem to have no heat build up (or none that I’ve ever heard of?), and no corrosive, high pressure gasses.

So I ask the question, can you shoot out an air rifles barrel?
Have you ever heard of a shot out air rifle barrel?
What are your thoughts?

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Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Replies:

Posted By: kruzaroad
Date Posted: 19 Jun 2023 at 10:00am

Could you afford the amount of pellets?
Friction is at play in the barrel off the pellet contact.
An alloy or copper pellet may have a more erosive effect. Guess depends on barrel too!

Posted By: RangerPete
Date Posted: 19 Jun 2023 at 1:47pm

Hi Kruza,
Fair point about the alloys, being harder they will probably cause more friction than lead, but the alloys are usually aluminum or tin or a mixture. Regardless lead or aluminum or tin are all softer metals than steel, so in theory it should not be possible to wear down the steel lands in a barrell using a softer metal 🤔.

I’m also not convinced about the “copper” (or gold) pellets.
I don’t know a lot about them, but I suspect they are similar to plated lead bullets use for reloading, meaning they could be just a lead pellet with an extreamly thin electro plated coating on them. Or, they are an alloy pellet with some coloured additive, or an electro plating, but I doubt they will be made from solid copper, too hard and too expensive. And despite what any packaging might say, I sincerely doubt they use gold in or on any pellets, way too expensive!!!
Just my 2cents worth.

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Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Posted By: KiwiTR6
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2023 at 4:17am

The copper is electroplated onto the lead as I understand it - to provide a barrier and save us all from lead poisoning!

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Posted By: J-S
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2023 at 4:19am

Not something i have heard of... airgun pellets are pretty soft, velocity pretty low, no chemicals introduced like in powder guns?

Id imagine even if you shot the sh!t out of a barrel the most you could do would be dull the lands, even in that case there would be enough to make the pellet twist for decent accuracy?

Even if an air rifle bore was rusted and pitted in sure cleaning it, a run through with a bore polishing compound, then a hundred or so shots to 're-lead' the barrel would bring it back to reasonable spec?

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