I went out shooting my 300mag today. I put 40rds through it in about an hour and half. This is the most ive shot at the range at one time. The barrel got warm but only once got heated enough to where it was hot to hold. I would shoot and jump on the 4wheeler and check the targets. The last 20rds were the best groups i've ever gotten with this gun.Ive always heard let the barrel cool down but how cool? Just seems i was getting better groups from a warmer barrel as opposed to a cool.
How hot is too hot? Barrel warmup
- Thread starter Reyn
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KriegHund
Member
Some people say it degrades the barrel faster if you let it get too hot.
If its a 3000$ match gun, ide let it cool down. If its a 100$ milsurp, i wouldnt worry.
If its a 3000$ match gun, ide let it cool down. If its a 100$ milsurp, i wouldnt worry.
Thin Black Line
Member
A couple minutes between each shot on a magnum is not bad. You will
have a different group with a warm barrel as opposed to a cold barrel.
A cold barrel is the temp of the barrel acclimated to its environment
before you even begin shooting. Your cold barrel temp is different in
July from that of Decemeber.
A few things happened here:
You didn't get back down to a truly cold barrel. Had you waited
for that to happen between each shot you would have found a
grouping of rounds in a similar spot (all else being equal) to your first.
However, as your barrel warmed up your point of impact changed.
When you hit a consistent "warm" point you then began to group in
that spot which was, of course, different from your cold barrel poi.
Another big thing here is the practice effect. You were probably shooting
better after a while as you got use to it. A 300mag has some recoil.
If you plan on shooting frequently, then stick with your warm barrel
zero. If you plan on hunting where you will get one shot at a long
distance, you will need to learn your cold barrel zeros.
have a different group with a warm barrel as opposed to a cold barrel.
A cold barrel is the temp of the barrel acclimated to its environment
before you even begin shooting. Your cold barrel temp is different in
July from that of Decemeber.
A few things happened here:
You didn't get back down to a truly cold barrel. Had you waited
for that to happen between each shot you would have found a
grouping of rounds in a similar spot (all else being equal) to your first.
However, as your barrel warmed up your point of impact changed.
When you hit a consistent "warm" point you then began to group in
that spot which was, of course, different from your cold barrel poi.
Another big thing here is the practice effect. You were probably shooting
better after a while as you got use to it. A 300mag has some recoil.
If you plan on shooting frequently, then stick with your warm barrel
zero. If you plan on hunting where you will get one shot at a long
distance, you will need to learn your cold barrel zeros.
you need to define "too hot"
a couple 30 rnd mags through an m16 will yield a far hotter barrel than i think you'd ever find on a hunting rifle of any caliber. i wouldn't call that "too hot" even though you wouldnt want to touch it.
are you talking "hot enough to affect accuracy?"
hot enough to be dangerous?
hot enough to damage the barrel? or rapidly erode it?
a couple 30 rnd mags through an m16 will yield a far hotter barrel than i think you'd ever find on a hunting rifle of any caliber. i wouldn't call that "too hot" even though you wouldnt want to touch it.
are you talking "hot enough to affect accuracy?"
hot enough to be dangerous?
hot enough to damage the barrel? or rapidly erode it?
Thin Black Line
Member
Even for small calibers like .223 and .243, if you are doing bench rest
and want a cold barrel, you will have to wait *at least* 2 minutes between
shots depending on outside temp/enviro conditions. There is a cumulative
warming effect --especially with a magnum-- after 10+ rounds. We're
talking the difference between cold and warm barrels in a bolt action.
A semi-auto with a 30 rd mag should be assumed to be fired from a
warm barrel.
You will notice a difference between waiting and not waiting for longer
periods of time between shots if you are shooting for accuracy from a
bolt action with a cold barrel. Then again, maybe it's just me as I'm trying
to shoot hole-in-hole
and want a cold barrel, you will have to wait *at least* 2 minutes between
shots depending on outside temp/enviro conditions. There is a cumulative
warming effect --especially with a magnum-- after 10+ rounds. We're
talking the difference between cold and warm barrels in a bolt action.
A semi-auto with a 30 rd mag should be assumed to be fired from a
warm barrel.
You will notice a difference between waiting and not waiting for longer
periods of time between shots if you are shooting for accuracy from a
bolt action with a cold barrel. Then again, maybe it's just me as I'm trying
to shoot hole-in-hole
Dave P
Member
Reyn, for a good quality barrel that you want to keep accurate: I reccomend that if you can't keep your hand on the barrel, it is too hot. Let it cool for a little while, then shoot some more.
Dave
Dave
scott.cr
Member
I think the real issue at hand is getting the bore hot enough to anneal the steel. Well, it doesn't take much with magnum loads. Probably two shots per minute before the process starts. Shouldn't affect accuracy, but the barrel's life expectancy will be shorter.
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