barrel temp
- Thread starter plowboy
- Start date
Pac-Nor told me the following,
Getting a barrel hot (uncomfortable to touch) is accumlitive. Damage is done the first time, and worsens every time.
That is the rule I follow now. figure they know as well as anyone, I've been meaning to take my temp gun to the range with me, but always forget.
Getting a barrel hot (uncomfortable to touch) is accumlitive. Damage is done the first time, and worsens every time.
That is the rule I follow now. figure they know as well as anyone, I've been meaning to take my temp gun to the range with me, but always forget.
When a guy thinks that most of us cannot hold our hand in 145 deg tap water for long, getting a barrel to 150 deg does not seem hot for steel. But I agree hot to touch a good place to stop. Face it though, we all go over that at times.
I had a nitrided 7saum barrel that I could get 15 accurate shots from at one per 45 sec to a minute. Then one day in a friendly competition, I had it smoking hot, after, 8-9 shots and it wandered, got worse quickly.
Edit: I've also had a couple 6mm barrels that really didn't shoot well till I warmed them up good.
jepp2
Gold $$ Contributor
But at a barrel temperature of 150° on the outside of a heavy barrel, what is the temperature in the bore just after firing?
For load development I try to keep the barrel from reaching much above 125°, but shooting in a prairie dog town with targets everywhere my self control isn't as good.
Just capturing your brass on ejection tells you the inside is quite a bit hotter, as they get warmer the more you fire. I think 125 a good place to stop, or sooner.
Like you, I cannot either, lol
On a side note, how many AR15's have you seen that were run up to temps that we wouldn't think of with little degradation of accuracy, and done repeatedly?
Some factory barrel will walk the point of bullet impact as they heat. Stop before that point.
Firing temperature is 4,000 to 5,000 degrees F. Stop IF rounds "cook off".
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944560/
Firing temperature is 4,000 to 5,000 degrees F. Stop IF rounds "cook off".
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944560/
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As nomad said, McMaster-Carr sells stick-on temp strips that attach easily to the chamber/lead area of the barrel (clean it good with an alcohol swab) and give you the ability to check rising barrel temps as you shoot. I usually stop no higher than the 122 degree Fahrenheit point, even when I'm shooting PD's. Always take plenty rifles so you can switch them out at prudent intervals.
. Always take plenty rifles so you can switch them out at prudent intervals.About 125 degrees with the temp strips is where I stop too...no matter at the range or shooting rats.
As said take some more rifles with ya and switch them out to let cool. It's a good way to stay familiar
with each rifle too.
As said take some more rifles with ya and switch them out to let cool. It's a good way to stay familiar
with each rifle too.
dcali
Bullet Maker
Not sure, but mine gets pretty hot - too hot to touch - in a 22 round string of F class, which takes about 8-10 minutes. Shoots fine. I don't get the anxiety people have over barrel temperature. The powder is burning at a temperature that is hotter than the melting point of steel. Do you think it really matters if it's 100 degrees higher than ambient to start?
It might be helpful to know the gun and caliber you are asking about but at 150 degrees it probably doesn't even matter. Unless you're shooting some very worn out antique from the 1800's I wouldn't worry about any damage.
I use a Tikka3Tx varmiter with a large barrel in .223. It has approx. 850 rounds down the tube. It has gotten hot enough that the synthetic stock is hot. About a month ago I bought an umbrella and that has made a difference with the barrel not in the direct sunlight. I want the gun to last a long time and do not want to ruin the barrel the first year. I am shooting on a couple of ranches that are target rich with PDs. I really like the gun with about 675 kills.
I definitely don't think heat does them any good and I believe the more elevated the temperature of the throat area the quicker it gets eroded away. But, I also believe that when a barrel heats up and bullet impact starts to "walk" that is not necessarily all due to heat alone. We all want as stress free a barrel as we can get, but the fact is that some, especially the thinner sporter or mountain barrels, can have more stress than others.
I believe that how soon or how much a barrel "walks" has as much or more to do with how much stress it has than how hot it gets. The point being, you can have a stress free barrel that doesn't walk much if at all and still be getting it way too hot. Bullet impact walk is not the only indicator.
It isn't just temperature build up of the throat area itself that ruins or "shoots out" a barrel, that is really just an indicator. It's the temperature, amount of gas and the velocity from the powder blast right at the throat that is the enemy of a barrel. Irregardless, cause or effect, heating up a barrel is not good.
I believe that how soon or how much a barrel "walks" has as much or more to do with how much stress it has than how hot it gets. The point being, you can have a stress free barrel that doesn't walk much if at all and still be getting it way too hot. Bullet impact walk is not the only indicator.
It isn't just temperature build up of the throat area itself that ruins or "shoots out" a barrel, that is really just an indicator. It's the temperature, amount of gas and the velocity from the powder blast right at the throat that is the enemy of a barrel. Irregardless, cause or effect, heating up a barrel is not good.
I think Bart B. has said "walk" is caused by barrel fit to the receiver, also.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=510919
Ledd Slinger
Silver $$ Contributor
I just ordered the "Chamber Chiller Beta 60" to try and keep barrel temps under control. Hopefully it will help on those hot days when it's tough to cool a barrel down.
The type of rifle does matter. If it is a precision rifle then too hot can speed up erosion of the rifling near the chamber. If you're talking about a military style semi-auto then it could still do the same damage, but on that type of rifle a small loss of accuracy isn't a big deal.
I don't like to let my hunting rifles get too hot to touch. Not that I'm worried so much about damage, but a hot barrel will change POI. The hotter the barrel gets, the longer it takes to cool off. Usually 3-5 shots with 30 second spacing between shots is all I want to take.
The outside temps play a role. At only 75 degrees it will take longer for the barrel to heat up, and it will cool down faster. Our low temp hasn't gotten down to 75 in several days. Today was a cool day, only reaching 95, but with 100% humidity and rain.
I've shot at the range when it was 105-110 and the barrels do heat up faster and it takes a lot longer to cool them off. Some guys drape a wet towel over the barrel with the rifle sitting on the bipod to help. As the water evaporates it cools the barrel. I've left the truck running with the AC on and placed rifles in the front seat to cool them off within a reasonable time to get in another string of shots.
I don't like to let my hunting rifles get too hot to touch. Not that I'm worried so much about damage, but a hot barrel will change POI. The hotter the barrel gets, the longer it takes to cool off. Usually 3-5 shots with 30 second spacing between shots is all I want to take.
The outside temps play a role. At only 75 degrees it will take longer for the barrel to heat up, and it will cool down faster. Our low temp hasn't gotten down to 75 in several days. Today was a cool day, only reaching 95, but with 100% humidity and rain.
I've shot at the range when it was 105-110 and the barrels do heat up faster and it takes a lot longer to cool them off. Some guys drape a wet towel over the barrel with the rifle sitting on the bipod to help. As the water evaporates it cools the barrel. I've left the truck running with the AC on and placed rifles in the front seat to cool them off within a reasonable time to get in another string of shots.
I bought this recently. Another fella on here suggested it. Bought some clear tubing that fits the chamber of whatever your using. It blows a lot of air, is rechargeable, lasts a full hour before needing recharging. I have a power pack to charge this pump and my Labradar. High output air flow.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L6TGGQA/?tag=accuratescom-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L6TGGQA/?tag=accuratescom-20
I have the same pump, very effective to cool down the barrel.
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