Warm Loads - Barrel Life

[mvpal]

I know the barrel lift question has been hashed out here already however I am curious if there is any know facts about lighter vs hot loads and how it pertains to barrel life.

Dylan

[Rick in Oregon]

Think of it like this: The hotter the load, the more barrel heat.

The more barrel heat, the shorter the barrel life. Purty simple really. (Of course frequency of shooting is the primary culprit, generating excessive barrel heat.) If you stick to 'book loads', you should have a long life with your favorite barrel.

[Bill K]

Also thinking along the same lines.. Friction is heat.. The higher or faster the friction, then you create more heat and there fore wear is going to be greater, on any metalic item i.e. barrel, bearing surface, etc. As Rick said, if you stick with the loads in the manuals, you will have as long a barrel life as possible. So shoot til you start seeing a great loss in accuracy, then rebarrel or what ever. Bill K

[mvpal]

Thanks you guys.

[mvpal]

What would be considered allot of shooting for a day. Yesterday I fired 100 rnds from 10am to 4pm in the afternoon. It was about 65 degrees outside.

Being a varmint control operator is my most favorite occupation in the world however I was exhausted by the end of the day.

The load I fired was:
32 grn z-max
winch brass
rem 7 1/2 primer
29grn w748
coal 2.367

[Rick in Oregon]

When we're out shooting ground squirrels or PD's, it's not unusual to shoot 300+ rounds in a day. As long as you don't overheat the barrel, and pace your shots, no worries. But if you can't hold your hand on the barrel, that means it's between 160*F - 180*F, and THAT my friend, is too hot, and the barrel is telling you that part of your chamber throat has "gone away".

This type of shooting can be hard on barrels if temp is not monitored and they're not taken care of properly:



If you pace your shots and don't shoot more than two per minute (one per minute better), keep tabs on barrel heat depending on the outside temp, the barrel will last a long time. I should note that we also clean in the field when shooting this much, usually after no more than 50 rounds. Some folks go longer between cleanings, but I spend alot on custom barrels, and want to care for them properly......cleaning in the field and monitoring barrel temp are ways to that end.

[Tokimini]

But if you can't hold your hand on the barrel, that means it's between 160*F - 180*F, and THAT my friend, is too hot, and the barrel is telling you that part of your chamber throat has "gone away".

Unfortuately that's when my rifle is the most accurate. It wont shoot squat with a cool barrel.

[Rick in Oregon]

But if you can't hold your hand on the barrel, that means it's between 160*F - 180*F, and THAT my friend, is too hot, and the barrel is telling you that part of your chamber throat has "gone away".

Unfortuately that's when my rifle is the most accurate. It wont shoot squat with a cool barrel.

Wow, if that were my rifle, I'd be looking for a 'new' pet load. A barrel won't last long under those conditions. Do you mean "warm", or "HOT" as indicated above? Big difference between 'warm' and 'hot'........

[Tokimini]

It's most accurate when the barrel is too hot to leave your hand on. All my pet loads are under max, usually by a fair amount. The heat build up was the same using factory loads before I started reloading. I've had the gun for about 3 years since my sons got it for me for Father's Day and it was used then. I had some warranty work done at Remington over a year ago as was told there was "some" erosion in the throat. Maybe I'm just lucky but my groups keep on shrinking. I'll keep my fingers crossed and start saving for a Hart barrel.

[mvpal]

Rick,

What brand of shooting bench is that? I have an 84 CUCV blazer that I can remove the top on and would love to have a rest set up in the back for drive up shooting like you all are doing.

BTW. You must be in PD heaven to have that many on one line. Look fun.

[Rick in Oregon]

Tokimini: Well, I suppose if the groups just keep shrinking, you'll just have to keep shooting it, right? That is a rather strange occurrance though. I saw a 22-250 get shot out once during one weekend of hot squirrel shooting. He couldn't keep his hand on his barrel either.......

mvpal: Here's another day just like the one above. This is ground squirrel shooting, MUCH more action that PD's have ever given me. These little guys don't bail for cover at the first sign of shooting, being much dumber, they stay up even during hot "launch" action events. This was another 300+ CF day (My Sako M75 Varmint 204 on the bench in the foreground):



We're using BR Pivot benches, mine with the girder legs is the BR Pivot Lite. Some years ago, I was the manufacturer, now MidwayUSA handles the bench. It's still available and fits in the bed of import and standard size pickups. The wind blowing your truck about is the only limiting factor, which is why we like HD trailers.

In regard to wind.....check out the wind flag and our flagstaff in typical open country wind during these shoots. If you can't dope wind, there's lots of practice in store, and is also the reason you'll need stabilizing jacks on that Blazer in order to shoot out of it from a bench in this kind of wind (it sure is a hoot!):



During these shoots, I keep tabs on barrel heat by laying my hand over the barrel just ahead of the scope's ocular bell. If she gets too warm, it's time to spot for someone else, have a cool one, or clean the barrel. Waiting a while makes sense when these SS custom barrels run north of $300 a pop.

[Tokimini]

Rick, I typically shoot between 60 to 70 rounds pretty much evenly spaced out in about an hour and a half time frame. Would you consider that excessive?

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick, I typically shoot between 60 to 70 rounds pretty much evenly spaced out in about an hour and a half time frame. Would you consider that excessive?

Nope, would not. Sometimes during hot ground squirrel action, I've fired more than that.....it's the nature of the varmint here....when they're frolicking about in great numbers anywhere from 75 to 400 yards, just TRY to stop shooting!

Seriously though, I would not consider that round/time count excessive at all.

[Tokimini]

Thanks Rick.

[bow shot]

Man, I need an excuse to heat up a barrel!

Great pics Rick, thanks!