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Originally Posted by dannym
As I understand it gun tubes wear out anyway. They have a life expectancy of only a few hundred rounds. Can't remember the exact amount.
That's one of the many reasons the Iraqi tanks were so ineffectual. There old Soviet T-72 barrels were worn out.
Danny
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Absolutely!
The T-72's 2A46 125mm smoothbores had a poor track record for gun tube longevity, with a barrel life of approximately 200 AP rounds, 500 HE rounds or 850 HEAT rounds.
Additionally, infamous Soviet manufacturing discipline resulted in unsatisfatory characteristics of original models due to manufacturing defects, substandard materials, and gun tube sag.
Gun tube life of the more modern 2A46M is unknown (Russian sources claim ~900 rds). The 'M' update included an internal chromium liner and provided for simplified tube replacement in the field.