Keeping your barrel cool…

[lancetkenyon]

Deal with it. Let it cool after 3 shots to ambient air temps. Doesn't matter if that is 30° or 115°. Keep the ammo out of the sun.

I shot today at Joe Foss. From 7:30 until 12:30. First one there, 2nd to last to leave.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I don't need chargers or extra batteries, have twin batteries in my truck and a fridge/freezer that I keep the isopropyl in when not being used.
Pity the rifles don't fit in it.

Cheers.

 

[bill123]

If you can park your car next to where you shoot, leave your car running with windows up and a/c cranked. After every shot string, put your rifle in the car with a chamber chiller in the receiver. Barrel will cool down relatively quickly. That assumes you can orient the car so the rifle can be pointed in a safe direction while in the car.

 

[AZShooter]

I live in Tucson; I know exactly what you are experiencing.

I used many methods until I built a CO2 system.

I saw tiny tanks featured in an ad in Precision Shooting years ago. Knew a guy who tried one. He told me the tank was too small to be any good. More tank volume is required to get the cooling effect of the expanding gas. The smallest tank you can use and still get the cooling effect is a 20 lb tank as seen in the picture.

The picture is old and shows a regulator. Unless you already own a regulator, you don't need one. I found out later all that is needed is a ball valve. There are a few brass fittings which the welding supply company should have on hand.

A rubber hose is attached and the tip is tapered so it will wedge into the end of the chamber.It only takes a few seconds to feel the barrel begin cooling. I stop when it gets close to ambient because the cooling will radiate after the valve is turned off.

The way I use the tank is to place hose in chamber, HOLD it in place then open up the valve on the tank then slightly open the regulator or ball valve to get the desired flow and save gas. If the regulator or ball valve should already be open and you open the tank valve without holding the hose you can get some interesting welts on the face, been there done that.

There are at least five guys at our range that use this system from time to time. Even one custom builder, Dave Miller. We can find no ill effects of using this system. I don't use it all the time but when things are hot or I want to work up a load it will shorten range time considerably.

Two days ago I was working with a 257 weatherby with temps in the 90s. I would shoot two then cool for 5-10 seconds, which was enough to cool the barrel to ambient.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Scopes must not fog as bad in low humidity when going from cool to hot.?
I'm starting out at 93% RH this morning.

 

[Turkeytider]

I also find pointing the barrel to the sky with rifle in the shade cools much faster than the rifle orientated horizontal like on a bipod or bags. I don't know the physamachist law for this, but I think it's a real thermodynamics thing.

Sure. Barrel acts like a smokestack. Hot air flows vertically unless moved in another direction by force.

 

[Mike6158]

I try to go early as I can. Usually bring several guns so I can alternate. If trying to cool down a particular gun I usually put it in air conditioned truck.

Yup. I'm running late (7:08am), I'm about to go fireform some .20 PPC brass. Some = 100 cases. I've got the 7mm Rem Mag and some rounds I want to powder test as well as my suppressed .22 CZ457 that i'm going to test at 300. I expect 1 moa groups from the CZ because that's what they always are <-- total bs, none of that will happen, but it was fun to type. I play with, I mean test, a bunch of different .22 ammo at 100 yards while waiting. It's a good way to spend time I would normally be wasting while I wait for a barrel to cool.

 

[LDHunter]

I have an alternate opinion... Why would you do load development in 100 plus degree temperatures when your elk hunt will likely be 50-100 degrees cooler? Even with Varget or similar powders that aren't temperature sensitive it would surely skew your research. Plus there's the temperature difference effects on the various metals involved not to mention steel, copper etc. Plus the material in the stock will have different characteristics even with bedding.

Also I think the metallurgists would agree that uneven and/or really rapid cooling of a barrel might cause warping and possibly other changes in the metal. I'd stick with shade and fans both inside and outside the barrel with ambient temperature air. Air conditioning in the vehicle would likely not be harmful but the application of cold wet materials to a hot barrel or cold air introduced to the inside of the hot barrel smacks of serious issues in the future to me.

Consider this also. Every shot lays a layer of powder fouling and at least some copper fouling inside the barrel. Imagine what that does to that layer as it becomes soupy as you rapidly cool it and condensation occurs then it's reheated and rapidly cooled and copper bullets travel through that soup at thousands of feet per second. Now compare that to a single shot from a clean or slightly fouled bore at elk hunting temperatures. LOL

Just one man's opinion tempered with many years of experience and reading expert opinions.....

 

[Longtine88]

I have an alternate opinion... Why would you do load development in 100 plus degree temperatures when your elk hunt will likely be 50-100 degrees cooler? Even with Varget or similar powders that aren't temperature sensitive it would surely skew your research. Plus there's the temperature difference effects on the various metals involved not to mention steel, copper etc. Plus the material in the stock will have different characteristics even with bedding.

Also I think the metallurgists would agree that uneven and/or really rapid cooling of a barrel might cause warping and possibly other changes in the metal. I'd stick with shade and fans both inside and outside the barrel with ambient temperature air. Air conditioning in the vehicle would likely not be harmful but the application of cold wet materials to a hot barrel or cold air introduced to the inside of the hot barrel smacks of serious issues in the future to me.

Consider this also. Every shot lays a layer of powder fouling and at least some copper fouling inside the barrel. Imagine what that does to that layer as it becomes soupy as you rapidly cool it and condensation occurs then it's reheated and rapidly cooled and copper bullets travel through that soup at thousands of feet per second. Now compare that to a single shot from a clean or slightly fouled bore at elk hunting temperatures. LOL

Just one man's opinion tempered with many years of experience and reading expert opinions.....

Love the knowledge. Ice towel gone.

 

[Laelkhunter]

On really hot days, I turn on the a/c in the truck, open the bolt on the rifle, and position it in the truck across the steering wheel column and dashboard so the a/c vents are blowing onto the barrel and action. A small ice chest on the passenger's seat helps support the barrel end. I do this while going downrange to look at the target, etc.
On occasion I also use a battery powered air mattress inflator that I attach a plastic hose to, then the other end of the hose has an MTM bore guide (cheap plastic one size fits all). The bore guide fits into the chamber, and the rifle goes into the rifle rack muzzle up while the air flow from the mattress pushes the heat out.

 

[1mechanic]

I have an alternate opinion... Why would you do load development in 100 plus degree temperatures when your elk hunt will likely be 50-100 degrees cooler? Even with Varget or similar powders that aren't temperature sensitive it would surely skew your research. Plus there's the temperature difference effects on the various metals involved not to mention steel, copper etc. Plus the material in the stock will have different characteristics even with bedding.

Also I think the metallurgists would agree that uneven and/or really rapid cooling of a barrel might cause warping and possibly other changes in the metal. I'd stick with shade and fans both inside and outside the barrel with ambient temperature air. Air conditioning in the vehicle would likely not be harmful but the application of cold wet materials to a hot barrel or cold air introduced to the inside of the hot barrel smacks of serious issues in the future to me.

Consider this also. Every shot lays a layer of powder fouling and at least some copper fouling inside the barrel. Imagine what that does to that layer as it becomes soupy as you rapidly cool it and condensation occurs then it's reheated and rapidly cooled and copper bullets travel through that soup at thousands of feet per second. Now compare that to a single shot from a clean or slightly fouled bore at elk hunting temperatures. LOL

Just one man's opinion tempered with many years of experience and reading expert opinions.....

According to your thought process then shooting a barrel till it gets really hot should change the structure of the metal yet every barrel I've ever shot when it cooled down went right back to the same poi.
Engine blocks with high heat burning fuel on one side of a cylinder with cool water on the other side don't have problems.
I don't think a barrel with a lot thicker steel is going to warp with a cooling fluid going through it.
And as far as the fouling inside the barrel I would think the next shot with high heat and friction would have more affect on the fouling than cooling it.
But I like to hear thinking outside the box, sometimes I think outside the box too.

 

[Radman]

Any suggestions on ways to keep my barrel cool during load development? I'm in Phoenix area so it's 113* today. Working up a load for elk and trying to find a way to cool off my barrel. Trying to shoot 1 every 10-15 minutes but still gets hot and trying to maximize my time at the range

I use these little battery powered units from Amazon.

sanipoe Battery Powered Air Mattress Pump, Electric Quick-Fill Blower Portable Inflator Deflator for Inflatables Raft Bed Boat Pool Toy, Black

I cut a plastic drinking straw off (of the correct "caliber") & glue it in the nozzle. With 8 AA's runtime is surprising. JMO

 

[Radman]

I also find pointing the barrel to the sky with rifle in the shade cools much faster than the rifle orientated horizontal like on a bipod or bags. I don't know the physamachist law for this, but I think it's a real thermodynamics thing.

You are so right! (The drawing effect) I am amazed how fast thus works at the trap range as well.

 

[Radman]

View attachment 483445
I live in the Gunshine state deal with the same. I use my cordless job site fan to blow on me while I'm shooting which keeps the sweat from dripping on the eye pro and from digging up. Fire a round or two then turn it up high and point it at the barrel. Cools the barrel in a couple minutes

Got one, (except it's Craftsman), & love it. Battery life is incredible.