Cooling a barrel

[Nature Boy]

I saw one guy uses air duster for computers. Pretty handy to carry one in shooting bag

I was thinking about this as well

 

[dpsurveyor]

I used to shoot BPCR using a 45-70 loaded with black powder. We would fire five rounds, take a short break, and fire five more rounds per relay. Here in Phoenix during the summer the ambient air temperature runs well up into the hundred and "teens" on a regular basis. Our barrels would understandably get hot enough you couldn't touch them. Most of the shooters would simply run a patch or two soaked with any kind of cleaning fluid through the barrel followed by a dry patch and call it good. The barrel would be warm enough you could feel a little heat coming from it if you grabbed it and held tight but it was a long ways from being hot. It has been my experience that the heat quickly dissipates and becomes a non-issue, at least in the large caliber single-shot rifles we were shooting. I can't speak to the smaller caliber rifles as I haven't competed with any here in the desert heat. When I do take my 223 single-shot to the range, I can't fire fast enough to heat up the barrel much at all. Even so, my regimen is still a wet patch or two followed by a dry patch and I'm good to go. That's how it works in the desert heat for me.

 

[DazedandConfuzed]

Here's one recently introduced by a guy that shoots F-class.

http://barrelcool.com/

 

[SoonerMedic]

I would assume if they can dump 150 rds. and dunk it in water, a few rags or cool water won't hurt after a magazine.

SKIP TO 1:25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX2kT8KAmIg

 

[yugorpk]

When I was in basic training (Army) I shot my M-1 so much
that the barrel glowed red. I kept shooting until told to stop.
A captain was in charge that night and when the night was
finished he chose two of us to shoot up all the ammo so we
wouldn't have to properly stow it. We shot while the rest of
the platoon loaded clips. Really fun stuff.
Zeke

Fun stuff . Grafenwöhr .12 degrees F pounding down snow. Me and 2 other guys having to burn up 7000 rounds shooting 3 round burst M16A2's. Took what seemed to be an immeasurable amount of hours. Melted two gas tubes and 26 years later I dont think I have feeling in a few of my fingers between the stripper clips and the frostbite. Yep. Good times.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I made fan set up with a tube into the chamber. Found it to be a waste of time.

 

[Acera]

Wasn't there a couple of threads on here about two years ago about some revolutionary barrel design that was going to change the world? Poster had a buddy or something that was awaiting patents final design or something.

Think it was something along the lines of a cooling fin system encased in a shroud.

 

[Axis II]

I noticed at least with my regular barrel the other night if I blew into the barrel for about a minute it got a bit cooler as I blew the heat out where the chamber is.

I picked up a $6 air bed pump that blows air like a leaf blower and some fish tank tube and will give that a shot. if it doesn't work than im only out $6.

ill also try the cold rag too. thanks guys for the help.

 

[crashdummy]

When doing load development or fun shooting, I always take 2 rifles. Shoot a group with one then switch to the other for another group. Beats sitting there watching the clock.

 

[lysanderxiii]

When doing load development or fun shooting, I always take 2 rifles. Shoot a group with one then switch to the other for another group. Beats sitting there watching the clock.

Just two?

 

[RecoilRob]

Wasn't there a couple of threads on here about two years ago about some revolutionary barrel design that was going to change the world? Poster had a buddy or something that was awaiting patents final design or something.

Think it was something along the lines of a cooling fin system encased in a shroud.

You might be thinking about the 'Straightjacket' barrel deal. There was a fellow who was hawking all kinds of fanciful claims about it that just didn't make sense and would have violated many Laws of Thermodynamics so they were scoffed at. Jacketing a barrel and filling the void with something CAN make it shoot well, but adding mass and stiffness is adding mass and stiffness.

It was claimed that the barrel wouldn't heat up. Right. Making it heavier absolutely will make it heat up slower...but the heat has to go somewhere. I kind of feel sorry for the Company for this fellow who made many doubt whether it's a valid concept or not by his bragging and tall tales.

I asked, repeatedly, for a comparison of weight to weight rifles as my contention was that adding a bull barrel of equal mass would pretty much do the same thing as the fancy 'Straightjacket'...but never saw the results, likely because they wouldn't be all that dramatic. If you do a search on them, the Company I guess is still in business and many people swear by their product. Good for them! I'd still like to see a pound-for-pound comparison before attributing anything mystical to the jacketing process.

 

[Acera]

That was exactly it RecoilRob, thanks. I remember the hype by the poster, and the doubt about it working as claimed from all the other posters. Could not remember it, was a big topic of discussion.

 

[jmorris]

wont cold water on a hot barrel warp or give stress cracks.

I have only used cold water on machine guns and it works better at cooling than any air method would. Never much of a problem with anything else, either grab another gun or just let it cool.