I'll start it.

[Show me]

So, my first barrel experience was with a model 10 .223 bought on special at bass pro.
I was so excited about my first .223 it was several days before I noticed it had no accu trigger . My .243 which was a Walmart mod 11 did along with the box magazine.
This 223 had the box mag .
I shot so much I actually wore out the barrel and kept on shooting. Finally the all metal mag broke. Everyone was sold out for quite some time. Bought a .308 mag . A bolt head and shaw barrel.
Made an aluminum block for the shop press and changed out to a Shaw barrel. My first of five.

 

[SavageTamer]

So, my first barrel experience was with a model 10 .223 bought on special at bass pro.
I was so excited about my first .223 it was several days before I noticed it had no accu trigger . My .243 which was a Walmart mod 11 did along with the box magazine.
This 223 had the box mag .
I shot so much I actually wore out the barrel and kept on shooting. Finally the all metal mag broke. Everyone was sold out for quite some time. Bought a .308 mag . A bolt head and shaw barrel.
Made an aluminum block for the shop press and changed out to a Shaw barrel. My first of five.

To shoot out a 223 barrel, you shot tens of thousands of rounds thru that barrel. 223 and 308 barrels are nearly impossible to wear out. Hard to beat those two cartridges over all. 243 burns thru barrels quite a bit faster for sure. I built a 22-250 AI on a Savage 12 Short Action. 30" Shilen 8 twist barrel, Sharp Shooters bench rest stock. I shoot 75-80 grain ELDs around 3550 fps. Definitely a barrel burner. It has 880 rounds thru it and still going strong. Probably has another 600 rounds left on it.

 

[Show me]

To shoot out a 223 barrel, you shot tens of thousands of rounds thru that barrel. 223 and 308 barrels are nearly impossible to wear out. Hard to beat those two cartridges over all. 243 burns thru barrels quite a bit faster for sure. I built a 22-250 AI on a Savage 12 Short Action. 30" Shilen 8 twist barrel, Sharp Shooters bench rest stock. I shoot 75-80 grain ELDs around 3550 fps. Definitely a barrel burner. It has 880 rounds thru it and still going strong. Probably has another 600 rounds left on it.

Well the lead moved so far forward you couldn't begin to reach it and the barrel forward the chamber looked like tic tac toe. So what's the proper term for that

 

[CFJunkie]

My .223 Savage 12 FV 1:9 twist 26-inch barrel had 9030 rounds down the barrel before the erosion of the lands got me concerned because I was seating bullet out so far to keep the jumps around the barrel's sweet spot that I was concerned that there would be too little bullet body in the neck to maintain neck tension.
Even though I was still getting accuracy with my loads, I no longer could fit the heavy bullets into the mag. During my last month of shooting in March 2025 with 77 gr SMKs averaged 0.269 inches for 40 5-round groups at 100 yards.

Since I was target shooting and our range is limited to 100 yards, I was not loading hot rounds. Loading up near Pmax would have eroded the lands faster and also would have worn out the primer pockets on my brass quicker.

In early April 2025, I replaced the factory barrel with a 26-inch Shilen Select Match 416R SS barrel with a 1:7 twist.
From April 2025 to Jan 1 2026, it has averaged 0.217 for 424 groups with 19 different bullets (weights from 60 to 90 grains).
During the warm weather from June to November, it has averaged 0.210 for 238 groups.
When temps dropped into the 30s, my shooting started to feel the effects of coats and gloves and the December average dropped to 0.222 for 64 groups.
So far this year, I have shot 16 groups that averaged 0.201 but that was with 73 gr Berger LTBs and 73 Hornady ELD-Ms, bullets that this barrel really likes.
The picture was taken in early January. The 12 FV now is mounted in a MDT LSS chassis that uses AICS mags and sports a Leupold 45X Competition scope. The MDT mag allows COALs of 2.525 before I have to single load.
With this barrel's chamber, I can seat some of the 88 and 90 grain bullets out past 2.650 so I have been single loading a lot of the high BC heavies that are very pointed with relatively short bullet bodies.

 

[kelbro]

My .223 Savage 12 FV 1:9 twist 26-inch barrel had 9030 rounds down the barrel before the erosion of the lands got me concerned because I was seating bullet out so far to keep the jumps around the barrel's sweet spot that I was concerned that there would be too little bullet body in the neck to maintain neck tension.
Even though I was still getting accuracy with my loads, I no longer could fit the heavy bullets into the mag. During my last month of shooting in March 2025 with 77 gr SMKs averaged 0.269 inches for 40 5-round groups at 100 yards.

Since I was target shooting and our range is limited to 100 yards, I was not loading hot rounds. Loading up near Pmax would have eroded the lands faster and also would have worn out the primer pockets on my brass quicker.

In early April 2025, I replaced the factory barrel with a 26-inch Shilen Select Match 416R SS barrel with a 1:7 twist.
From April 2025 to Jan 1 2026, it has averaged 0.217 for 424 groups with 19 different bullets (weights from 60 to 90 grains).
During the warm weather from June to November, it has averaged 0.210 for 238 groups.
When temps dropped into the 30s, my shooting started to feel the effects of coats and gloves and the December average dropped to 0.222 for 64 groups.
So far this year, I have shot 16 groups that averaged 0.201 but that was with 73 gr Berger LTBs and 73 Hornady ELD-Ms, bullets that this barrel really likes.
The picture was taken in early January. The 12 FV now is mounted in a MDT LSS chassis that uses AICS mags and sports a Leupold 45X Competition scope. The MDT mag allows COALs of 2.525 before I have to single load.
With this barrel's chamber, I can seat some of the 88 and 90 grain bullets out past 2.650 so I have been single loading a lot of the high BC heavies that are very pointed with relatively short bullet bodies.

I have had good luck with those 73gr Bergers in three different 223 barrels.

 

[Shopdog]

1st photo try;

This is a very early stainless flat back short action. I stayed with the original 223 chambering, with this Shilen,24" 12T. This is a dedicated cast bullet rig. Shoots a Lee 55g RNFP with mid jacketed book loads of IMR4198. This was right at 100 yards.

Original stock has some serious internal work done for stiffness. See if this pic works?