Cooling a barrel 🤔

[skipglo]

Recently saw a barrel cooler $55 Amazon also read articles on ice water with a plastic syringe and a small hose followed by dry patches. Also Utah long range shooters tells me there's no such thing as barrel break in simply shoot it and don't look back gun work says the opposite Weatherby says the opposite. Serious push me pull me affect ie: who's right and who's wrong?? I've got all the right equipment no knowledge of the subject. Any advice?? Simply going to be test driving a new barrel for several rounds in the summer heat.

I for one would NEVER POUR WATER down a barrel. Cooling is too rapid and you would risk cracking much faster. I never broke in a barrel for the first 45 years of shooting but now I do.... does it help...who knows... but it sure can't hurt either....and actually it slows you down and makes for an enjoyable first 20 rounds!

 

[Frank Kalisz]

I use a $10 BBQ Blower Fan (amazon) with silicone hose to connect into receiver. It works great for cooling my barrel

 

[Bdog35]

Recently saw a barrel cooler $55 Amazon also read articles on ice water with a plastic syringe and a small hose followed by dry patches. Also Utah long range shooters tells me there's no such thing as barrel break in simply shoot it and don't look back gun work says the opposite Weatherby says the opposite. Serious push me pull me affect ie: who's right and who's wrong?? I've got all the right equipment no knowledge of the subject. Any advice?? Simply going to be test driving a new barrel for several rounds in the summer heat.

Just keep in mind that the outside temperature and the heat generated from firing, that bad things can happen if you get careless, give your barrel ten minutes to cool between shots if your not in direct sunlight. Shoot early morning, then put it away for the day or until it cools down in the evening. Just my two cents.

 

[PNWdude67]

Recently saw a barrel cooler $55 Amazon also read articles on ice water with a plastic syringe and a small hose followed by dry patches. Also Utah long range shooters tells me there's no such thing as barrel break in simply shoot it and don't look back gun work says the opposite Weatherby says the opposite. Serious push me pull me affect ie: who's right and who's wrong?? I've got all the right equipment no knowledge of the subject. Any advice?? Simply going to be test driving a new barrel for several rounds in the summer heat.

Do what makes you feel good. There is no evidence that one way is better than another. My theory, no evidence to support, the lighter the contour the more excessive heat from high round count strings shot rapidly the more negative effect on the barrels performance do to irreparable damage. Break in for me consists of running a dry patch or two down the new barrel, firing some rounds, cleaning with carbon remover after 50 and firing 100 more. Then load 25 to check accuracy and velocity with the projectile and powder of choice with 5 charge weights expected to be near a known velocity node. If it's all new to me, chamber bullet case etc, I do a ladder test to determine a starting point. Then clean about every 300 rounds for life of the barrel. If it needs to cool I stop shooting for a bit, works every time.

 

[Gater]

Recently saw a barrel cooler $55 Amazon also read articles on ice water with a plastic syringe and a small hose followed by dry patches. Also Utah long range shooters tells me there's no such thing as barrel break in simply shoot it and don't look back gun work says the opposite Weatherby says the opposite. Serious push me pull me affect ie: who's right and who's wrong?? I've got all the right equipment no knowledge of the subject. Any advice?? Simply going to be test driving a new barrel for several rounds in the summer heat.

Cooling steel rapidly is not a good idea

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Cooling steel rapidly is not a good idea

From what point of hot?

 

[Pointman]

I use "CHamber Chillers" on most of my long-range rifles. I invested in a couple of USB power units and have one in each of the cases. Since I only am interested in "first shot" for varmint hunting, I check all of my groupings on cool barrels. I typically will "burn through" a hundred or so rounds each session. My retched back and neck rebell after a couple of 10 round strings, so I use that time to relax behind the line and let the barrel cool. The chamber chillers also act as an "empty chamber" flag for the rso's. Most of my rifles cool down sufficiently for the next round except the 338 LM, that barrel really gets warm. Takes about 15 minutes before I put it in it's case, don't want the padding material to "melt" Ha HA.

 

[Bob Wright]

Unless your barrel temp reaches 500°F or more, no one is tempering chromoly steel.
How you can test what temperature your barrel is: if your gun stock is bursting into flames you're probably at 500° (or more).

 

[HaroldNRAEndowment]

Recently saw a barrel cooler $55 Amazon also read articles on ice water with a plastic syringe and a small hose followed by dry patches. Also Utah long range shooters tells me there's no such thing as barrel break in simply shoot it and don't look back gun work says the opposite Weatherby says the opposite. Serious push me pull me affect ie: who's right and who's wrong?? I've got all the right equipment no knowledge of the subject. Any advice?? Simply going to be test driving a new barrel for several rounds in the summer heat.

Here is a magazine article that covers the subject in more than one approach and indicates the possibility of different barrels needing it more than others. NRA.org used to have books one could purchase, on many subjects including this one, and it seems books are no long available on NRA.org, which is the main site and use the menu to find the store or the link: https://nrastore.com/.
Read the article and take your best shot at the best direction to go down. I would start with searching reviews on the subject for your particular barrel Brand/Manufacture. I will stop here and let the magazine article guide you the rest of the way.

Best Way to Break in a Rifle Barrel - RifleShooter

How to break in a rifle barrel? What's the best procedure? Is the need to break in a barrel a myth? All of your questions are answered here.

www.rifleshootermag.com

Best Regards.

 

[Calamity]

The cause of heating is friction, so using a spray dry lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide or PTFE and a dry patch occasionally should increase barrel life and the number of shots fired before a barrel reaches a given temperature. I expect it will effect load dynamics as well, but in a positive way. I have read articles claiming some of the military labs swear by an immersion treatment in molybdenum disulfide solution that plates the bore. The spray cans are available in gun stores. Anyone have experience with barrel lubes?

 

[Moose Whacker]

A cooler filled with ice water, soak a towel in it and lay it over your barrel during shot strings.
Stainless barrel no problem, blued just be sure to oil wen dried off.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

We have done very well with Gun Juice. Been a few years since we used it. Will be using it on the next batch of rifles in the works.

 

[Longrangers]

Number one rule in my book is keep you barrel from heating up no matter what. Plenty of documentation on barrel life being maximized. I use cheap bait bucket battery powered aerator running tubing into chamber every three shots to bring back to ambient temps. Shooting P-dogs entirely different situation though!

Len has good break in discussion worth reading.

I can attest to that. I have a benchrest 1000 yd gun and it shoots well. I never shoot it hot. I send a Fowler and shoot no more than 5 sitters in 5 minutes. I shoot my 10 shot record string and put it up. The barrel is now approximately 5 years old. I had a new barrel chambered and on standby. The gunsmith looked at my old barrel and was surprised how good it was and said keep shooting it.

 

[LVJ76]

I don't know about anyone else, but I have never shot a barrel to the point of glowing red so that contact with water would change the molecular structure of the steel. I never shoot to the point that I can't hold on to the barrel with a bare hand. I have had my rifle get hotter sitting in the sun than I have ever made a rifle hot from shooting.

I'm not too worried about "quenching" my barrel.

Example, we fire 10 rounds in about 6 to 7 minutes average, it's not extreme in any way, but the barrel still gets pretty warm especially when it's anywhere from 100 to 115 degrees outside and you might have 10 minutes before the next round of 10 needs to get fired. Wet towel get it done every time.

Done this for 30+ years with no issues.