Quick barrel cooling...yes or no?

[lpreddick]

When I'm working up loads for a new gun, I usually try several bullets and powders. My barrel can get quite warm/ hot, esp in the summer. I have saturated a towel with water and draped it over the barrel. This takes a lot of time and effort(moving the towel) and knowing when to resume shooting is a guess. Recently, I tried internal barrel cooling by pouring cooled water down the bore. I tape the sensor of a Radio Shack indoor/ outdoor thermometer to the barrel a few inches in front of the chamber. I record this temp. I have a plastic tube friction fit the chamber(.223) and connect a rubber tube to it, leading to a funnel. 98° barrel temp was chosen as the endpoint of shooting. I pour 1-2 oz of water in the funnel and wait for it to exit the muzzle. The barrel temp starts to d rop gradually. Continue pouring water in small amounts until the temp get to the initial value. 1 cup of cooled water was sufficient for this 223 chamber(a 6x45 case). The chamber is dryed with a chamber mop and the bore is cleaned using the usual technique. This takes only minutes and I can resume shooting. Does anybody see or know any reasons this procedure should not be done?

 

[300_whisper]

I would just be worried about rust.

Also, this is theory so take it for a grain of salt, but if their is water in the barrel, you can’t compress it, so it could potentially damage your barrel???

 

[AckleymanII]

I started cooling barrels like you cool them in 1987, finest barrels made. A couple are on their third chamber. Steve Chernicky suggested the method to us after struggling with us on a p. dog shoot where the p. dogs were thick as locusts. Steve was one of Rockwell's top engineers, and stated that water down the tube could not hurt a rifle barrel until the barrel got to 800 degrees. Hot gases that are thousands of degrees proceed the bullet, which burn up any micro droplets of water that could be in the pores of the barrel, so that is not an issue either...forget compressing water and rust.

I believe that Steve asked Bill Davis how they cool barrels, and Bill told Steve about the Water, Bill ran Aberdine Proving grounds.

Water down the pipe, 4 dry patches, dry chamber, back to shooting, all in three minutes once you get the system down.

Patches take out a lot of carbon and extends the shooting string.

I also used water on Chrome moly barrels, Rem 788, Howa, Rem 700, without issues or rust. We always ran a patch of very light oil down the barrel when storing chrome moly barrels.

Shooters have gasp in horror as I flushed the barrel with water at the rifle range, Hall M's, Stolle Panda's, all kinds of Rem customs. You would have thought if I were suggesting that they get a sex change operation.

People that worry about rust, remember you don't cool your barrel, stick the gun in the gun case, and go home. You cool the barrel and keep shooting. Last string of the day, you do not put water down the barrel, just let it cool on it's own.

F Class shooters need to try this as this is no where near rocket science. At least try it on a barrel you are about to pull off.

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The yellow part costs around $4 at the auto parts store, fits on quarts of oil
plugs in the end of a rod guide

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If a one liter bottle is too small, then use a two liter bottle or smaller. Takes about 6-8 oz of water.

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[Willie]

A temp strip and air mattress pump will do the job, with less work. I personally, would not pour water down my barrel.

 

[lpreddick]

I would just be worried about rust.

Also, this is theory so take it for a grain of salt, but if their is water in the barrel, you can’t compress it, so it could potentially damage your barrel???

After cooling, the barrel is cleaned with my usual solvent and patches...there is no water left in the bore.

 

[300_whisper]

After cooling, the barrel is cleaned with my usual solvent and patches...there is no water left in the bore.

Well besides rust, which you account for, I wouldn’t worry about it. Do what makes you happy.

 

[Lucky Shooter]

Some old PD shooters showed me this simple method.

Take some ice from the cooler and rub it on the barrel----let the
water drain out the barrel channel. This worked pretty fast.

I made sure the barrel channels of wood stock were sealed well and
have used this for years----no known problems.

A. Weldy

 

[K9TXS]

When I was shooting black powder, using water to clean/cool barrels was very common. No effects at all. I would take my brass, pop out the primer and drop the case in hot was beside my range table. When done for the day, I would stop by the restroom and rinse and refill my bottle that had the dirty brass and water. A little bit of Dawn or other soap in the hot water and the brass was almost clean when I got home. More hot water down the bore with patches and the barrel was spotless inside.

 

[Twicepop]

I read an article several years back about barrel cooling at the range or a situation like a prarie dog hunt. The guy that wrote the article took one of his old brass, drilled and tapped the primer pocket for a small brass air fitting. From this he hooked up a hose going to an oxygen bottle and used compressed air to cool the barrel from the inside. The oxygen bottle was a small one like used for paint ball guns or what an oxygen user would have.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I've used rubbing alcohol on a small hand towel. Apply to the outside of the barrel via the towel; the quick evaporation of the alcohol draws heat out of the barrel pretty quickly.

I'm sure it's nothing like pouring water down the tube though.

 

[Texas10]

I've got a battery operated air mattress inflator I use to cool, but I think I may try your method. Besides cooling, you're also removing carbon before it can harden into diamonds...LOL

 

[HIC3540]

I use a MagnetoSpeed barrel Kuhl and temp strips just forward of the chamber. The thing sounds like it will rattle apart but works really well. I leave it on until the temp is where I started the last group. It also serves a chamber flag at matches.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I use a circulating cooling system. Ive been trying to upload a pic for an hour and it wont go

 

[mike06]

yep Coleman air mattress pump is what I use also with some good rechargeable batteries. I have put in a tee so the bolt will hold it in place. Works good in this hot Louisiana weather.

 

[Bc'z]

I use a circulating cooling system. Ive been trying to upload a pic for an hour and it wont go

Does it look like this?
Looks like my lady drank all the beer agian!

 

[fyrewall]

Good time to do both - clean & cool. The magic ingredients in your favorite bore solvent will work faster when exposed to hot surfaces (chem. reactions & temp). I give my hot barrels a blast of cold Gunslick Foam from cooler - expanding gas propellent helps to cool, wait 5 minutes, then patch, then squirt ice water if still hot to touch (a closed recirculating system with controlled disposal would be more environmentally friendly - see above), then brush with oil, then patch and patch and patch and clean chamber and light grease coatings on lugs. Not a complete clean job and more time but keeps things going longer. The oil displaces water. Wipe off hot outer surfaces with cold water to evaporate - gap in barrel channel & barrel is wide enough to pass doubled up paper towel to sop up water & dry. Point everything down hill.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Does it look like this?View attachment 1111387
Looks like my lady drank all the beer agian!

Have you ever thought of trying this with chilled Hoppes #9 instead of just plain water...you know - why not also clean the barrel while you're at it?

I used to use Lauda circulating [chilled] water baths in the lab. If electric power was available at the range, one of those would be an awesome (if slightly pricey) way to cool the barrel to almost any desired temperature.

 

[lpreddick]

Have you ever thought of trying this with chilled Hoppes #9 instead of just plain water...you know - why not also clean the barrel while you're at it?

I used to use Lauda circulating [chilled] water baths in the lab. If electric power was available at the range, one of those would be an awesome (if slightly pricey) way to cool the barrel to almost any desired temperature.

I initially used iced water and the temp dropped instantly and i was concered that a sudden temp change might be a bad thing. The barrel got quite cold. I now used cooled water and it only takes a few minutes to get back to resting temp.

 

[300_whisper]

I initially used iced water and the temp dropped instantly and i was concered that a sudden temp change might be a bad thing. The barrel got quite cold. I now used cooled water and it only takes a few minutes to get back to resting temp.

Another dumb question, this is an interesting thread. Do you think to quick of cooling could crack the rifling?

Now the opposite of that, do you think cooling like this could increase barrel life?

 

[BenPerfected]

Another dumb question, this is an interesting thread. Do you think to quick of cooling could crack the rifling?

Now the opposite of that, do you think cooling like this could increase barrel life?

Here is a rig I used to cool the barrel PD Hunting. Savage 22-250.