What is the verdict on this barrel?

[Tidesloe]

This is what my 7STW looks like.I haven't done anything to this rifle except clean it.I have no idea how many rounds it has through it because I bought it used.I'm seeing damage from the bore all the way down to 7" down the barrel.It starts improving greatly after 8" and all the way to the muzzle.The amazing thing it will still shoot 1/2".I guess the damage is the price you pay burning around 80grs of powder down a .284 tube.View attachment 179238View attachment 179239View attachment 179241View attachment 179242View attachment 179243

Yea, I can see it. Id say that looks better than mine.

 

[Tidesloe]

Kano industries which make kroil also makes kreen and that is the best carbon remover I've ever used. It's comes in quarts but it's worth every penny, if you don't have some I'd try it especially if you have over bore magnums.

Kreen? ive not heard of it. I'll sure be checking it out, cause Ive thought for a long time that theres something magical to Kroil. Id assume kreen may be like that too.
Thanks!!

 

[milo-2]

Kano industries which make kroil also makes kreen and that is the best carbon remover I've ever used. It's comes in quarts but it's worth every penny, if you don't have some I'd try it especially if you have over bore magnums.

Interesting, thanks!

 

[Kevin P McNeilly]

Kano kreen is made specifically for carbon removal. It doesn't take long to clean a pretty dirty barrel, it is actually a carbon remover for car engine parts.

 

[dok7mm]

I am a long time 7 STW shooter. In my early days I shot rounds too close together and fire cracking and throat erosion soon raised their ugly head. Luckily, I had a good friend who taught me to use JB bore paste. Though the rifle was mistreated the first 400 rds, the rifle went back to shooting 1/2 moa til I pulled the barrel @ 1,130 round count.

My current 7stw is treated considerately better, as I've used JB to keep control of fire cracking for last 4 years. I'm at 455 rds.

Fire cracking and lands erosion are common with overbore magnums, but it's increased by shooting til barrel is too hot to handle. Because, as hunting rifles, we're most interested in cold bore shots, therefore we should be letting barrel cool to ambient temps between shots.

Barrel life of a properly cared for STW exceeds all my friend's RUMs & Nosler 7 mm's. A properly maintained 30 cal beats all the above.

I believe the 7 STW is a great hunting rifle and I will always have one (my current will certainly outlast me).

Built my son a 300wm, with Rhian's reamer from JGS , and his STW is now a safe queens. LOL

 

[swat]

I burn 79 grains in my 257 stw, had around 400 rds down the tube before i had to set it back 100 thousand's. still shoot's great. i run a 100 grain ttsx 3800 plus.

 

[BKM]

Tidesloe many here have made good points.
Large overbore cartridges are really hard on throats and rapid firing them really accelerates fire cracking.
Also double base powders like N570 are even harder on them.
Get u some good ole H1000 and shoot ur new tube slowly and enjoy those .284 bullets screaming towards the target.

 

[Kevin P McNeilly]

I know the feeling I'm running a 100gr nosler in a 25-300wsm 72 gr rl25 over 3800 fps and you got to let it rest between shots and keep it clean.

 

[Tidesloe]

I am a long time 7 STW shooter. In my early days I shot rounds too close together and fire cracking and throat erosion soon raised their ugly head. Luckily, I had a good friend who taught me to use JB bore paste. Though the rifle was mistreated the first 400 rds, the rifle went back to shooting 1/2 moa til I pulled the barrel @ 1,130 round count.

My current 7stw is treated considerately better, as I've used JB to keep control of fire cracking for last 4 years. I'm at 455 rds.

Fire cracking and lands erosion are common with overbore magnums, but it's increased by shooting til barrel is too hot to handle. Because, as hunting rifles, we're most interested in cold bore shots, therefore we should be letting barrel cool to ambient temps.

Barrel life of a properly cared for STW exceeds all my friend's RUMs & Nosler 7 mm's. A properly maintained 30 cal beats all the above.

I believe the 7 STW is a great hunting rifle and I will always have one (my current will certainly outlast me).

Built my son a 300wm, with Rhian's reamer from JGS , and his STW is now a safe queens. LOL

You are correct, and I thought I was taking care of it with never more than 3 consecutive and 20-30 min cool downs. I almost always bring otjer rifles out to shoot so Im doing something while one is cooling. Maybe that is a bit excessive?
Truth be known, I have occasionally rushed through another 3 shot group before cooling down.
Live and learn the hard way hahaha

 

[Tidesloe]

Tidesloe many here have made good points.
Large overbore cartridges are really hard on throats and rapid firing them really accelerates fire cracking.
Also double base powders like N570 are even harder on them.
Get u some good ole H1000 and shoot ur new tube slowly and enjoy those .284 bullets screaming towards the target.

I think I have a better understanding of that now. Thanks!
Apparently, Ive lacked a real understanding of exactly what Ive been dealing with

 

[Bruce Treloar]

Nice pix from Baldhunter, there is still life in those barrels yet. I have never used that type of lap but am always looking to keep the top corner of the lands as sharp as possible. Hence I use a cast lap that works well on the top of the lands without rounding the corners.

 

[Tidesloe]

http://www.davidtubb.com/catalog/view/theme/davidtubb/pdf/product_information/tms.pdf

I used five of the throat maintenance bullets on a couple of Ruger #1's.They were both shooting about 1 1/2".After shooting the bullets they both shot about 1/2-3/4" afterwards.I have used the final finish bullets on several rifles with great improvements.The only rifle that I saw a big difference in velocity was my 300WSM,but I think this may actually be an improvement.I've always had issues with this rifle and pressure spikes because it had no freebore.The lands start at the end of the chamber and I had to use 180gr data for 165gr loads.After shooting the twenty bullets my velocity dropped 100fps on my loads so I think now I can load closer to the books.I shot all fifty bullets through this rifle and shot this group at 200yds.View attachment 179199View attachment 179200This is from another rifle I used 5 bullets from the kit on 1&2 then 10 on 3-5.Scope adjustment was done on 4.This was at a 100ydsView attachment 179200

That is a pretty dramatic improvement. Are you doing both the bore and throat finish?

 

[baldhunter]

I've done both and the rifles shot much better afterwards.Tubb's explains well what is happening in the video.

 

[DJ Fergus]

Tideslow, I'm sure that you already know this and I probably sound like Captain Obvious by saying this but if you are shooting your regular handloaded ammo off of a squeaky clean barrel, it's highly possible that you would build more pressure for the first 2-3 rounds or more and get ejector marks. This may not be your problem at all but I thought that I would throw it out there just in case.