How hot can we allow our barrels to get when shooting ?
How hot
- Thread starter Iron Worker
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Difficult question. Here in Az hot is normal. Perhaps your favorite custom barrel manufacturer could give a general answer. Once you have a temp range, use a handheld laser thermometer for quick readings. On a hot day here, 2-3 rounds and the barrel is hot "magnums".
Yes same thing up here in NV desert ...... Hey I'm gonna try and google that hat you hive pictured . I wonder how expensive they are
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
I shoot one, let it cool for about a minute.
I then usually will do two to three shots that way and pick another rifle while that one cools. I usually take 5-6 rifles with me.
A heavy barrel .308 is a nice range gun to shoot while other overbores are cooling.
I then usually will do two to three shots that way and pick another rifle while that one cools. I usually take 5-6 rifles with me.
A heavy barrel .308 is a nice range gun to shoot while other overbores are cooling.
Yep, same here! A .22LR rifle is always my default back up while waiting for the barrel to cool off. I don't my barrel hot, just warm, esp. when suppressed (it tends to get warmer quicker).
Got the hat and a few small items at the Holland and Holland shop in London. Was a must stop when there. Their stuff is pretty pricey and unless you're interested in buying a gun, they seem to be a bit disinterested with you. Very interesting shop with lots of history and vintage items.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Measuring with a good temp gauge is good, but often we don't have one handy. Unless you are real tough, you can hold the back of your fingers just below the knuckles on the barrel and if you cant keep them there for several minutes it is more than 200o (Unless you are real tough).
This is a simple way to check barrel temperature and will keep you out of trouble.
J E CUSTOM
This is a simple way to check barrel temperature and will keep you out of trouble.
J E CUSTOM
It will co$t you 21 quid plus shipping co$t >>> https://www.hollandandholland.com/product/holland-holland-baseball-cap-green/
I spent nearly 4 years in the UK (stationed at RAF Lakenheath) and I never made it there, not a big fan of London .. played tourist a few times too many, that's about it.
wildcat455
Well-Known Member
It's just a guess, but I'm thinking the number you are looking for is somewhere between 180F-220F.
The rest of this really has little to do with your question and is more personal thoughts, opinions, etc.
After reading some responses and considering it, I think I may buy an IR temp gun, and throw it in my range bag.
Historically, I've gone by touch, mostly on new guns/barrels/loads, once I have an idea of how many times I can shoot with reasonable or acceptable heat for me, I don't exceed that.
Not very scientific, I know, but if the barrel "feels" hot, and by that I mean if I touch it and I don't want to leave my hand there for 3-5 seconds then the barrel is too hot for me to shoot.
With some guns/barrels/loads, I can shoot once, and I have to wait for cool off, that is if I expect or want any kind of precision/accuracy/life out of it. Some combinations I can shoot more, but with the guns/barrels/ loads I run, and with my self imposed heat limits, it's never over 5 rounds in a string of fire, with 30 or less seconds between firing.
I estimate my threshold of heat/ pain to be about 140 to 150 degrees.
I had decided to use this method long ago, because with it I should never exceed or even get close to a heat situation that would cause excessive barrel or throat wear, while understanding that some guns/calibers I own have an inherent shorter barrel life expectancy than others due to their overbore ratio.
I also live in Arizona, where ambient air temps, and direct sunlight toward summer, slow the rate of cooling significantly, even in the early morning hours. For me, it is plainly a waste of time to try to shoot here from about the end of June until beginning of September. That is unless we get a good Monsoon, in which case they usually lift fire and shooting bans up north, or temperatures drop temporarily down here to provide an opportunity to go to the range.
Enough of my rambling. Time to get back to hand loading and other gun stuff.
The rest of this really has little to do with your question and is more personal thoughts, opinions, etc.
After reading some responses and considering it, I think I may buy an IR temp gun, and throw it in my range bag.
Historically, I've gone by touch, mostly on new guns/barrels/loads, once I have an idea of how many times I can shoot with reasonable or acceptable heat for me, I don't exceed that.
Not very scientific, I know, but if the barrel "feels" hot, and by that I mean if I touch it and I don't want to leave my hand there for 3-5 seconds then the barrel is too hot for me to shoot.
With some guns/barrels/loads, I can shoot once, and I have to wait for cool off, that is if I expect or want any kind of precision/accuracy/life out of it. Some combinations I can shoot more, but with the guns/barrels/ loads I run, and with my self imposed heat limits, it's never over 5 rounds in a string of fire, with 30 or less seconds between firing.
I estimate my threshold of heat/ pain to be about 140 to 150 degrees.
I had decided to use this method long ago, because with it I should never exceed or even get close to a heat situation that would cause excessive barrel or throat wear, while understanding that some guns/calibers I own have an inherent shorter barrel life expectancy than others due to their overbore ratio.
I also live in Arizona, where ambient air temps, and direct sunlight toward summer, slow the rate of cooling significantly, even in the early morning hours. For me, it is plainly a waste of time to try to shoot here from about the end of June until beginning of September. That is unless we get a good Monsoon, in which case they usually lift fire and shooting bans up north, or temperatures drop temporarily down here to provide an opportunity to go to the range.
Enough of my rambling. Time to get back to hand loading and other gun stuff.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
I go by feel as well. The main reason I wait a minute between shots, is imagine how much a piece of steel cools off after you get it glowing red with a oxy/acetylene torch, waiting just one minute, the brilliant red glow goes away on most projects involving the amount of steel a barrel is comprised of. While I doubt a rifle throat would ever be glowing red the way I shoot. I do know that minute wait would cool it off considerably.
