Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Anybody use a barrel cooler

I used tikkanut's shamwow in ice water trick on a prairie dog hunt after seeing that picture a few months ago, it worked like a charm. Thanks Tikkanut!

I got the shamwow off of ebay for a few bucks, it came in a pack of two and I gave one to my buddy who said that's one of those "why didn't I think of that" things. I always have a 65 qt cooler in the back of my truck full of ice and water, a quick opening of the drain valve recharges it with 32 degree water.

I use a barrelcool and a piece of wet terry cloth towel. Using both seems to cool the barrel a little quicker.

Ice cubes work too.

www.chamberchiller.com

Bought it in 2018 for $60.19 shipped from Austin, Tx. It runs on 4 AA’s. Sorry, I was wrong about the 9 volt. Mine is a completely self contained unit with no external parts or power pack needed.

It works great!! Beats everything I have tried previously & it nearly gets lost in my range bag being so small. Would not be without one now.

I'm in the ice water camp. I take a 3 gallon igloo cooler, hit the ice machine at the range, top off with water. After shooting, i press the spigot and run water down the outside of the barrel. I5 seconds pass will chill it right down. I wipe it off with a towel and go back to shooting. I use CO.2 like Ross when shooting nice walnut blued rifles. I don't like putting water down the bore. I saw a model 700 blow the extractor of because the water wasn't adequately removed before shooting

Dennis,

So am I. Have tried CO2 coolers and they took too long for me, even when shooting in Montana summers. It isn't Arizona, but the last few years have seen more 90-100 degree temperatures in this part of the state during late summer than previously encountered. Have lived in this particular place for 32 years now, and when we moved here it was rare to see 90...

Have also used ice-water to cool 'em off even on "nice walnut blued rifles," as long as the barrels were free-floated--and they are, in almost all of my walnut-stocked rifles--including my Jack O'Connor Memorial .270, as it was made. I just run the water down the outside of the barrel, and they're good to go in a few seconds, partly because like Arizona, when it gets that hot here the humidity is very low.

John

Sham wow with ice water is a good idea 🤔

Recently started using the Riflekuhl by Magnetospeed and am impressed. A few weeks back I spent 11 of 14 days at the range working on 300 PRC load development. I'm running a Thunderbeast 9" Ultra suppressor. Placing the Riflekuhl in the chamber with the rifle muzzle up while in the rifle rack i'm able to come back 5 minutes later and shoot another string, even in 80-90 deg temps. Needed to change the CR123 battery after about 10 days of use. I also used it during an NRL Hunter match last month and it also worked quite well in my 6.5x47. The match is a two day match (Saturday and Sunday) but I RO'd those days so the RO's shot a 2-day match, Iron Man style, on Friday; a single day!

https://magnetospeed.com/products/riflekuhl

Alan

Sakoluvr: Learned this lesson long ago - barrel gets hot then stop shooting that Rifle and use another.
Then set the warm barreled Rifle in the shade with the action open and the muzzle up - so the "chimney effect" will naturally and slowly cool the barrel.
I have long ago tried cold wet rags, fans, compressed air etc etc etc - and nothing works better or is safer and less "hassle" than letting the barrel cool naturally and using another Rifle or two (or 3 or 4!) while its cooling.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy,

I've used that technique for many years, especially on varmint shoots, one reason I usually take at LEAST four rifles when prairie-dogging.

But when going to the range this time of year to test at least 4 rifles (and often 5-6) I found ice-water works a LOT quicker, as in at most 30 seconds, even on heavier-contour barrels. And contrary to what some shooters apparently believe, it doesn't harm barrels at all.

Have also tested several vapor-pumps, and while they worked eventually, they were also a LOT slower than ice-water--which was also cheaper than any of the pumps....

I only shoot Alaska at the Snow Shoe gun range in Kenai, Alaska. No prairie dog shoots here. If you do most of your shooting between late October and April keeping the barrel ain't a problem. Frost bite on your fingers is though.

Many years ago I was home from USMC bootcamp. I put a scope off centered on my top eject 30-30. Dad was with me when I went to sight it in. He said, dang Son I guess the deer don't have a chance with this new fangled stuff.....

Now we're icing barrels and cooking on Blackstones. Lol. Just kidding folks