How many rounds before a barrel rest?

[iXanadu]

I probably should have asked this in one of my other posts, but I forgot. Might be better anyway, since it is a different topic.

I have 20+ boxes of winchester power-points to shoot, because I want to reload the brass with Nosler BT's and AB's. I figure it will provide brass that has been formed to my gun, and give me more experience pulling the trigger on a rifle. When I go to the range with my handgun, I think nothing of running 50-100 rounds through my glock. Barrel gets hot, but the gun loves it. I'm practicing triple taps, and so long as I get 2 to the center mass and 1 to the head I don't care for any better accuracy.

I'm forming an opinion that folks don't run rifle barrels hot. So can someone school me in the barrel care/performance of cool/warm/hot barrels? Do you measure by feel, round count. . .

 

[Wis65x55]

The major variable that needs to be taken into account is air temperature. Personally I will shoot 3-5 rounds per center fire rifle with one firearm then go to another. I won’t go back to shooting any rifle until the barrel temperature cools down to air temperature.
Keith

 

[joelkdouglas]

I have shot 1 rifle for about 10 years. When I go to the range I shoot once and dry fire 3 - 5 times between each shot to slow my rate of fire.

I normally wear gloves while shooting. I routinely touch the rifle barrel, and if hot to the touch I take a break.

 

[DrMike]

I usually shoot a three round group over the course of a couple of minutes and give the rifle a rest of ten minutes or so. During the rest period, I will be shooting other firearms.

 

[CMBTshooter]

I shoot my .308 until it's hot. I don't do that with my .300 win mag though.

 

[Sas874runner]

I usually shoot a three round group over the course of a couple of minutes and give the rifle a rest of ten minutes or so. During the rest period, I will be shooting other firearms.

+1

 

[hubcap]

I usually shoot a three round group over the course of a couple of minutes and give the rifle a rest of ten minutes or so. During the rest period, I will be shooting other firearms.

+2

 

[Oldtrader3]

I usually take two centerfire rifles or pistols to the range at one time. According to the temperature and caliber, I will shoot 1 or 2 groups of 3-4 shots in a rifle and/or magazine or so and rest one firearm to cool, it while I shoot the other. In any case, I will not allow the barrel to get hot enough where I cannot touch it with my hand.

 

[iXanadu]

Thanks everyone for the input. Since posting this, I've Google'd and read up a lot on running hot barrels. Not a good thing apparently for a hunting rifle. It kind of explains my first day at the range with my new rifle. I shot 4 boxes of ammunition, and effectively chased the reticle all over the target.

I need to shoot "many" boxes of factory loaded Winchester to "generate" some "fired" brass. I know now to take my time. It will take several range trips. Fortunately, its pretty cold right now.

 

[Elkman]

I usually shoot a three round group over the course of a couple of minutes and give the rifle a rest of ten minutes or so.

I normally shoot within a 100 yards or so from my house, so I am not pressured to get a lot done before I pack up and go home. So like mike three or so, then I will go up an load three more, or get another rifle or just sit in the shade and read. I try not to do load testing with more than one rifle at a time, my tired old brain, can't always keep the data in the correct format.

 

[PJGunner]

Well , I've been doing a serous load work up with two rifles, a 30-06 and .280 Remington. The 06 has a non-standard twist (1-12") and what use it has had was with cast bullets.I've been generally shooting 5 shot groups with a five minute wait between shots. Yesterday's run though was three shot groups with about three minutes between shots. It's been quite cool at 0700 when the range opens but yesterday I was late and didn't get started until a bit after 0800. I'd run the 06, set it down and then the .280 so the barrels never got warmed more than mildly lukewarm.
Probably didn't need to wait a full five minutes this time of year but definitely in the summertime, and sometimes longer when it's 110 in the shade and there ain't no shade. :roll: My wife will tell you, I'm at the bench shooting and there's a couple of Gila monsters under the bench trying to get shade. Made me nervous as hell the first time. Leave 'em be and they'll let you be. Just go ahead and shoot and enjoy :?: the heat. :roll: :roll: :roll:
I've shot my .300 Win. mag. at 100 plus in the shade and the barrel is still just fine. Just don't go banging tem off like you're defending the Alalmo or some such battle.
Paul B.

 

[cloverleaf]

Once you've tried to clean a "coked over" barrel you get more patient. The guy shot 20 rounds of 7mmMag through a thin barreled rifle on an 80 degree about as fast a s he could run the bolt. Was afraid he had shot it out entirely. so in a frustrated moment he just burned up the rest of his ammo, threw the thing in the case and left for home. Half an hour later the thing was still to hot to hold by the barrel. He Worked on the thing with wipe out for two weeks, every night before the carbon quit coming out, not to mention the layers of copper. Dont think he ever shot it again, so I don't know how it worked out. its not worth over heating 'em this I know. CL

 

[Guy Miner]

In many of the matches in which I've competed, we fired 80 rounds, often in strings of 10 or 20, some were rapid fire. Barrels got hot, and in a well built rifle, accuracy remained very good.

Most of the "shoot three and let it cool" crowd don't want to hear that.

Regards, Guy

 

[Dr. Vette]

Here's a silly comment because, well, I can. :mrgreen:

See if your rifle shoots the Winchester loads well. Shoot a 3 shot group, 3 min between shots, and see what you get. If it shoots that load well, you might just want to keep it for using in real hunting or other situations.

I have a 270 I purchased recently that shoots Winchester Power Max ammo well under 1 MOA, close to 1/2 MOA. The odds of me finding a handload that shoots that well without a lot of time, effort and money is... well, let's just say I ordered several more boxes of the same ammo and moved on to another rifle. :wink: At $20 a box or so for that stuff I can't afford the time it takes to work on that one when Weatherby ammo is $60-80/box or more and is a better use of my time. It's probably illegal to mention this on a reloading forum that I have a rifle that shoots factory ammo so well it's not worth reloading for it, but...

It's not mandatory to use fireformed brass when working up a load, so don't feel bad about using new or once used brass from another rifle if by chance it shoots a factory load well.

Of course, if it doesn't shoot well then go ahead and have fun.

 

[Partisan]

In Magnums I normally shoot 3 rds then let the barrel cool back to ambient temperature. 5rds max on standard calibers. It's the hot spots on the rifling in the throats where erosion starts.
I purchased a cheap battery-powered minnow bucket aerator a while ago and use that to speed up the cool down. It halves the time to cool the barrel. Most importantly it cools from the inside out. At first you think it's not doing much but then the outside of the barrel gets cool very quick. The tube it came with just fits an empty Large Primer pocket so I stick an unprimed case in the chamber with the tube in the primer pocket. On small primer calibers I either drill out a junk case or just stick the tube in the chamber. I can't take credit for this originally, saw the idea first on "Real Guns" site but didn't want to go to the trouble of building a portable fan box. The aerator I have rates at 1 liter/min air volume. On most calibers and barrel lengths it amounts to about 1 barrel volume / second air flow. The pump is 6x3x1.5" and fits in my shooting bag comfortably.

 

[iXanadu]

Thanks for all the input. I made it to the range yesterday and shot 55 rounds over 3 hours. I would shoot three and the barrel would be pretty warm to the touch but not hot. I waited 5-8 minutes before next group, at which time the barrel was still warmer than outside temp's (50 degrees or so) but definitely cooled down some. I love the air pump machine idea. I was wishing I had a second firearm to shoot yesterday.

Dr. Vette: Good point on hunting with the Winchester. With the Winchester power-points, I was getting a 2.5" spread on 2, and a 6-8" flyer on the third on almost every group. I tried paying attention to see was the flyer always the 3'rd shot, but it wasn't. Its possible that the flyer was me, but some of the more experienced shooters suggested it was the nature of factory ammo. Maybe they don't know how new of a shooter I am. I'm hellbent on working up some NBT and NAB loads on once fired brass. Not because I think its 100% required, or necessarily a cost saver, but because it allows me more control in this hobby.

Several folks there with sporting/assault guns. Looked like various incantations of the AR stuff (I'm pretty ignorant of this line of weapons). They would hook those guns up and let em rip. One guy beside me shot 60-80 rounds in the 30 minute "live" period. I guess those assault style guns have been desired to run hotter.

 

[PJGunner]

A few years back while cruising gun show, I spotted what looked like a Winchester M70 Featherweight, but with a synthetic stock. It was chambered in .270 Win. and the price was right. I bought it. I was kicking myself all the way home as I had three .270's already and didn't shoot them as it was. On closer inspection, I found it had a 24" barrel, was marked XTR and if I didn't know better would have to swear the stock was a McMillan. As it's the second M70 I've bought that has what looks to be a McMillan stock, I have to wonder if Winchester used McMillan stocks on some of their rifles?
I stopped at my local Walmart and picked up a box of 150 gr. Power Points and headed to the range the next day. The guy selling it said it was sighted in so I just set the target out at the 100 yard line and shot a three shot group. The group was right on the money and about .75". I shot two more into that group and it stayed .75". Over a period of about an hour I shot three more five shot groups and IIRC the smallest was .50" and the largest .80". That was the last group shot and I was probably getting tired. I worked up a load using my supply of discontinued WMR powder and groups were just as tight as the factory load and velocity was in the same ball park. That one is a keeper.
Paul B.

 

[iXanadu]

Dr. Vette: Good point on hunting with the Winchester. With the Winchester power-points, I was getting a 2.5" spread on 2, and a 6-8" flyer on the third on almost every group. I tried paying attention to see was the flyer always the 3'rd shot, but it wasn't. Its possible that the flyer was me, but some of the more experienced shooters suggested it was the nature of factory ammo. Maybe they don't know how new of a shooter I am. I'm hellbent on working up some NBT and NAB loads on once fired brass. Not because I think its 100% required, or necessarily a cost saver, but because it allows me more control in this hobby.

Probably doesn't matter, but this was at 200 yards. Gun and I can hold MOA at 100. I do suspect the flyers are operator error, but can't be 100% certain.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Relating back to what Patrick said about the new Winchester ammo, I have had really good luck and groups from several Winchester loads in both my .270 Model 70 with 130 grain and in my Model 70, 30-06 and 165 grain bullets. With both ballistic tips and with some AB loads, I have gotten 3-shot groups at 100 yards that are well under an inch and in some cases as small groups as I can shoot with my handloads.

Now that I am old and more lazy, I buy some of this ammo when it is on sale just to use as practice ammo.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Now that I am old and more lazy, I buy some of this ammo when it is on sale just to use as practice ammo.

I guess that makes me younger and lazy? :mrgreen:

Heck, I'd just rather spend time getting one of my other rifles down to what my 270 Vanguards will do with factory ammo. One only has so much spare time, ya know.