An interatomic potential proposed recently in connection with some planar channelling calculations has been examined with regards to its predictions for the quantities of interest in axial channeling, such as string potential and critical angles. The simplicity of this potential has been found to be of great use in connection with the calculations on effects of dislocations on the energy loss of channelled ions. The quantities of interest in dechannelling, both axial and planar, have also been calculated and compared with those obtained using Lindhard′s potential.