Methods of cooling hot barrels

[TackDriver284]

I know many of you like to shoot, but have no patience in waiting for your barrel to cool off in the hot days of summer. What are your methods of cooling your barrels? I know some use a rag with water and rub the barrel, some use fan cooled devices such as BarrelCool, etc. Heck in the old days during world wars, soldiers would urinate on machine gun barrels to cool them faster. I won't be able to do that at the gun range. :mrgreen:

 

[IdahoCTD]

My dad uses a battery powered air bed pump with a hose on the end and it works pretty well. I don't usually shoot long enough strings with one rifle to worry about it getting hot.

 

[TackDriver284]

I imagined this method, use my aerator air pump that we use for keeping live bait and take a small cheap ice chest and drill a small hole on the top to run a small hose through it. With the ice chest (with ice)is closed, pump running inside and leave the other end of the hose in your chamber to blow cool air through it.

Barrels do get pretty hot after 3 rounds especially the 7mm and 300 Magnums.

 

[drakehammer]

I've used wet rags but it requires a thorough clean up afterward. I think anything that can circulate air inside and outside the barrel has to help.

By the way, how is your annealing project Tack? Working ok?


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[tddeangelo]

Something I got from Dave Petzel...

I put them barrel upright, bolt open. This makes a huge difference in speed of cooling. He claimed, and it makes sense....if the open muzzle is up, the rising heat from the interior can easily escape and facilitate cooling. If they're left horizontal, this is not happening and cooling is slower.

In the time I've been doing it, I've noticed a marked difference (for the better) in the time it takes a rifle to cool simply by standing it muzzle up and opening the action.

I've tried wiping alcohol on the barrel and such. The biggest improvement seems to be the process above, at least for me. That and making sure they're out of the sun.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I imagined this method, use my aerator air pump that we use for keeping live bait and take a small cheap ice chest and drill a small hole on the top to run a small hose through it. With the ice chest (with ice)is closed, pump running inside and leave the other end of the hose in your chamber to blow cool air through it.

Barrels do get pretty hot after 3 rounds especially the 7mm and 300 Magnums.

The only down side to that would be the moisture introduced. Dry ice would probably be the best if you were going to try and pump cold air through it. My dads 6.5 Creedmoor cools fairly rapidly with just the air pump. I'd imagine a air pump on the inside and a fan on the outside would work the best.

 

[drakehammer]

Yes. What TD said is right. [emoji1303]This is how I do it. Bring a couple of rifles to rotate and shoot. Stand them up for the "chimney effect" for Faster cooling. Usually with 2-3 rifles you can keep everything reasonably cool and avoid killer overheating.


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[tddeangelo]

I always bring a "fun rifle" or three. I've been shooting my M1A a lot lately, but I'll take an M1 Garand, AR, 22, something I can use to occupy my time, plus 3-5 rifles I'm working on loads or something with, so each rifle gets a pretty generous cooling interval without me sitting waiting on it to cool.

The range where I can shoot long has the pistol pit far separated from the longest ranges for rifles, by design. I get why they did that, but wish they were closer together so I could plink with handguns while waiting on rifles to cool. I can always use trigger time on my handguns.

Boredom is the mother of "eh, cool enough" decisions. At least for me, so I take enough to keep me busy for the cooling intervals.

 

[preacher]

I've wiped them with both wet rags and alcohol. I've even used a hose and funnel and poured cold water down the bore, then wiped it dry w/patches, etc. Now, since I don't shoot that much at any one time, I take a couple rifles and swap/also use the "chimney" vertical with bolt open. There are very expensive set-ups one can buy, but for average Joe, I don't see it as cost effective or even needed.

 

[truck driver]

I have tried several different ways to cool the barrel when testing ammo but keeping the rifle out of direct sun light is a huge help for starters also standing up right with the bolt open for the chimney effect works good. For the 338 which is stainless I use a wet towel that I drape over the barrel which cools it quicker than anything I've tried and speeds up the process when doing powder test for velocity finding nodes. The towel is wrung out to get rid of excess water so there isn't any worry about water getting into the bedding. I only do this when temps get around 75 degrees and higher. I haven't used it on a blued barrel yet but wouldn't hesitate unless the action is mounted in a wood stock and then would rely on the standing up right with the bolt open.

 

[muleman]

Something I got from Dave Petzel...

I put them barrel upright, bolt open. This makes a huge difference in speed of cooling. He claimed, and it makes sense....if the open muzzle is up, the rising heat from the interior can easily escape and facilitate cooling. If they're left horizontal, this is not happening and cooling is slower.

In the time I've been doing it, I've noticed a marked difference (for the better) in the time it takes a rifle to cool simply by standing it muzzle up and opening the action.

I've tried wiping alcohol on the barrel and such. The biggest improvement seems to be the process above, at least for me. That and making sure they're out of the sun.

++1 and I bring 5-6 rifles to rotate and a few pistols if it's hot out. Going to the range tomorrow and bringing 6 long guns. Working loads on a few sighting in a couple and shooting a new one. Should have a smile on my face by the end of the day.

Scott

 

[TackDriver284]

By the way, how is your annealing project Tack? Working ok?

I made a quick test with the pencil point flames barely licking the .270 Rem cases, as you described, and the color ( bluish) on the necks / shoulders were perfect, and a quarter inch past the shoulders and much better than the way I tested with pencil point flames one inch away. That was 3 seconds and without Tempilaq inside the necks. I have been busy with work not to test more, but this week I'll find some time and will keep you posted. I'll send you a video and some pictures soon. Thanks Drake.

 

[drakehammer]

Good deal!!!


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[FOTIS]

thank me later

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxell-19002 ... e/21556700

 

[truck driver]

thank me later

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxell-19002 ... e/21556700

How long do you spray into the barrel to cool them down? I'm sure you don't dump the whole can at one time.

 

[JD338]

I use a wet/ wrung towel on the barrel and it works well. I also have the barrel pointed upwards with the bolt open to let the heat escape. Alternating rifles is a big help too.

JD338

 

[Dwh7271]

I always bring a "fun rifle" or three.

I bring 5-6 rifles to rotate and a few pistols if it's hot out.

I agree with Tom and Scott.
Of course, more rifles is always the correct answer. :grin: I think it could be a potential excuse for an addition........"well, you know dear, I need a couple more rifles so my other ones have more time to cool". Yep, that'll work.

In all seriousness, I do take multiple rifles and pistols and stand the rifles bolt open and barrel up. (of course it's not much of a trip, I just need to walk 30 yards out the door)

 

[SJB358]

Yup, not unusual for me to bring 4-5 rifles to the range. I usually bring a couple I'm just shooting with initial load work and 1-2 that I'm trying to finalize a load. Between checking targets and such I've usually got a cool barrel when I make it through them all.

Oh, and I do stand them up in the shade if I can.

 

[TackDriver284]

I do what most of you guys do, I do take 3 to 4 rifles and shoot one while others sit to cool off. I would do load development for one or two rifles and others for checking zero and fine tuning.

 

[Cleveland48]

Here locally it's been in the mid to upper 90's and just terrible. So I just leave my truck running with the air on. So I shoot a group then the rifle and me set in the truck until we are cool. I've gotten some strange looks from folks especially when the truck is running for an hour lol. I hate summer in the Deep South, so I might as well be comfortable too! And lets me get a lot of shooting done in a short amount of time.


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