SmallCaliberCentral

Hi from a newbie,

Most of my shooting is walkabout hunting, not rapid fire or range work.

What would be the typical barrel life expectancy for a .204 Ruger and .17 Rem Fireball ?

With that type of shooting (no chance to over heat the barrel ) and with a good cleaning regiment, it should last you a lifetime with 5000 + shots. I typically clean after range work or out p-doggin when I get back home which will range anywhere from 50 to 200 rounds.

5,000 rounds sounds good. I assume that is for the .204 Ruger.

I've read elsewhere that the .17 Rem has barrel throat erosion problems with only about 1,000 - 1,500 rounds fired. So, guesstimating a 50% improved life expectancy with the new Fireball that would still only give 1,500 - 2,250 rounds. Still significantly lower than the .204 Ruger.

Have I got that right ?

I have no experience with the 17's, but I know Rick from Oregon and Silverfox do. They are a wealth of information and I'm sure they will reply in the near future.

If you shoot fairly hot loads and do a lot of rapid fire, you can eat up the throat on a barrel in a hurry on both the .17 calibers (especially the .17 Rem which I have two of) and the .204 Ruger. If, however, you shoot loads below the max loads a bit and don't overheat the barrel, I think you can squeeze at least 3,500 to 4,000+ rounds out of a .17 Rem or a .204 Ruger.

I have 2,250 rounds down the barrel on my Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger and it is still giving me excellent accuracy. I don't know how much longer that will be the case, but I do have a new super match grade Pac-Nor SS barrel on order just in case this one gives up on me. I had Shilen barreled .17 Remington that I got around 5,000 rounds out of before I rebarreled it with a Lilja barrel. The Lilja barrel was set back .78" and rechambered when it had a bit over 2,000 rounds through it. I have run almost 800 more rounds through it since then and it is still shooting great.

Normally, I DO NOT get my barrels heated up to the too hot range. Once in a great while I can't resist and do get them a wee bit too hot to touch. My son has been shooting the Lilja barreled .17 Remington for the last four summers and he doesn't seem to care if the barrel turns red hot or not. I have cautioned him that he will be paying for the next barrel on that rifle. Fortunately, he doesn't go out shooting a whole lot, so the barrel may last a year or two longer.

Thanks Silverfox.

In order to maximise barrel life with a .204 Ruger or .17 Rem Fireball what sort of MV/powder charge can I drop down to before adversely affecting accuaracy ?

I would find it hard to believe that a barrel on a 17 fireball only lasts for 1500 rounds. The 17 remington.....YES.....the fireball comparatively uses a tiny powder charge. Mine shoots the best with loads that are 1/3 - 1/2 a grain off max anyway so I am expecting long barrel life.