RIO....FRONT AND CENTER

[scootertrash]

Brother Rick,

If memory serves me correctly, a few years back you posted some water cooled rigs you fellows were using for colony shooting. The only one I can find now is the 6.5-284. Can you point me toward the thread that had the more detailed photos? I was thinking you all were set-up on the wagon, but I am not sure.

Thanks,
Mike

[Rick in Oregon]

Here I is!

No worries Brother Mike, instead of trying to find the thread, how 'bout I just re-post some of those pics? You are correct in that we used 6.5-284's and also 223's, both water-cooled, and used both on the war wagon. Allan Hall was there on that shoot, and gave the dogs great worry from his BR Pivot all the way past 800 yards with his own personal Hall single shot in Swift Improved shooting the 75gr A-Max.

Here's a shot that shows the water-cooled rigs set up along with the regulators and distribution manifold:



We had the supply hoses long enough to shoot some rifles 'remotely' from the truck hood:



These rifles were all Hall actions, Pac-Nor SS Super Match barrels with the stainless steel water jackets over the barrels and Nightforce scopes. The setup keeps the barrels a constant 46*F, and allows almost a steady rate of fire at PD or squirrel colonies. You can see the condensation forming on the barrel here:



When you can shoot almost non-stop, you have to actually remember to drink water and eat, as except for occasional cleaning, it was boom-whop all day. I was shooting print film then (Yr 2000), and only have a few scanned. My how times and things have changed. Let me know if you're looking for something specific, and if I have it, I'll scan it and email it to you. Hope you're feeling well and gettin' along okay, bud. Good to hear from you.

[scootertrash]

Thanks Rick! Wow....print film in 2000, imagine that!! lol

Some friends were interested in the water cooled rigs after I told them about what you folks were doing. I wanted them to see the pictures, and I'll direct them to this link. I really appreciate you taking the time to re-post them. I have always admired everything you fellows do in regards to rodent control......everything is nothing but the highest quality. Very nice operation indeed!

I'm having more good days than bad now. Last radiation treatment is this coming Monday. Doc said enjoy my summer, and they will do another PET/CT scan toward the end of July.

Thanks again my friend,
Mike

[Rick in Oregon]

Well Mike, after you and your buds have checked it out, if you want more let me know, as I took a mess-o-pics during that shoot. I've got a bunch in an album, but can/will scan them for you if wanted.....let me know. That place we shot PD's was in western Wyoming, near the Wind River Range....tons of dogs on what looked like green velvet; absolutely beautiful country.

Preparing now for our next upcoming rat shoot soon. I'm loading up ammo for a rifle I don't even have yet with "Skippy Break-In Loads". Guess I'll leave the bullets seated waaaay out, and when I get the rifle next week, seat them per what the chamber throat tells me with my Stoney Point gauge. Nothing like last minute, eh? Glad I've got other rifles dialed and ready. As you so nicely said about our equipment, our rats deserve the very best.

Very pleased to hear your spirits are up and feeling okay ("okay" sure is a relative term, I know). Right on brother, and I wish you the best summer ever. I'm sure all here will pull for you on the next set of scans in July. In the meantime, take good care, friend.

[KIM204]

Rick, What is your pet load for the 6.5x284 ?

[Captqc]

Rick, those water cooled rifles are great! We could do that set-up and go full auto on Skippy! Gary

[Malazan]

How does that work?

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick, What is your pet load for the 6.5x284 ?

Don't remember exactly, it was a 100gr BT over a stiff load of H4350 if memory serves.

How does that work?

Just like a Browning water cooled machine gun....water is distrubuted to all rifles through a PVC manifold. Each rifle has a temp gauge and regulater for both volume and pressure. When the pump is running, the barrels are kept at a constant 46*F all day, no matter how fast you shoot. Power is from a solor cell that powers a large aquarium pump, water is in a 50 gallon tank at the front of the trailer. Works quite well for continued colony PD or squirrel shooting.

One more neat, high tech approach to having fun with Skippy. Pretty nifty, eh?

[scootertrash]

Rick,

The more I think about this set-up, the more fascinating I find it. I am a mechinical designer by trade, and this raises all kind of questions in my mind. I was going to ask how the pump was powered, but I see you just answered that.

But how is the stainless sleeve attached....were threads cut on the OD of the barrel back at the action area just in front of the recoil lug, and then the sleeve tapped as well? How is the sleeve kept concentric with the barrel out at the muzzle end, were threads cut out there too? Were O-rings used to prevent leaking, and I'm sure Mr. Hall had challenges fitting/bedding the action. The rig with the brake on it...did it have both internal and external threads? Absolutely amazing to me!

And considering this was circa 2000, even thumbhole stocks and Nightforce scopes were a rarity then. Sorry for all the questions, but I don't think people realize or appreciate what all went into this. Brilliant!!

Mike

[Rick in Oregon]

But how is the stainless sleeve attached....were threads cut on the OD of the barrel back at the action area just in front of the recoil lug, and then the sleeve tapped as well? How is the sleeve kept concentric with the barrel out at the muzzle end, were threads cut out there too? Were O-rings used to prevent leaking, and I'm sure Mr. Hall had challenges fitting/bedding the action. The rig with the brake on it...did it have both internal and external threads? Absolutely amazing to me!
Mike

Mike,
You pretty much have it correct...timed threads on the OD of both chamber and muzzle end of SS barrel which is turned down for most of the overall length that the SS water jacket threads onto, with a threaded OD stub for the brake. The brake threads on normally, no water involved that far near the muzzle. All fittings are o-ring sealed, all valves likewise, as is the water jacket itself at both ends.

The only thing missing are the "cabana girls" to clean the rifles while we take breaks from the shooting.

[scootertrash]

Thanks Rick for the additional info! I greatly appreciate it.

When you get the girl "cleaning crew", you MUST email me those pictures privately.

Mike

[VRG323]

Hi
I realize this post has been idle for quite a few years old but Im wondering if anyone has more information on these water cooled rifles or how I would get a hold of the gentlemen in this thread. Im specifically interested in the regulators, water lines and pumps.

Thanks
Bob

[Rick in Oregon]

VRG: Thanks to the greedy pirates at Photobucket, all those pics are now history, as they were all scanned from prints. They are now lost because I will NOT pony up the $400 a year those jerks want to pry out of me for 3rd party hosting. I have since found a more friendly site, but have yet to upload the many pics I still have on my hard drive, but unfortunately, the water-cooled rat rifle pics were the last I shot with print film, and were scanned and uploaded, but soon after that my hard drive crashed and they were lost.

If/when I get some time, I'll re-scan those pics and re-post here for you. The pics themselves will answer the questions you posed, as they are quite detailed.

It's very comforting to know you can blaze away with something like a 6.5x284 all day without worry of overheating a nice custom SS barrel. Who woulda thunk......water-cooled rat rifles!

[VRG323]

Thanks for the reply Rick!
I agree, photo bucket is a pain. I called my son to see if he could view the pics on this site and he had the same opinion. Guess they wont be around long if the younger generation wont use it.
Do you know if Allen Hall built these guns? or who/where they were built? I read that he was there on the shoot and the guns had Hall actions.
As stated I'm very interested in the regulator systems, lines and pumps. Somewhere it said they were solar powered. Unbelievable for the time, heck even now! Is all the equipment custom or does someone make it?
One of the pics, that I can see, has 2 shooting stations with 2 guns on regulators and ammo in between. Is that picture taken in the back of the truck mentioned or is it a professional shooting stand on the ground? Where do you find a truck like that!
Also, Ive seen some pics of these rifles in articles from shooting magazines. Do you know what magazines they came from or if I look them up on line? the pics are too blurry to read.

Sorry for so many questions, these are very intriguing rifles.

Thanks
Bob

[Rick in Oregon]

Bob - Until I get around to re-scanning those pics and posting them, I'll try to answer your other related questions.

Yes, Allen Hall supplied all the actions on the subject rifles, and he was with us on that shoot. I had the pleasure of shooting with him out past 800 yards with him using his Swift Improved on his own single shot action. All shooters used my BR Pivot, as we were one of the suppliers for the shoot.

The power was from portable solar cells placed on the ground, wired to an aquarium pump that pumped from a 50 gallon reservoir at the head end of the trailer. All the regulators, gauges were commercial, the tubing was just plain aquarium plastic tubing. The blocks for the gauges and regulators were custom made in the shop. Each rifle had its own dedicated pressure gauge, temp gauge and regulator. Barrel temp was a constant 46*F. Most times we could see condensation on the water jackets of the rifles.....in the summer heat of Wyoming.

The trailer was built from a regular tandem axle flatbed trailer, heavily modified into a custom portable rat shooting trailer with four shooting stations, landing jacks and a shade canopy.....pure PD shooting pleasure.

The guns themselves were featured on the cover of Guns Magazine somewhere around the year 2000+/-.

Busy with a project at present, but when time permits I'll do my best to do a simple scan of the prints and re-post them here now that I've got a viable alternative to the jerks at Photobucket.