Heat strips

[tharger]

When buying heat test strips, what temp range do I need? How hot should I let the barrel get?

 

[Straightshooter1]

When buying heat test strips, what temp range do I need? How hot should I let the barrel get?

I got these and have one mounted on the barrel just above the receiver:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FVOQL84/?tag=accuratescom-20

When I'm shooting here around Phoenix, AZ when temps are triple digits I'll pause and put a cooling fan into my barrel when it shows 113°F (which seems to be right at what my infrared meter pretty much confirms as being accurate). When it cools down to the 104° mark I fire some more (slowly). Sometimes I let it get up to the 122° mark, but that seems to be where I start seeing changes in my POI. My .308 has a Sporter barrel, so I'm sure this will be different from barrel to barrel. Ideally, I like to keep the temp at 95° or less. . . but that's not really possible if ambient temps are triple digit (well, maybe if one has a water cooled barrel ).

 

[Rsadams]

McMaster Carr has them cheap and they work very well...

Edit... Sorry I also try and stop at 122 myself and let it cool back down.... This is why I only shoot in the winter in central Texas because during the summer it's hard to keep the heat down when it's 105-114 air temps...

 

[Ned Ludd]

This is what I use:

https://www.mcmaster.com/temperature-strips : horizontal orientation, 7 points, Cat. # 59535K13





I place them slightly in front of where the barrel vise clamps onto the barrel shank, where they can easily be seen.

 

[topclass2017]

+1 on the McMaster Carr Strips. Make sure they are black background - easier to see the color changes than on white strips. I also use a barrel cool like Straightshooter1, and use 122 as my temp cutoff before cooling things down. I'm in Central Texas, so cool is a relative term this time of the year, but barrels will cool to the 104 range. I Put mine about 4-6" or so in front of the action.