So how long/many rounds does a 5.56/.223 AR barrel last for a carbine? Me, I replace mine at 20K rounds, which is right around every 5 yrs. This is a whole sample of 2,
but has served me well as a good point of reference. They both still shot great at 100yds, but I figured I got my moneys worth and would rather not find out the hard way it was "spent".
Fortunaltely for me, along the lines of research, the people I spend my time shooting with, can't afford to
change uppers/barrels/configurations every 6 months as most here do as evident in the picture threads. While not much bigger I have a sample of a good 15-20 barrels I'm tracking
through what most would consider "hard use" for a semi auto gun - with the added bonus that these uppers often get passed around on M16 lowers at times as well.
The quotes below are just a few I've picked up here in the last week. Just thinking.
From my personal experience, I put 18K rounds through a SS RRA/Wilson barrel, and it still shot great at 100yds. I currently have a RRA/Wilson chrome lined 1:9 that is just over 18K rounds and it still hits a paper plate at 300yds.
Quoted:
my 24k round carbine has throat erosion, you can see the pitting quite clearly. The rest of the bore is nice and crisp, but that throat area.. whoa.
Still, it shoots ok at 100yds.
Bushmaster 1/9 twist chrome lined 14.5 barrel
Bravo Company Carbine Goes 31,165 Rounds
The upper is a BCM item, with a milspec 16.1”, 1:7 twist barrel. The barrel steel is chrome moly vanadium (CMV) and certified under milspec Mil-B-11595E.
Quoted:
John (Noveske) commented "We see our chrome lined barrels go to about 25K (sometimes more) in the hands of trainers and military individuals in relatively heavy use. Some more, some less, based on the shooters accuracy requirements and the rate of fire the barrels have seen."
Quoted:
Had one barrel go over 55,000 rounds before it keyholed ... had others keyhole at less. Steady shootin' class after class, 3-Gun matches, more classes. No full auto, it was a .Mil guy.
YMMV.