steve stanley
Well-known member
The simplest thing is a pumpup garden sprayer with plain ol water and a nozzle to fit the chamber and run water through the barrel for about 15 sec. and it is cool, clean and shoot. Steve
S
smoker
Guest
Wow, now there's some ideas! So what I'm getting is you guy's cool your barrels but not between shots....right? Do you all aggree that a 5 shot group with no cooling will be as accurate as cooling between shots? smoker
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Big Al
Guest
No, 5 to 10 shoots in five minutes ain't going to hurt nothing, you have to figure your sighters along with your five shot group.
Really, the simplest is just to use a cold towel and wipe the barrel. Carrying more crap out to the range is way beyond "K I S S".
this one returns into a collection bucket for self contained cleanup/reuse. There's an inexpensive pump sprayer of water set in a bucket in the foreground. Two buckets and $40.00 in materials, my rifle was cool while others were smoking the foam in their cases putting the guns away after the relay.
PITA but it works for the guy who only has one gun.
al
PITA but it works for the guy who only has one gun.
al
Attachments
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steyrl
Guest
I do not shoot benchrest competively; except with myself. When I shoot my 223Rem Steyr ProHunter I allow 2mins between 5 shot groups, then clean. Even if I shoot a 10 shot group I still allow 2 mins between shots. This seems to keep the barrel temperature consitantly luke warm to warm but never hot.
I did the same with my 223Rem Savage LRPV (bloody heavy barrel) until I paid particlular attention to the guys who shoot benchrest competitively. They seemed to punch out 5 or 10 shots without a pause. Competition time constraints, "shoot the conditions", heavy barrels etc. are factors they appear to take into consideration.
So, I tried the 2mins between shots and 5 shots straight after one another. No real difference between group sizes. AND I cannot honestly say one technique is better than the other with the Savage. It just depends on the day.
Barrel cooling
Not for benchrest but for Prarrie Dogin, I made two rifles with water manifolds that were sealed with O rings the aluminum jackets had an untake on the tenon end and a small brass pipe at the muzzle end I took a cooler of ice water and made a stopper with a piece of IV tubing to connect to the rifle. I used a IV thumb screw to control the flow. I would allow a continual drip. I would shoot over 100 rounds per hour in 90-100 degree weather. My other rifles fired at this rate would get so hot that they would burn the finish off the stock. My SAKO L-461 got so hot the extractor lost it's spring tension. These ware cooled barrels never got more than warm to the touch. They would however condensate inside during breaks.
My thoughts for barrel cooling have sinve changed to the idea of nitrogen gas or C O2. By inserting a nozzle/hose into the chamber and giving a quick burst of escaping gas. This would cool the barrel from the inside out and leave no residue. If one used dry air you might accomplish the same result.
Pure nitrogen gas is available from the gas suppliers. The reason one might use nitrogen is that it displaces water.
I could see a guy being run out of a match showing up with a gas cylinder to cool his barrel.
Just some thoughts on the matter of cooling.
Nat Lambeth
Not for benchrest but for Prarrie Dogin, I made two rifles with water manifolds that were sealed with O rings the aluminum jackets had an untake on the tenon end and a small brass pipe at the muzzle end I took a cooler of ice water and made a stopper with a piece of IV tubing to connect to the rifle. I used a IV thumb screw to control the flow. I would allow a continual drip. I would shoot over 100 rounds per hour in 90-100 degree weather. My other rifles fired at this rate would get so hot that they would burn the finish off the stock. My SAKO L-461 got so hot the extractor lost it's spring tension. These ware cooled barrels never got more than warm to the touch. They would however condensate inside during breaks.
My thoughts for barrel cooling have sinve changed to the idea of nitrogen gas or C O2. By inserting a nozzle/hose into the chamber and giving a quick burst of escaping gas. This would cool the barrel from the inside out and leave no residue. If one used dry air you might accomplish the same result.
Pure nitrogen gas is available from the gas suppliers. The reason one might use nitrogen is that it displaces water.
I could see a guy being run out of a match showing up with a gas cylinder to cool his barrel.
Just some thoughts on the matter of cooling.
Nat Lambeth
Dusty Stevens
Hollow Point Dispenser
wow. I have never seen a range designed so that the walkway is in FRONT of the shooters. gives a new meaning to "dance!"
brian roberts
New member
Photographer's canned air might work.......
A problem for co2 might be metering it effectively if trying to administer it slowly. When shooting on the range in less than 100f, if I notice my barrel getting a little warm, I remove the bolt, and rest the buttstock on the toe of my shoe. The "chimney effect" cools the barrel quicker than having the rifle remaining on the pedestal, especially sporter barrels; Don't do this at ANY match........guaranteed to make people nervous, since not everyone thinks alike.
A problem for co2 might be metering it effectively if trying to administer it slowly. When shooting on the range in less than 100f, if I notice my barrel getting a little warm, I remove the bolt, and rest the buttstock on the toe of my shoe. The "chimney effect" cools the barrel quicker than having the rifle remaining on the pedestal, especially sporter barrels; Don't do this at ANY match........guaranteed to make people nervous, since not everyone thinks alike.
O
Old Gunner
Guest
One of the Squad Auto modified M-60 Machineguns used a cooling jacket with CO2 cylinders. When firing cold CO2 bathed the outside of the barrel allowing longer sustained bursts. I don't think it worked as well in practice as in testing.
The real problem of barrel heating for bolt action rifles is if the barrel has hidden flaws. Wandering bore, unequal heat treatment, etc.
A well made barrel shows little if any adverse effects from the level of heat you'd expect from target shooting.
That said I wonder if the air cans used to blow the dust out of a PC would be useful.
A long blast up the bore between shots might help. It might blow away some soft fouling at the same time.
An unfortunate side effect would be cooling of residual fouling changing its effect on the following shots, more friction perhaps.
Some gas operated or gas assisted Aerial guns were found to jam due to cold air at high altitude hardening carbon deposits in the nose caps or cylinders.
Also the full length handguards of the Enfield rifles are mainly to avoid burning your hands on the barrel after extended shooting, but they also serve to keep the barrel evenly warm rather than exposed surfaces becoming cooler than the undersides.
They also reduce heat waves.
Uneven cooling would be even worse for accuracy than the heat build up itself.
I've found that a rifle barrel exposed to strong sunlight for a few hours can get nearly as hot as it would from extended firing at sedate bolt action speeds.
The "Mad Minute" though can heat an Enfield barrel up as much as a heavy machinegun barrel.
No answers just observations.
The real problem of barrel heating for bolt action rifles is if the barrel has hidden flaws. Wandering bore, unequal heat treatment, etc.
A well made barrel shows little if any adverse effects from the level of heat you'd expect from target shooting.
That said I wonder if the air cans used to blow the dust out of a PC would be useful.
A long blast up the bore between shots might help. It might blow away some soft fouling at the same time.
An unfortunate side effect would be cooling of residual fouling changing its effect on the following shots, more friction perhaps.
Some gas operated or gas assisted Aerial guns were found to jam due to cold air at high altitude hardening carbon deposits in the nose caps or cylinders.
Also the full length handguards of the Enfield rifles are mainly to avoid burning your hands on the barrel after extended shooting, but they also serve to keep the barrel evenly warm rather than exposed surfaces becoming cooler than the undersides.
They also reduce heat waves.
Uneven cooling would be even worse for accuracy than the heat build up itself.
I've found that a rifle barrel exposed to strong sunlight for a few hours can get nearly as hot as it would from extended firing at sedate bolt action speeds.
The "Mad Minute" though can heat an Enfield barrel up as much as a heavy machinegun barrel.
No answers just observations.
brian roberts
New member
Heat..............
OG, I found the same thing out groundhoggin' in hot sun, the barrel'd be warm to the touch from exposure to the sun. Fire one shot, & that barrel would be VERY warm as a result of JUST one! And, the cool-down times for the CM barrels were significantly longer than that for Stainless. That's how I came to "chimney" my rifles.
OG, I found the same thing out groundhoggin' in hot sun, the barrel'd be warm to the touch from exposure to the sun. Fire one shot, & that barrel would be VERY warm as a result of JUST one! And, the cool-down times for the CM barrels were significantly longer than that for Stainless. That's how I came to "chimney" my rifles.