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Barrel Cooling

Setting aside fluted barrels or sleeved "rail gun" barrels filled with anti-freeze or oil, what methods have you used to enhance barrel cooling. I have seen some custom stocks with slots cut in the forend area of the stock but what about the action?

What can one do to minimize heat buildup in the action and barrel as well as reduce the cool down interval between strings?

What have people tried that:

Works?

Doesn't Work.
 
Last shoot in the desert, my buddy left his F150 running with the A/C on and rotated guns into the cool cab! :o

No joke.
 
I just read and article of one of the top F class shooters that he would wrap a damp towel around the barrel after the string.

I wouldn't do that but I don't think it would hurt anything unless your barrel was VERY HOT and it would act like quenching. But I don't believe barrels would be anywhere near that temp.
 
If your cartridge is designed for it Winchester-748 is the best cooling method I know.
In the 204R I can get off 4 times more shots using W-748 as opposed to any other powder.

Beyond that, bolt open, muzzle facing straight up. The chimney effect I call it. Hot air rises drawing cooler air into the bore from the chamber. Shade obviously helps.

I've seen the damp towel method employed. Always wonder if that might promote condensation in the bore. Not smart enough to know the answer tho.
 
markm87 said:
Last shoot in the desert, my buddy left his F150 running with the A/C on and rotated guns into the cool cab! :o

No joke.

When I only had one comp gun...300 wby....I also used the a/c in my car/truck. Lots of times I would make both LG and HG shootoffs and you want to talk about HOT equipment!! Just stick the gun in the truck with all of the vents closed but one and set the bbl so the air blew down the tube. I did this while everyone else was setting up their hg's.

People asked me if I understood how much gas costs. I returned by asking if they knew how much a new BBL was, how much smithing costs were, how much it costs to load develop a match load in 300 wby.!! The wait time for everything to come together. The time spent at the loading and shooting bench......

NOPE, I'll pay for the gas.....it's CHEAP!!

Another method...I used to do a lot of off road wheeling. We air down our tires to four or five PSI, and needed to air them back up again to 20+ PSI. Some guys used air compressors....s.l.o.w......I used a liquid Co2 tank....could air up forty big (40 inch) tires per tank. Could also run air tools.

As you know, LIQUID Co2 is COLD!!! Everything ices up if you use it too fast...even on hot days. To speed up shooting during load development on hot days, I just fashioned up a bore guide to hook up the tank to my gun. Cooled the hot gun in a matter of seconds. The problem.....I used this stuff on hot days when there was no wind....and ..I live in mosquito country. I'll let you figure out what happed next!!

Tod
 
I use a 12 volt fan. Cut the wire put alligator clips on and make the wires longer. I blow it from the action end. I works good until it gets really hot outside My truck has two batteries and one is a deep cycle and will run the fan for day with the engine off. I know someone that uses a cooler with gel ice pack.
 
I dont do competition, but i know how metal acts. When i try to get the best grouping i measure the temp of my barrel and action with my temp gun. Ive seen that when i keep the gun a consistant temp i get best grouping....no brainer on that. I just try to keep out of the sun and keep the gun covered. The smoke stack method is the same way i cool down between groups. But i try to keep the gun the same temp from the first shot to the last. Ive watched a guy at the local range keep wiping his barrel (stainless) with a damp cloth. I thought it was weird until i realised what he was doing.
 
At the range I use a small table fan, doesn't cool as much as keep the barrel mirage down. I shoot at a moderate pace to keep the temp down.
At F-Class matches I use a 16" long gel-filled cold pack - between relays it goes on the barrel while the rifle sits in the vehicle. And does double-duty keeping my post-shoot beverages chilly. ;)
 
I use a Igloo playmate, with 2 ice packs, with a dampened white small terry bath towel. Wrap barrel for a couple minutes, its back to normal temp. Seen this method used by other shooters,,works great.
 
I have 3 slots on each side of my stock and a bit larger barrel channel on my Masterclass stock. This keeps my barrel fairly cool, but I know I'll see a slight elevation increase starting with about shot 12 of a 20 round string shot in about 10 minutes.
 
Boys,
This is a very interesting topic. I have seen people cool bbls with a wet wash cloth etc..
1. Is ther any danger of causing harm to the bbl? Will it warp? What if you are shooting a very thin bbl? Does it hurt a bbl running a patch soaked with solvent when it is hot?

It is a pita to wait for a bbl to cool between strings.

If you have any more suggestions on how you cool you bbl between strings, please post them.
Chuck
 
Something you may be overlooking. Cooling barrels often cause condensation in the barrel. Water droplets do not compress. When a bullet passes them it dents the barrel inside. This ruins barrels. I have seen barrels both hunting barrels and F-Class barrels that were ruined at one match the failed to produce afterward.

If you really want to cool your barrels get a tank of nitrogen gass, regulator and nozzle. Released nitrogen gass is very cold. It also displaces water. Many car tires are now filled with nitrogen gas instead of air. A tire could be used as your nitrogen tank. Air is roughly 78% nitrogen but it has oxygen and other gasses that attract moisture.

Recently I discussed making a sleeved barrel that would use burst of nitogen to cool the barrel. this would serve two purposes extend barrel life while shooting on the range. Too it would reduce heat signature for the barrel and can.

Nat Lambeth
 
Charlie Watson said:
I have 3 slots on each side of my stock and a bit larger barrel channel on my Masterclass stock. This keeps my barrel fairly cool, but I know I'll see a slight elevation increase starting with about shot 12 of a 20 round string shot in about 10 minutes.

This is kind of the direction I was thinking of going with my stock. I can see all the "wash cloth" and "fan" methods helping but I'm really averse to cooling only one side of my barrel.

I can see the slots and extra clearance being a big help, now all I need to do is figure out how to maintain rigidity of the stock for bipod support and keeping the forend from flexing enough to smack the barrel under recoil. Maybe I'll start with an aluminum billet and get creative with the mill. Then just glue on some wood or plastic as a veneer for decoration. 8)
 
Man... we were at the High Power range on Saturday afternoon. I'll tell you... Hot winds don't cool the barrels down at all. ;)

A 5 round string on my heavy profiled .308 and the thing was approaching the too hot to hold by the barrel temps.
 

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