Is it realistic to think it's time to replace a 5.56 barrel I got back in 2012 and have put about 1,500 rounds through give or take? Lately, I haven't been able to get any accuracy out of it, and I have cleaned the bore. I was shooting normal good performers like Sierra bullets and powders like CFE 223, 8208, IMR 4198, and H335. I have done a few rapid-fire mag dumps over the duration of owning it so maybe the life has been shortened.

I don't even think with a few mag dumps it is realistic you have shot the barrel out with just 1,500 rounds. If you have an optic I would start with it and its mount.

Thanks for taking the time to help.

I've never deep-cleaned it so maybe that's in order before buying another. I'll research and see what I need to get everything out. I've scrubbed the bore a few times but most of it is passing a soaked patch with Hoppe's through.

Obviously this is a ar type gun, correct?
What’s your observed loss of accuracy?

Was the gun shooting 1” at 100 and is now shooting 5” at 100?

I believe a well cared for 223 would go well past 6000 with reasonable accuracy

Guys that shoot ftr with a 223 that have a 190 throat shooting 90 gr bullets over full house doses of powder report 2100-2500 rounds before a barrel swap, but this is usually to maintain a 1/4-3/8 moa group.

Check mounts, scope, bore, throat in that order.

I doubt it’s shot out.

This may sound silly but a ‘lifestyle ‘ change can mess with your shooting. I changed mine (for the good) a year+ ago and my shooting has improved a great deal….

1500 rounds with nothing but Hoppes #9? After you check optics, etc I’d run a good copper cleaner down that barrel.

My thoughts exactly. OP, do you use a brush or only patches? Bet it just needs a good cleaning with a good copper and carbon cleaner.

Troubleshooting 101 - Always try the simple things first.

Bore Tech Eliminator, for two wet patches. Nylon brush for 10 strokes. 10 dry patches (chamber to muzzle only). Hoppes #9 wet patch. Nylon brush for 10 strokes. Dry patches until there is nothing on them.

1500 rounds...congratulations your barrel is broken in .

Try a good cleaning as mentioned before doing anything knee jerk and expensive.

Seems way low

But what were you getting and what are you getting?

What’s the significance of going back to front?

ALWAYS go action to muzzle!!!!! Can nick the muzzle crown going the other way, small nick can affect accuracy.

I would love to know how an aluminum cleaning rod is going to damage a steel muzzle crown.

Abrasive debris embeds in the soft material and acts
like sandpaper, much like wooden rods on old fashioned
muzzleloading rifles

But. . . . Only if you're scrubbing and scrubbing and
scrubbing and scrubbing obsessively.
Cleaning a modern smokeless burning firearm the
one or two times a year that it usually needs won't
harm anything. I clean when accuracy starts going
away and not every day several times a day

Check for carbon at the muzzle end of the chamber (where the rim of your brass seats against). That got me once. Thought I tried everything

Right… cause I’m sure that’s so much more abrasive than that bullet coming out at 2000-3000 fps.

This would really be a good thing to test. Anybody taking bets on how many strokes it takes with a cleaning rod before a muzzle needs to be re crowned?

BTW, I’m talking a modern cleaning rod, not an old steel military one.

when you know the right way you know. You do you though

Why would you clean from muzzle to action? Not only do you risk crown damage, but you're jamming gunk back down into the action of the gun? Makes zero sense to clean that direction.

Even if you didn't damage the muzzle, it makes no sense. Risk of muzzle damage is just icing on the cake. Gunking up your trigger, the chamber, bolt head, etc are all unnecessary byproducts of cleaning the wrong direction. Maybe there's a good reason to clean the other way but I've never heard it

Lot more difficult to go back to front on lever guns, autos other than AR’s etc….

If it’s a Rock River of that era then yes, we had to replace all of our Rock River duty rifles due to excessive throat erosion, most of them were around that round count.

I wasn't able to find any Eliminator but I did get some Bore Tech CU+2 copper remover. Hopefully, it does well. I have several rifles that need to be brought back to "baseline", so I got quite a bit of cleaning to do.

Confirmed that it’s finished today. Previous hand loads that shot 1/4 moa are repeatedly one 1 inch. Guess it’s on to figure out which barrel to buy.