How do you know if your barrel is getting too hot?
- Thread starter azranger
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Timberbeast7
New member
Originally Posted By: Dennyrif you can't hold onto the barrel it's getting hot.
I usually figure if it has gotten to the point where I can't hold onto it...it's already gotten too hot and I should have stopped a shot or two before.
I usually figure if it has gotten to the point where I can't hold onto it...it's already gotten too hot and I should have stopped a shot or two before.
Aznative
New member
Originally Posted By: Timberbeast7Originally Posted By: Dennyrif you can't hold onto the barrel it's getting hot.
I usually figure if it has gotten to the point where I can't hold onto it...it's already gotten too hot and I should have stopped a shot or two before.
Heck that would mean that I would have to wait until November to shot my next bullet here in Az. If you sit anything metal down in the sun on a hot summer day, you cannot hold on to it for more than a second or two.
I usually figure if it has gotten to the point where I can't hold onto it...it's already gotten too hot and I should have stopped a shot or two before.
Heck that would mean that I would have to wait until November to shot my next bullet here in Az. If you sit anything metal down in the sun on a hot summer day, you cannot hold on to it for more than a second or two.
claimbuster
New member
A whole different set of rules apply to AZ!
You know like daylight savings time.
You know like daylight savings time.
coyotekillerNE
New member
Well....if you can light a match on it.....it is definitely too hot-in theory anyhow. On a serious note, shoot it on paper, when your groups start to open up, you'll have a pretty accurate round count of how many shots you can fire before you need to let it cool. Theres too much of a varience between calibers and barrel contours to say specifically how many rounds. Shooting my Tikka .243, 5 rounds or so consecutively and it would be pretty warm (75grain V-max) Congrats on the purchase of the A7, post some group pics when you get a chance.
We don't do DST. Wouldn't want to complicate things,by movin our clocks. We just let the rest of the states move theirs, so they confuse us!! I have an old camo long sleeve that I pull over my barrel when in a sunny spot, it not only keeps the sun from heating my barrel there is no glare coming from it either.
Evil_Lurker
New member
Put a light coat of oil on it, and when the oil starts smoking, let it cool off. Probably won't want to use your hand as a "monitor".
When it feels "too hot to hold onto", it's about 150 degrees. That wouldn't hurt a plastic barrel.
I'm just sayin.
Of course if you see the shots stringing as it warms up, you might as well quit at that point and let it cool off. My .308 does that. It's not "too hot" to shoot, but it's kinda pointless to continue.
When it feels "too hot to hold onto", it's about 150 degrees. That wouldn't hurt a plastic barrel.
I'm just sayin.
Of course if you see the shots stringing as it warms up, you might as well quit at that point and let it cool off. My .308 does that. It's not "too hot" to shoot, but it's kinda pointless to continue.
TrapShooter12
Member
I wonder if you can actually shoot a Bolt Action or Semiauotmatic barrel out by getting it to hot. Look at the M60 and the M249 and such they fire 20 and thirty round bursts and more at a time.
I don't coddle my barrels. If I have a lot of shooting to do, I do it. To me, barrels are like the tires on my truck or my Jeep, yeah, they are expensive and I don't like having to buy new ones, but I don't buy them to sit there either and I take it for granted that if I use them for what I bought them for, they'll get worn out. Big whup...
That said... Every barrel and chambering combo is different. I figure it's too hot when I start missing. Or, if punching paper, groups start to open up. Some barrels, some chamberings, some configurations, that might not be a very long string. But some of my really heavy dedicated colony varmint rigs, I have shot strings until I could literally SMELL the steel of the barrel it gets so hot, and am still launching varmints every shot. The first .20BR I put together about 10 years ago, used to start smelling like stale sweat it would get so hot on a p-dog town. You could feel the heat radiating off it and wouldn't even THINK of trying to touch it. I'm sure that wasn't good for it. But, like I said, I didn't build it to look at it, I built it to kill things with.
Long winded way of saying, for myself, I know it's too hot (and/or DIRTY) when I start missing.
- DAA
That said... Every barrel and chambering combo is different. I figure it's too hot when I start missing. Or, if punching paper, groups start to open up. Some barrels, some chamberings, some configurations, that might not be a very long string. But some of my really heavy dedicated colony varmint rigs, I have shot strings until I could literally SMELL the steel of the barrel it gets so hot, and am still launching varmints every shot. The first .20BR I put together about 10 years ago, used to start smelling like stale sweat it would get so hot on a p-dog town. You could feel the heat radiating off it and wouldn't even THINK of trying to touch it. I'm sure that wasn't good for it. But, like I said, I didn't build it to look at it, I built it to kill things with.
Long winded way of saying, for myself, I know it's too hot (and/or DIRTY) when I start missing.
- DAA
2muchgun
New member
Good post. And good to see you around.
I ran 60 rounds out of a 20" pencil barreled 204 in under 20 minutes and the accuracy never dropped off. Stock not even bedded. I was tryin' to damage it cuz i was gonna throw a #1 Pac-Nor on it. Barrel still shoots great 400 rounds later............
I ran 60 rounds out of a 20" pencil barreled 204 in under 20 minutes and the accuracy never dropped off. Stock not even bedded. I was tryin' to damage it cuz i was gonna throw a #1 Pac-Nor on it. Barrel still shoots great 400 rounds later............
Originally Posted By: TrapShooter12I wonder if you can actually shoot a Bolt Action or Semiauotmatic barrel out by getting it to hot. Look at the M60 and the M249 and such they fire 20 and thirty round bursts and more at a time.
Yes they can ruin a barrel by getting it to hot. BUT they are not looking for a 1" group or smaller either so to me that is a moot point.
IMHO if you are shooting off a bench looking for a small group and you are using a powder that is sort of heat sensitive and the barrel gets hot and you load another round and take your time getting all lined up on the target the round heats up and it can and will change the pressure in that round.
For me when I am working up a load I shoot sort of slow so it gives the barrel a chance to cool a mite before chambering another round.
When I have found a load I like I will shoot a ten round group quite fast to see how it preforms when the barrel is quite hot, I would only do this on a P Dog / Sage Rat rifle not on a Yote / deer / elk hunting rifle.
It's just the way I do it whether it's wrong or right.
DAB
Yes they can ruin a barrel by getting it to hot. BUT they are not looking for a 1" group or smaller either so to me that is a moot point.
IMHO if you are shooting off a bench looking for a small group and you are using a powder that is sort of heat sensitive and the barrel gets hot and you load another round and take your time getting all lined up on the target the round heats up and it can and will change the pressure in that round.
For me when I am working up a load I shoot sort of slow so it gives the barrel a chance to cool a mite before chambering another round.
When I have found a load I like I will shoot a ten round group quite fast to see how it preforms when the barrel is quite hot, I would only do this on a P Dog / Sage Rat rifle not on a Yote / deer / elk hunting rifle.
It's just the way I do it whether it's wrong or right.
DAB
My barrel gets VERY hot when Im on p-dogs & I do not wait for it to cool until the shooting slows down due to them staying down.. Its been hot enough to burn your hand if you touched it. I have been known to soak a neckerchief and run it along the barrel if I have time.
There is no cooling when its 80+ out side as after 3 shots its already starting to get hot.
There is no cooling when its 80+ out side as after 3 shots its already starting to get hot.
Evil_Lurker
New member
Quote:Look at the M60 and the M249 and such they fire 20 and thirty round bursts and more at a time.
I've run 3 100 round belts through an M-60 end-to-end wihout hurting it any. It's not even a very heavy profile barrel.
Touch it to see if it's hot? That wouldn't be a very good idea.
Grab it with the asbestos glove, twist it off and put on a cold barrel and keep going. Mini-guns run at 16 rounds per second out of each barrel and you can get a long burst out of them without any barrel damage.
Quote:...and you load another round and take your time getting all lined up on the target the round heats up and it can and will change the pressure in that round.
Yes, that's a valid concern. That's why automatic weapons usually are designed to fire from an open bolt. The round isn't chambered until the trigger is pulled and the bolt locks back when you release the trigger.
I've run 3 100 round belts through an M-60 end-to-end wihout hurting it any. It's not even a very heavy profile barrel.
Touch it to see if it's hot? That wouldn't be a very good idea.
Grab it with the asbestos glove, twist it off and put on a cold barrel and keep going. Mini-guns run at 16 rounds per second out of each barrel and you can get a long burst out of them without any barrel damage.
Quote:...and you load another round and take your time getting all lined up on the target the round heats up and it can and will change the pressure in that round.
Yes, that's a valid concern. That's why automatic weapons usually are designed to fire from an open bolt. The round isn't chambered until the trigger is pulled and the bolt locks back when you release the trigger.
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Orneryolfart357
New member
If you can Brand the Cattle on the Ranch you are shooting with it, then the Barrel may be too Hot...
Back when I started shooting pds and the only rifle I had was an old Savage 22-250. We figured it was too hot when smoke curled up from around the barrel channel...you could smell the wood burning.
I know two weeks ago it was hot enough temperature outside that even guns we hadn't shot were too hot to grab by the barrel.
But my buddy brought along his AK47 and 4-30 rd. mags. We blitzed those off in a few seconds. Now that barrel was hot...a whole new kinda hot.
I know two weeks ago it was hot enough temperature outside that even guns we hadn't shot were too hot to grab by the barrel.
But my buddy brought along his AK47 and 4-30 rd. mags. We blitzed those off in a few seconds. Now that barrel was hot...a whole new kinda hot.
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
You are so right...
Quote: Now that barrel was hot...a whole new kinda hot.
I've had barrels out in the Colorado sun that you couldn't pick up bare handed, even though you hadn't fired a round through them...That's one reason for always keeping them covered with something..especially a cool cloth..
... or, at least in the shade..
I'm always more concerned about pumping really hot rounds through them than the exterior heat factor..As I understand it, pushing bullets into the lands at 4100+ fps is a good recipe for starting throat erosion..
Quote: Now that barrel was hot...a whole new kinda hot.
I've had barrels out in the Colorado sun that you couldn't pick up bare handed, even though you hadn't fired a round through them...That's one reason for always keeping them covered with something..especially a cool cloth..
I'm always more concerned about pumping really hot rounds through them than the exterior heat factor..As I understand it, pushing bullets into the lands at 4100+ fps is a good recipe for starting throat erosion..