Smyth Busters: Will a Worn-Out Barrel Explode?

So many crazy ideas, so little time to debunk them all! Our Smyth Busters' work is never done. Caleb has been out on Internet forums again, where he's been informed that a worn-out barrel will explode. By "worn out" we assume the purveyors of this theory mean a worn bore. Steve tries to think of a scenario where this could be true, but he's stumped. As the bore wears, it gets bigger, so there's less resistance to the bullet as is passes through, meaning lower pressures inside the barrel. There was the "Krummlauf" variant of the German WWII StG 44 assault rifle, which had a CURVED barrel that could (theoretically) shoot around corners. The curved area might be a potential wear / failure point. Not a lotta folks shooting StG 44 Krummlaufs these days. So the myth that a worn barrel is prone to exploding is not just BUSTED, it's SUPER-busted, with prejudice!

As long as we're here, though, what exactly happens when a barrel wears out? In fact, "worn out" can mean a couple of things. To a varmint shooter, it means the leade (forcing cone) of the throat is worn. Bullets will wobble a tiny amount and engage the rifling slightly differently each time a round is fired, which for precision shooters can result in groups opening up. If you've pounded a gazillion rounds down a barrel, the rifling can actually just wear down. Overly abrasive cleaning techniques and the use of corrosive ammo can also wear out rifling. Tip from Uncle Steve: don't overclean your .22. The rifling is very shallow, and you can actually wear it off. (Most modern .22 rimfire ammo burns very cleanly.)

Still, no matter how your barrel got worn, it's not going to explode on you - at least not due to bore wear.

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