I am wondering what is the expected life of a stock stainless steel barrel. I bought a Ruger M77 MKII stainless in 2000. I have shot mainly federal premium ammo. I generally shoot 2-3 boxes of ammo per year sighting in for hunting season. I have never shot more than 1 box during hunting season. Doing the math I have shot approximately 3-5 boxes of ammo through this rifle over the past 16 years or 1000-1600 rounds total. This fall I began experiencing accuracy problems. This rifle has held 1 inch groups consistently until this year. Now it seems like 3 inch groups are the norm and the point of impact appears to be moving a little. I have killed deer and antelope over 300 yards with this rifle but I am beginning to have doubts about this rifle going forward. It has a Leupold VX-III scope on it which I mounted 6-8 years ago. Everything appears to be tight. Has anyone seen this type of wear in a barrel causing deterioration of accuracy after 1000 rounds? I don't have a bore scope but am considering taking it to a gunsmith to check for internal wear or damage to the barrel. I am also considering sending the scope back to Leupold for a cleaning and checkup. Besides checking the mounts, I'm not sure what else to check. I will say old age (me, not the rifle) could also be causing problems. Thanks for any insight.