F Class - Barrel cooling

[JR]

In 2005 at the World Masters in Edmonton Alberta the F Class competition comprises 60 shots on score, plus unlimited sighters, @ 300m to be shot in a max. of 2 hrs. If one is not carefull this could be a barrel burner !!! Any suggestions on barrel cooling on the line?

Thanks, Jay

 

[dreever]

make a wooden carrier that looks like a shoe shine box with a handle. Go to your local auto parts store and buy a 12 volt school bus fan,used to cool the driver, not the engine). Couple this with a 12 volt motorcycle battery with leads for a trickle charger attached, and mount everything in the shoe shine box.
It's portable, a charge last a long time, and it moves a lot of air.

OR

Get a cooler with ice and water with a 12 volt aquarium pump, and again a motorcycle battery, and plastic aquarium hose. Use a piece of brass tubing to go all the way through the barrel, hook up the hoses to both ends and run water thru the system. Again works good.

OR

Just use the K.I.S.S. principal and just use an ice water towel and wipe off the barrel every so often.

I've used all three at one time or another, and they all work. These are just suggestions. Good Luck.

 

[RickB]

Just a suggestion about the towel and ice water. If you add some rubbing alcohol to the icewater that you use on the towel it will improve the evaporative cooling.

 

[robbor]

There was just a thread somewhere on this?
I thing Id think about trying a pvc compression fitting with brass nipples and then pump cool water through so it is cooling the whole time you are shooting. Only problem I see if you are only cooling one area of the barrel,middle)but it should sink quite a bit of heat out. also adding weight and changing harmonics though.

 

[Rustystud]

I have made water jacketed/shrouded barrels for shooting prarrie dogs. You would not be able to meet the weight limits with this kind of configureation shooting F-Class. I would suggest a small 4500psi air tank like used by paintballers or a scuba cylinder. Use a Scuba two stage regulator. That will bring your pressure down to 110 psi over ambient pressure,14.7) at sea level. Make a small squirt air nozzle that will fit into your bolt opening and chamber. You can release a flood of air down the barrel. Boils law will cool your barrel with dry air. This will not effect the barrel chemically. You may get some funny looks but I don't know of any rule it would violate. In the matter of 15-30 seconds your barrel will be cooled below 32 degrees farenheight. The Bernooley,sp) effect could take it to -140 degrees under the right conditions,same theory as the ram jet coolers). I would not cool beyond the condensation or frost stage. You could freeze condensation into ice inside the barrel. Thus causing a barrel rupture when a case was fired.

Rustystud

 

[ConnorExum]

actually if you use the water in the tube method mix it 50-50% with rubbing alchol and water adn you'll really increase the cooling potential of the fluid.

 

[Hipshot]

I have a stick-on temperature gage about 6" forward of the chamber on my barrel and watch the temperature as I shoot. I'm F-class, 300 meter shooter, too. It's surprising how hot a barrel feels when the actual temperature is still only 140F degrees. I have found that with the barrel temp around the 140F mark my gun is quite consistent. I can shoot a 60 shot match in under 90 minutes in 90F degree weather without any temp above 140 showing up. Your barrel may not be as hot as you think.

My rifle does have a heavy barrel, however. If it were a spindly piece of spaghetti then it would take time to cool the barrel.

 

[FatBoy]

Don't shoot a overbore and don't worry about it. Shooting 60 to 80 shots through a 6BR in 120 minutes isn's going to burn your tube out. There's no need for a 6.5x284, 119mm variation of 6mm or big 7mm/30cal at 300yards. 6BR's and 308's with 168SMK's work like a champ and last forever.

I can shoot a 20 shot match with sighters at 1000y with my 6BR and pick the rifle up by the barrel without it being ucomfortable in my hand. If anything, retaining a little heat helps to keep it settled for the next match.

Chris...

 

[trgtsnpr]

I have run into the same problem found out from a older shooter buddy to use a can of compressed air like you buy at wally world to clean your key board.If you need to cool it down in a hurry tip the can upside down works great

Bill

 

[chuckw2]

Guys,
When the bbl is very,very hot,is there any danger of warping the bbl or messing up the ID of the bbl by cooling it so fast?


Chuck