This is a post that should produce many different opinions and theories. Some are willing to give up barrel life for speed, some speed for accuracy, and others like a compromise of speed, barrel life and accuracy depending on need.
There are many reasons for poor barrel life and If you understand the cause, you can reach a compromise that should satisfy all the needs.
In most cases Accuracy is the main goal, In our sport, accuracy with enough velocity with good ballistics to get downrange bullet performance is normally our goal. In bench rest, Accuracy is everything with no consideration for anything else. Fortunately bench rifles aren't hard on barrels because of needed velocities. But barrel life is shorter because of accuracy needs and once any there is any loss of accuracy the barrel is done even though it could still have a useful life as a hunting rifle barrel.
Long ago, the military tested for barrel life and came up with the number 3000 ft/sec for the best combination of velocity and barrel life if they stayed below that. they also decided that ball powder (Spherical in shape, instead of tubular) was less abrasive and gave better throat life.
There are many reasons for premature barrel life and these can be managed for reasonable barrel life with accuracy. there are cartridges that are notorious barrel burners but they can be managed and longer barrel life can be seen.
The best way to manage barrel life in my opinion is first, don't push a bullet beyond it's best accuracy just for velocity numbers. don.t make it a habit to fire it rapidly getting the barrel hot unless it is necessary.
Use spherical powder if you can (Sometimes they just wont achieve the accuracy needed so you may not have this choice). Keep the bore as clean as possible at all times. (Powder fouling is very abrasive and should be removed as often as possible) as the bullet travels down the barrel it embeds with this fouling and carries it down the barrel increasing the wear on the bore. Dry Patching is a good and easy way to control powder fouling. (If you don't believe how much can be laid down with just one shot with some powders just run a dry patch through you bore after only one shot).
The worst elements that contribute to barrel wear are Lots of powder. high velocity, small bore sizes for the ratio of powder because more un-burnt powder is forced out of the case upon firing. This is also one of the advantages of the improved cartridge designs with 40o shoulders, They tend to keep the powder in the case a little longer for a more consistent burn and one of the reasons that most Bench Rest cartridges ha short fat shape with a greater shoulder angle (Normally at lease 30 to 40 degrees.(this also includes larger bores that use huge amounts of powder,Excessive heat,excessive powder fouling(Poor cleaning) ultra high velocity, ETC.
There is no best combination for all just the best compromise for your needs. I have seen barrels of the same materials get shot out from as few as 300 shots to as many as 20,000 plus. so the choice is up to us as to what is important and what is necessary for our needs . If we except the cause and come to a compromise we can get many years/shots from a barrel. if we ignore the causes and except them we can get good use from a barrel but shorten the life.
Just some comments
J E CUSTOM