Load Development With Hot Suppressor

[fattybinz]

Question boils down to this: Does a hot suppressor affect POI and precision the same way a hot barrel does?

I've got a heavy contour barrel on a 6 Dasher that I'm developing a load for. The barrel is so thick that it can go 10 rounds and barely be warm. However, my TBAC Ultra 9 is very hot after just 3 or 4 shots. I start getting mirage off of it. So if I'm doing load development, do I allow the suppressor/barrel to cool down every 2-3 shots (even though the barrel is as cold as ever), or do I throw a cover on the suppressor to avoid mirage and stop only for the hot barrel, which would be much faster? With the latter, I can shoot complete 5-7 shot groups before stopping, which would be a lot better than stopping every 2-3.

 

[Bill Score]

I have a direct thread Banish 30 on a 300 WM and I haven’t seen any shift with a hot suppressor.

 

[fattybinz]

I may be answering my own question here but I ran a test with a different rifle (RAP 223 rem) with a different suppressor (TBAC Ultra 7) where I shot a 7-shot group, letting the suppressor cool between shots. I then shot 10 quick shots to heat the suppressor up, and then shot a 7-shot group. The hot-suppressor group was better than the cool-suppressor group lol. So I guess it doesn't matter, or may be be better somehow. Just wondering if other people's experiences match this little test:

Cold Suppressor 7-shots, 200 yards:


10 quick shots to warm the suppressor. Didn't take my time with each since I tried to get them off quick...so group is naturally worse than the one above and one below:



Hot Suppressor 7-shots, 200 yards:

 

[ricco1949]

Use a fan to minimize barrel mirage.

I wouldn't add any cover weight to suppressor while doing load development. If moving a tuner .001 can change tune imagine what a few extra ozs may do.

 

[fattybinz]

Use a fan to minimize barrel mirage.

I wouldn't add any cover weight to suppressor while doing load development. If moving a tuner .001 can change tune imagine what a few extra ozs may do.

Sooooo if I plan to shoot with the cover always, I should do load development with the cover on lol. I guess I should keep it on

 

[ricco1949]

Sooooo if I plan to shoot with the cover always, I should do load development with the cover on lol. I guess I should keep it on

Well I still think the slight movement of the cover in recoil ain't doing any good...

I'd rather do the load development without it and then determine the consequences with it on.

 

[Clancy]

Armageddon Gear high temp can covers don’t melt and don’t move.

But here’s the deal about LD…..

You’ve got to have an educated guess at where to start. Keep the round count low for every obvious reason.

If you’re shooting a popular bullet and varget in that dasher, there are no secrets….

You should be able to shoot 4 depths and 6 charges and be done.