I don't see how you could be an accomplished long range hunter/ shooter by firing "a few" practice rounds before hunting season each year... sounds rather novice, to me...unless your not really shooting at long range, but normal hunting ranges, then your fine, with the barrel lasting a lifetime. You need lots of field shooting experience to be good, requiring lots of practice.. which requires barrels and components be used. Expensive...yes... example: back in the day a famous record setting benchrest shooter bought 8 to 10 barrel blanks at a time, to have his famous gunsmith chamber for the same BR cartridge, 6mm PPC...this "might" last one season of competition.. as he'd change barrels as soon as they quit meeting his high demands...some never made it into competition. Being the best or just being good at it, cost money...you really have to pay to play...if you're not going through barrels, you're not practicing enough, and probably not an accomplished LR shooter. Just a fact...take what the barrel gives ya...if accuracy falls below your standards in 5 or 6 hundred rds ...rebarrel...and keep shooting.