in all seriousness what is the finnal straw for you with an upper?

i have one my main blaster 11.5 non-chrome gov profile. I have a yhm phantom hanging off the end 30-40% of the time

the gas port is so erroded that i have an MGI adjustable tube on it all the way shut it still runs wolf (55gr) with an H3 buffer just fine... and when the phantom is on it runs probably 1200 rpm.

when i look down the bore i still see rifleing no idea how it groups..... I have personally put 5-6k full auto through it and it came from a link owner before me so the round count is unknown.

is the gas port erosion enough that i should consider a new blaster upper for my RLL?
i guess my biggest conscern is getting a baffle strike on the can because it wont stabelize any more

Grouping is the best way to tell if the rounds are not being stabilized, from your post it sounds like the barrel is on it's last breath if the gas port is so eroded. Personally I'd just replace the barrel at this point, it's a lot cheaper than dealing with a trashed can.

Barrels arent that expensive, $200-300, just pick one up if its questionable.

If it still groups well, doesn't keyhole and you can handle the erosion with your adjustable gas block then keep shooting it as long as you want to.

With a can on the end, I'd probably just replace it, rather than worry about having to watch out for keyholing and risk baffle strikes, though.

looks like someone was trying to play an insane game of battle ship with hundreds of destroyers...

so what kind of life do you guys get out of your barrels?

im new to the RLL only 2 years my other mg are pistol cal so it not really an issue there.

That entirely depends on your firing schedule. You can blow your barrel in under 600 rounds of full auto fire or you can shoot it modestly with shorter bursts until 20k.

I personally get about 7000ish rounds out of  a barrel with pretty heavy full auto fire and running a heavy (but not exclusive) diet of steel case and bi-metal jackets.

What I notice is that the heavier rounds like 62gr start to get a random keyhole, while the 55gr stuff will stay stabilized.

Once I notice any keyholing on heavier stuff I wont shoot a suppressor on it anymore and the barrel goes onto my "to replace" list.

I understand the issue and risk with running the barrel with a can on.  What risk do you run with no can and just using it to blast pumpkins or some other random object on the hill side?  

Thelom:  Where did the barrel come from?   Wow they were ran hard!  I realize I need to shoot more.

Off the top of my head no extra risks from doing that as long as you don't get the barrel hot enough to blow up in your hands. Somebody more knowledgeable than me might chime in if unstabilized bullets have a higher chance of ricochet.

Those barrels above I'm not sure about but it's some sort of test. Here's an interesting read on barrels going kaboom done by Rock Island Arsenal in 1996 http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a317929.pdf

Just weld up the port and re drill it.  If the rifling is still good don't let that barrel punch out early.

Agree with a 7k-ish figure for typical FA use.  Have a 1:7 11.5" at around 10k now, but it is a 12 MOA blaster even with 55 gr.  

The test to destruction is basically to tell us what not to do.  The 20k opposite extreme is.........well..........not us.

At shoots I try to limit a bbl to 3-4 unhurried sequential mag dumps.  Then cool down.  Swap upper if needed.  At the end of one shoot I got pressured to let the fire crew run my 16.  Ended up doing about 10 mags in a very short time.  That's when it became a 12 MOA blaster.  

Sometimes you can somewhat restore accuracy with a serious cleaning.  A badly eroded bore takes time and work to clean, though.  Forget Hoppes #9.  You'll need abrasives/paste and Kroil plus something like Patch-Out.  Bad news is it will foul quickly.  

Sam

I'd get a hammered barrel to replace it.

5-7k rounds out of a buttoned barrel with lots of auto sounds about right.

im probably going to wait for psa 10.5 come come back in stock... hammer forged and extra thick chrome....

guess ill see if all the hype makes a diffrence.

i to tend to do 3-4 then give it a break and switch the link to a diffrent host gives time for the can. barrel, and hand guards to cool down to be comfortable to shoot again.

That's a lot like the firing schedule I run on my guns - no more than three mags in quick succession without a cool down.  Or, of course, the occasional beta mag or even beta dump.  I have yet to wear out a barrel to point of keyholing, and am probably over the 10k mark on my main blaster, which is a Bushy chrome lined 1/9 heavy 10.5".

it is what i love about the RLL I can change it to completly diffrent style guns not just uppers

11.5 carbine with can one minute full stock m16a2 the next

no messing with trigger assemblys like a RDIAS and no messing with stocks like a RR

I consider a .223/5.56 AR bbl worn out when the throat erosion gage goes to the reject line (shows the rifling has eroded 1").

I generally just replace once they start keyholing.  I will notice the keyholes start when running a carbine course and the targets start to get oblong holes with the heavier 62gr vs. shooting pumpkins, etc. where you have no clue if the rounds are tumbling.

I am generally pretty abusive to AR barrels and don't do anything special to try and preserve their life.  Although with having a Shrike now I have found my beta mags pretty much just collecting dust, so I may get more life out of them in the future.

That is what is great about ARs, barrels (even good ones) are like $250.  (unlike the SCAR16 10" I just bought....holy F&*%... a grand for just a barrel...it is made my magical gnomes in Bruges)  

I used to have the same thought about keeping and using blaster barrels but found that I generally just always gravitate to my "good" upper that is set up the way I like with a nice optic, etc. vs. a blaster upper with a cheapo carry handle stuck on it.   With AR uppers over the past 5 to 7 years all migrating to railed uppers, for me its a  waste keeping a partially shot out barrel in an expensive upper with a rail, nice folding front site, optic, etc.   Since there is no front site on most barrel I buy now nor way to attach a cheap front handguard, shot out barrels just get replaced now.   I still have an old "blaster" A2 style 11.5 bushy upper, but find it just collects dust in the corner.