Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles rapid barrel cooling

Had a really good year p.d. hunting this summer, main problem with my creedmore on a hot day, could only get 7or 8 rounds off and barrel was really warm.So we took a 5 gallon bucket,3 gallons of cool water in a thermas,a piece of tygon tubing and small funnel, when barrel got hot we put barrel in bucket and poured cool water down barrel, amazing how fast that cooled the barrel, back to shooting p.d.'s i'm just wondering if there's any chance of barrel warpage etc.it's a heavy pac-nor barrel.

I doubt you know what "really warm" is.

Unless that barrel is glowing, not much to worry about with "warping." Keep it below boiling, don't shoot it wet, and you're good.

One of the "D" battery powered minnow bucket aerators... open the rifle's bolt, insert air hose in chamber... easy-peasy

Most don't...we had to set aside a rifle more than once on PD shoots, but the epitome came when we set one aside( a bolt gun mind you...) and it cooked off the round in the chamber!!!


It was of course pointed in a safe direction...but that incident raised the bar for hot barrels!

I just use a camping air mattress pump and fifty cents of surgical tubing.

Tom,

The hottest barrel I've seen on a PD shoot started the walnut forend on fire, on a 100+ degree day. We smelled it before we noticed the smoke.

It was put out by putting the barrel and forend in a big cooler full of ice and water, amid a few canned and bottled drinks. The rifle (a .22-250) went back to shooting exactly like it had before.

That's why walnut should always be free floated......

...to get the proper fuel to air ratio.

I have smoldered a couple wood stocks....

Emery: I have been known to take 12 to 14 Rifles along on a Prairie Dog Hunt.
Barrel gets warmer than just plain warm then it's set aside and the next Rifle comes out.
A close friend of mine ruined an exceptionally accurate Remington 40XB-KS Rifle in 220 Swift by shooting it hot then kept on shooting.
He sent it back to Remington for re-barreling (due to diminishing accuracy) at less than 1,000 rounds (half a seasons shooting!).
The re-barreling shipping and insurance cost him over $400.00 back then.
I've been along when folks have tried cooling barrels (and in fact they did get cooled) with water, wet towels, fans, ice packs etc etc etc and I think my method is better - don't let the barrels get hot.
When one Rifle gets warm then switch Rifles.
Stand the warm Rifle in the shade and leave the bolt (breech) open and facing any incoming breeze and the empty barrel pointed skyward - the chimney effect helps cool the barrel this way.
Personally I would rather NOT stick my accurate Varmint Rifles barrels into water.
Best of luck to you with whichever methods you use in the future.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I think pacing your shots would be more efficient than using ice water every 8 rounds.




Travis

It you touch the barrel and you instinct is to pull your hand away because it’s hot - you are burning throat each time you shoot.

Maybe try taking more rifles pdog shooting and rotate them so you don’t have to worry about it, just don’t lay them in the sun.

We do that routinely but many occasions arise when both ( usually take two apiece..) guns are too hot to touch....

I dont believe you can hurt SS through rapid cooling.

I've tested more than one of the gadgets that push air or C02 through the bore, but they don't work any better (and usually not as quickly) as several simpler solutions.

If the ambient temperature isn't too warm, I set hot-barreled muzzle-up in the shade, with the action open. The convection of the hot air inside the bore sucks cooler air from the breech up through the barrel, without having to use any gadget. When barrels get really hot, pouring cold water on the outside of the barrel works as well as anything I've tried. Tilting the barrel downward water to trickle along its length. The only trick here is to bring plenty of cold water.

The other solution that allows shooting longer before the barrel heats up is to use smaller cartridges, since the majority of barrel heat is the result of burning powder. Probably 90% of my prairie dog shooting is done anymore with the .17 HMR, .17 Hornet and .22 Hornet, either standard or K. Unless the day's over 80 degrees their barrels don't heat up very fast, and the .17 Hornet is good to 300+ yards in normal wind conditions.

Keeping barrels cool is in direct proportion to how many you bring and how much you shoot. Even with 15-20 guns, ice still gets deployed...

Truth John.

Ive got a fluted barrel on a .222 and it takes awhile to heat up, and cools off rapidly.

A .22-250 on a PD shoot in my opinion, is next to useless...they heat up so fast...

I reached that conclusion about the .22-250 long ago, shortly after plastic-tipped bullets appeared--but also dislike it on PD's due to recoil. It's much easier to spot your own shots through the scope with a smaller round, and being able to spot your shots results in more hits.

These days there are far better solutions, but I still see shooters from other parts of the country bringing .22-250's to their first PD shoot--and (usually) learning the same lessons. One I took PD shooting a couple years ago brought ONLY a .22-250, so I brought along several other rifles he could try. The next year he left the .22-250 at home and brought a brand-new .17 Hornet, and had great fun.

A little lesson I pointed out to John a few years back...

Yeah, I never would have started using plastic-tipped bullets if it weren't for Kirk's excellent advice. He almost had to twist my arm to get me to try 'em. :-)

Was he trying to get you to USE them...or just BUY them?


Looks like he was in the business!

Never burry you axe behind 400lbs. of bullets...

That's my stock of them, Good thing I told JB about them so he could write more articles...

So THATS why the shortage during the Obama years!!!!

Sham Wow soaked in ice water will help.......along with spare rifle........along with.........

smaller caliber such as the 20-222 pushing a 40 V max with 23/H322 in Lapua brass......... or a.....

20 Practical or 20 Vartarg........

I've moved to a 204 as my primary pd gun and this next season I'll be following the advise of JB and going with a 17 Hornet and 17 fireball.

The .204 is my fave for PDs but it do heat up rapidly!

20-222..........catt's azz...........23/H322 & 40 V max out to 600 yds......

From a price of ammo stand point I usually use a bolt action .22LR for pd's, gun heat does become an issue and with practice you would be amazed how far it can be effective..........

I gots to get me some Wyoming prairie dogs, Montana prairie dogs won't let you get close enough for a 22 LR...

If the barrel gets really hot I usually get up, drink the water, then get another gun.

Its usually not a 22lr....

Take a half dozen rifles,swap them out or use funnel to pour ice water down barrel.

We have cooled with water down the bore since 1987 using 788's, 700's, Sako's all chrome moly, and the finest SS barrels made. We had access to private p. dog towns, the shooting was simply beyond imagination with 650-1200 rounds of center fire being fired per person per day.

Any attempt to air cool a barrel by rotating in 90* heat is a pipe dream. What will work slowly is a mixture of 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol rubbed on the barrel, let the fluid drip off the bottom of the barrel.

Cooling with water is NOT messy at all!

What really works and works well is running water down the bore. You will need a good rod guide that seals off the chamber, and cleaning rod, a jag that will fit the bore tight with the patch, Swab of the size to dry chamber, and an oil can attachment that is about $3 from Wal Mart or a parts store.









Water will NOT warp the barrel as the change in temp is not fast enough.

Also, when you use 4 tight fitting patches to "clean" the barrel, you get the water OUT, and also remove a lot of carbon in the process allowing you to shoot longer strings.

***Few think of this issue, gases that are thousands of degrees proceed the bullet in the bore, and any tiny amount of water is evaporated.



IN this rifle caddy, the rear is higher than the front, tipping the muzzle down. My hunting partner also had a rifle caddy,

We dumped out a box of 50 rounds and fired as fast as we could acquire targets. Some rifles were fired 50 times some were fired up to 300, depending on the caliber, barrels and stocks got hot.

Procedure we used

I like Neil Jones and Lucas bore guides, they seal off the back of the chamber. The bore guide in the picture is a Sinclair.

Insert bore guide in the chamber
insert hose in the back of the bore guide
let water gravity feed down the bore, it will take about 6 oz of water...that is all
pull Oil can adapter off the bore guide when finished running water down the bore
Run 4 dry patched down the bore
Dry the chamber-I use a 45 caliber brush and shot gun patch with lighter fluid on it
insert bolt, go back to shooting
Takes 3 Minutes

A rotation system does not work, you have a lot of down time. We even tried it with 10 guns each with my hunting partner and I.

Load development at the rifle range is very quick when you can cool the barrel this way.

We would push a very light oil patch down the bore when the barrel had been cleaned that night. I never have seen rust in the bore scope.

Good luck

Go further south to Colorado and you can kill them with clubs...like baby seals...

22LR would be my last choice.....shooting a solid 36-40 gr lead bullet...even 75 yds.........too many crawl offs........

If you're gonna shoot 'em with a rimfire......use something more effective......even the little 17M2 is light years ahead or the 22LR...

effective out to 175+ yds with one shot kills......or the bigger HMR or WSM 17.......my Ruger 77/17M2 is always in the truck on p/dog trips..

I've learned that the 20 calibers are where its it in a p/dog patch.....20 Fireball.....Duece 20.......20 Practical........40 V max

Probably because they're stoned and can't move fast.

when you can fry a egg on the barrel its hot,time for another gun that day

Ha, you gotta do some sneeking around and crawling to get them in range here also. But I usually only shoot maybe 100 shots a day at them.

We try the same thing with a bow. A good day will net about 3 prairie dogs...

Net of 3 is good with a bow........ 50 percent is what I aim for with the .22 if it is breezy!!!!!

It's snowing, and all you can think of is summertime? Goodness gracious, kids.

Id have to, again, just have iron on tap.

Shrapnel would quarantine any such contraptions......

I crank the truck and turn the A/C on full blast then stand the rifle up in the passenger seat with the bolt open & butt on the floorboard, they cool off pretty quickly that way.

The last PD shoot I went on I took five rifles, two of them being 22-250's. I also had a 20 practical, 223, and a 6mmBR but the 22-250's got 90% of the use. The others are fun, but the -250's are just "More Fun" to me, they just hit with an authority that the others lack. I have muzzle brakes on them so I can spot the hits, I doubt they'd be as satisfying without the brakes. Barrels are a wear item though, barrel makers have gotta eat too.

Hawk I, what are you talking about?

I usually have a small cooler with ice cubes in it to keep some drinking water and a few sodas cold. I'll rub one of the ice cubes up and down the barrel with the rifle upended and muzzle down so the water drips off and doesn't get down into the barrel channel. Wipe off any water with my hand and any small droplets of moisture left evaporate quickly. Of course if the barrel is glowing red and flames are shooting up out of the barrel channel I might modify that technique a tad...

Shrap sells Coke, that bottle would get you tossed off the ranch I bet.

Not only that, but anyone with that much stuff wouldn't be allowed on the invitational. We go to shoot not give enemas...

Talk about anal...

More guns, no barrel cooling gear.

More guns are okay. Catching guns on fire is okay.

Anything else had better cook steaks or shrimp, do the dishes or dig holes to [bleep] in.
We do not require a bidet, nor do our guns.

Clarke brings two bags of flour; I dont ask questions and I dont sleep in his tent.

Bottles are inanimate objects. Ask deflave.

Symbolism, lad, symbolism.

Thanks for your patience and explanation!

This is what prairie dog shooting is about. Cooling equipment is not a consideration...

Shrapnel, any Vienna sausages and crackers involved?

Piclkled eggs and Spam

And THAT is the reason I have declined offers to meet up and go shooting with you....

It has almost caused me not to go...

I can understand that perfectly....


but 'almost' is the operative word there...