Load test wait times.

[pony doctor]

I too use the damp: wet towels to cool
The barrel, don’t forget that your ammo needs stabilized. As most of my hunting is done in cool or cold weather, most important is to keep your ammo cool. I take an ice chest and keep my ammo in thst, sitting on the bench in full son and or very hot days will affect your ammo and may lead to bad data. Just my fwiw!

 

[Gingerman]

I too use the damp: wet towels to cool
The barrel, don’t forget that your ammo needs stabilized. As most of my hunting is done in cool or cold weather, most important is to keep your ammo cool. I take an ice chest and keep my ammo in thst, sitting on the bench in full son and or very hot days will affect your ammo and may lead to bad data. Just my fwiw!

FACT

 

[Buckys]

I'm friends with Google. (LOL)

Barrel Temperature Gauge - Bison Tactical - Keep your barrel cool!

Barrel Temperature Gauge stickers are the easiest way to keep your barrel from overheating. Monitor your barrel temperatures from 50-150 degrees Fahrenheit.

www.bisontactical.com

Here's what they want for 2 stickers.

PRODUCT	SUBTOTAL
Barrel Temperature Gauge × 2	$10.00
Subtotal	$10.00
Shipping UPS Ground: $17.47
Convenience Fee	$1.50
Total	$29.07

That's the one. Thanks, Varmint Hunter.

 

[Buckys]

Thanks for providing the info. Only problem I see is $17 for shipping?? This item looks like it will fit in a padded envelope. Wonder why the shipping is so high, then they add a convenience fee ??

It costs almost $17 to send a projectile down range these days, lol.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I too use the damp: wet towels to cool
The barrel, don’t forget that your ammo needs stabilized. As most of my hunting is done in cool or cold weather, most important is to keep your ammo cool. I take an ice chest and keep my ammo in thst, sitting on the bench in full son and or very hot days will affect your ammo and may lead to bad data. Just my fwiw!

Also, one needs to realize that if you take the trouble of keeping the ammo cool (in an ice chest,etc), don't chamber it and let it sit in a "too hot to touch" chamber for any period of time. It will get hot real fast. I always open the action as soon as the round is fired, then when I'm ready to shoot the next round, insert it into the action and chamber it. I try to fire it quickly before the chamber can transfer any heat to it.

 

[C-130 Dude]

How long should you wait between each test load?
I have 5 rounds of each, and 31 different loads in .2grn increments from 39.0 to 45.0grns.

With a fluted heavy Palma stainless barrel, how long can I expect it to take to go through all of them?
Do I wait in between each shot or run through each load and wait between loads?

TIA.

5 seconds minimum between each shot. Then 5 minutes between each string. However, I reduce string wait time to 3 minutes because I use a barrel cooler fan. About 20 years ago I stripped out an old rechargable hand held vacume and modified it into a pvc tube. Puts out a nice amount of air. A little noisy though. Still use it but there are lots of newer small fans out there that do essentially the same thing for pushing air. The rechargable air pumps used for blowing up rafts and tires etc. do work. Anyway..... Works well for me. Hope your testing proves fruitful. Stay safe and have fun.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

My barrel cooler is a small, battery powered (rechargeable) air mattress inflator and a surgical hose. You only need to lift the end of the hose and place it into the chamber. It produces more air than any of the more expensive "Barrel Coolers" that I've bought in the past. Easily found on Amazon.
Easy Peasey

 

[baldhunter]

I take four rifles with me.I shoot three,remove the ammo,rifle from the bench and rotate to the next.This usually allows plenty of time between each rifle.Certainly a lot more fun than just taking one rifle and having to wait for it to cool.

 

[Gingerman]

I take four rifles with me.I shoot three,remove the ammo,rifle from the bench and rotate to the next.This usually allows plenty of time between each rifle.Certainly a lot more fun than just taking one rifle and having to wait for it to cool.

The challenge for me of doing that is keeping all my mad scientist data collection straight...

 

[bonie]

Are you shooting the ladder for pressure or accuracy? if accuracy you could skip to .4 or even .6 to save time, components and cooling time. just a thought.

 

[Laelkhunter]

My barrel cooler is a small, battery powered (rechargeable) air mattress inflator and a surgical hose. You only need to lift the end of the hose and place it into the chamber. It produces more air than any of the more expensive "Barrel Coolers" that I've bought in the past. Easily found on Amazon.
Easy Peasey

I do the same. I have a cheapo (MTM I think) bore guide, a one size fits all that I removed the back plug and stuck a piece of plastic hose onto. The other end of the hose attaches to the air mattress inflator. The bore guide fits into the action (as normal procedure). It stays in place and cools the barrel quickly while I am recording my notes in the notebook.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Here is what I use, including a .223 case with the head bored out and the magnetic charging cable that makes life a bit easier.

 

[Gingerman]

Here is what I use, including a .223 case with the head bored out and the magnetic charging cable that makes life a bit easier.

Brilliant!

 

[SWHandldr]

Enter your load data on 'Barrel life calculator' it will give a recommended shot rate time. If that info is correct .223 ~30sec, 6cm ~60sec, 300wm ~80sec.

At least a starting place. Not using a barrel cooler? Take ambient temp into account. Higher it is, longer the wait. Rule of thumb for the range "A barrel too hot to touch is too hot to shoot" kinda takes ambient into account. Average human begins feeling pain at skin contact with 107-110*F. Higher = faster, more owie.