Cooling a barrel 🤔

[Muddyboots]

I started using an IR temperature scanner from Harbor Freight and my target temp is ambient to start shooting again. Has built in laser so you can scan temp at same spot accurately. Just gives me repeatability on when to stop my cool down on consistent basis. Need to? Nope! But just something to do when waiting for barrel to cool. I had it for tracking down a overheating problem in my I/O. Also nice to have if you have a circuit breaker tripping you can see if overheating as well. Tons of uses. So now I have to bring as much cool down gear as shooting gear!

 

[Chas1]

Thanks Harold, good read.

 

[Bob Wright]

From what point of hot?

Oh, about 1550°F. Easily attainable in AZ, in the shade without firing a shot.

 

[Mike Matteson]

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.

I see that you were never was in combat. I have watch the tracers bullet flit out the end of the barrel many a time with 50cal and M-60. I have watched as the tracks back up and pour fluid on the barrels, or changed out barrels. So of the 50 cal's were so hot that rounds would cook of in the chamber mec. With 3 troops online we could go through 1,650,000 rounds in a short day. We had done that more once.
Now I realize that this isn't combat, nobody should ever get their barrel that hot. It happens and people are stupid. I have seen plenty of times people heating up there barrels at the range.
Car-15's on full auto in 3 clips of 18 round each are to hot to hold by the forearm after that. I know I carried one in Vietnam for about 5 months. Carry an AR-15A1 for about 7 months and I have put as many as 50 clips of 18 rounds in a fire fight. Forearm never got the hot I couldn't hold it.
I figure I would throw this into the mix for the *ell of it. Not trying done anybody, and it doesn't really apply here either. Barrels can get really hot, and to hot or it's own good.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I see that you were never was in combat. I have watch the tracers bullet flit out the end of the barrel many a time with 50cal and M-60. I have watched as the tracks back up and pour fluid on the barrels, or changed out barrels. So of the 50 cal's were so hot that rounds would cook of in the chamber mec. With 3 troops online we could go through 1,650,000 rounds in a short day. We done more than once.
Now I realize that this isn't combat, nobody should ever get their barrel that hot. It happen and people are stupid. I have seen plenty of times people heating up there barrels at the range.
Car-15's on full auto in 3 clips of 18 round each are to hot to hold by the forarm after that. I know I carried one in Vietnam for about 5 months. Carry an AR-15A1 for about 7 months and I have put as many as 50 clips of 18 rounds in a fire fight. Forearm never got the hot I couldn't hold it.
I figure I would throw this into the mix for the *ell of it. Not trying done anybody, and it doesn't really apply here either. Barrels can get really hot, and to hot or it's own good.

Thanks for your service. If my life ever depends on my hunting rifle I will not be concerned about the barrel heat.

 

[marchboom]

One of the shooters at our range uses a 9" desk fan that sits next to the rifle and blows air along the outside of the barrel (parallel with the barrel). The barrel never heats up to the point where one would have to stop shooting...not even close. It doesn't take much barrel heat to produce mirage that affects the air in front of the scope. The air flow from the fan removes this mirage. I tried his method and it works great. It's a two 'fer. Barrel heat removal and mirage removal.

This method prevents the barrel from heating up.

This is the fan I use. $31. At full charge it runs for over 8 hrs.

amazon.com/gp/product/B0749M96XT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Bob Wright]

A short "white paper" is attached. Cooling your barrel is a great idea, we all know that.
What's really going on in that inferno behind the bullet is impressive.

Thermo-chemical erosion in gun barrels

When a gun fires the metal temperatures at the bore may reach 1100°C in a few milliseconds and decline to half this value by the time the projectile r…

www.sciencedirect.com

If you don't keep good cooling techniques, from stove piping, to chilling, your rifling is just going to burn out much faster.
Over 2000° at the surface of the rifling, until the bullet leaves the muzzle should make anyone appreciate that taking it a bit easier on shot strings and keeping it cooler is a great idea.

 

[Muddyboots]

Nice fan! Comes in pink too in case you were interested. I can see using it for black flies too! Our range is right next to small lake and this time of year can get nasty with them

 

[sturner]

D

 

[Chas1]

Ummm gonna git me a pink one !!!

 

[Sleds]

I did the air mattress blower also. Helps for around 10 months of the year. That CO2 system looks pretty sweet too. Nitrogen would also work for that purpose as well.

 

[Radman]

There are an infinite amount of discussions on barrel break in. Everyone seems to have there own opinion on it. I have tried most methods and didn't notice a difference either way.
My current process is:
-Clean new barrel
-start load development, about 20-30 shots
-come home, clean barrel
-continue load development, 20-30 shots
-come home, clean barrel
-i now consider my barrel "broken in" and clean every couple hundred rounds or as needed.

Total agreement!

 

[Hugnot]

Barrel steel, including stainless, quickly forms a coating from chemical reactions upon being exposed to heat & like the paper says this makes for more wear. For stainless the chromium reacts with oxygen upon heat & the more heat the faster the reaction. The formation of the coating is erosive.

Imagine, shooting NRA HI power with a .243W (107 Sierra MKs) including rapid fire & 20 timed shots at 600 - it quit half way thru season but .308 finished season. The .243W - got hot enough to make your fingers stick to it.

As far as barrel break in - I clean after every 6 up to 1st 30-50 at range while sighting in & fussing with loads.

At least, throw a wet towel over the hot barrel. I like a gap between stock & barrel, enough space for a doubled up wet paper towel. Cool air inside barrel works faster.

 

[lyle2231]

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 shoot ARs primarily I've done the barrel break in process and just took 'em and shot matches. Couldn't see any difference.
With that said I've participated in matches, 2x10 round strings in 60 seconds, each one. Heat doesn't effect any accuracy in these cases. HTH