Cooling a barrel

[Gutshot]

When sighting in a long gun {rifle} what methods are used to cool the barrel to insure first shot {cold barrel} accuracy?
My son in law shoot a lot of rifle and told me about using canned air like that used to clean computer key boards sprayed down the barrel to cool it faster.
Is there any harm in this?

Thanks
Jeff

 

[M118LR]

We used to clean and rest the rifle until it reached ambient temperature. Or you could just expend a round a day for ten days ensuring that it was thoroughly cleaned after each expended round. Of course hardcore folks would wait four days between sessions cleaning the rifle every day so that it no longer leached.

 

[Mobuck]

"Or you could just expend a round a day for ten days"
^^^THIS^^^
Yes, I know many don't have this option BUT it is the best guarantee of cold barrel zero. One shot per day for 5 days but I don't clean the bore between. My hunting rifles don't get bore cleaned during hunting season.

 

[M118LR]

"Or you could just expend a round a day for ten days"
^^^THIS^^^
Yes, I know many don't have this option BUT it is the best guarantee of cold barrel zero. One shot per day for 5 days but I don't clean the bore between. My hunting rifles don't get bore cleaned during hunting season.

Clean Cold Bore Requires a clean bore, a fouled barrel doesn't make for a Clean Cold Bore Zero.

Target shooters have the option to foul the barrel tossing away shots prior to shooting strings with a warm barrel.

If you zero to the clean cold bore you will find that deviates less for that first most important shot while hunting.

Not to mention a stored fouled barrel promotes corrosion far faster than a stored clean bore.

It's your rifle to do with as you wish, leaving a fouled barrel for a month isn't a Best Practice. JMHO YMMV.

Edit If the. Canned air has a propellent and it isn't sprayed at a distance you risk micro fractures when the propellant strikes small areas disproportionate to the entire barrel.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Research Gunny Hathcock's method for a cold bore shot. It still, and always will have merit. Still being "influenced" by NECC in EDM training course.

 

[Hertervillian]

Someone makes a fan that fits in the barrel. It’s not stupidly priced if you’re needing something for the job. Might be Caldwell

 

[M118LR]

Research Gunny Hathcock's method for a cold bore shot. It still, and always will have merit. Still being "influenced" by NECC in EDM training course.

Nowadays nobody other than really Old USMC Trained folks annotate hand written log books. Palm Pilots with ballistic programs dominate rifle shooting. JMHO YMMV.

Photo edit.

 

[M118LR]

Someone makes a fan that fits in the barrel. It’s not stupidly priced if you’re needing something for the job. Might be Caldwell

Just pull back the bolt and set the rifle with the muzzle up. It will naturally draw cooler air up the barrel like a chimney.

 

[M118LR]

So since we have opened pandoras box, and XUSNORDIE may be the only one that took a look, what happens in the Covert World?

I'm going to assume that XUSNORDIE has watched EMCOM. Launches. The folks going to be dropped off are not taking active electronic emission systems with them No IR generating Spotter Scopes etc...etc. Totally Independent operations.

So as a completely passive undetectable non emitting system is there a better reticle than the MSR?

If you have used or know of one, Please School Me.

Most folks probably should have no clue of what I'm asking.

Edit sorry for the thread drift OP.

BTW Horus reticles are designed to be used with lazer or IR range finding spotting Scopes to give distance and range to a specific target.

Without taking your eye out of the scope box, figure range, wind call, and without outside assistance from an electronic emitting device or spotter, sounds like an Old School pencil pushing, log book carting skill to me? YMMV.

Just to keep this on the lighter side, Guess you need to be a spy versus spy seal astronaut travel agent with a black bag just to pose such a . Oops, forgot to drag my Precision Scoped Rifle on to the Aircraft that could insert or extract me. SORRY.

 

[Mobuck]

"Clean Cold Bore Requires a clean bore, a fouled barrel doesn't make for a Clean Cold Bore Zero."
OK, BUT. For most purposes, we can remove the 'Clean' which will fit into most hunting/sport scenarios. The 'Clean' part might be important to police sniper whose rifle sits in a case somewhere waiting to be used.
Just for the record: the budget priced TC Compass II that I use has no real preference for clean/cold, clean/cold/fouled, or any other combination of bore condition that I've subjected it to. I've had rifles that were persnickety about bore condition but I don't have them anymore. Good rifles don't care.

 

[blume357]

Here's my layman question, why the clean bore? I've always thought a rifle shot better after it had had a few rounds through it and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the need to clean the barrel after a few shots using modern powder and bullets and primers....

 

[GunnyGene]

Here's my layman question, why the clean bore? I've always thought a rifle shot better after it had had a few rounds through it and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the need to clean the barrel after a few shots using modern powder and bullets and primers....

I think this (cooling, etc.) is directed more towards the ELR community (competition/military sniper) than ordinary hunting applications.

 

[OMBlackhawk]

I’ve seen a couple of home made coolers from I believe were air mattress pumps. They were mostly for cooling suppressors.

 

[ChrisL]

Someone makes a fan that fits in the barrel. It’s not stupidly priced if you’re needing something for the job. Might be Caldwell

Desert Dog Outdoors has an inexpensive setup using a mini-blower from Amazon. You can find his video on that at his YouTube channel.

 

[WV338]

I use a battery powered low pressure compressor that was for filling air mattress. It works perfectly. It came with an old air mattress that I’ve since thrown away.

 

[Johnnu2]

When hunting the mighty Woodchuck (gopher, rock-chuck etc), first shot accuracy is paramount; and could mean the difference between life and death (the 'chuck's). My glass-bedded chuck-rifles are usually right on for the first shot; however, when sighting in a non-bedded rifle, I bring two Ruger revolvers with me. I fire the first round or two from the rifle to get the sights where I want them, then I go shoot my pistols for 15 minutes (*precisely) and come back to a "cool" bbl. for the next two shots. I repeat the process until my shot placement is satisfactory to hit a woodchuck (permanently) at 200-300 yds (no more than that). I clean that rifle at the range with Hoppes and a brass brush; wipe the bore dry and fire one more "fouling/insurance" shot. The bore stays as is thru the chuck-hunting season (which is usually non-eventful cause I'm getting too old to sweat out the chuck-hunting seasons anymore.
* this was meant for the OCD/rule follower folks.......
J.

 

[protoolman]

I have no problem holding 1 1/2 moa out to 200 yards with my mkII m-77 with its cheap 4 power scope. Considering that's good enough for woodchucks I'll stop there. What you guys are talking about is of no concern to me until I take up prairie dogs at 600. Even if my equipment would allow that, sadly my eyes wouldn't. They will never be 21 again! So I guess I'll leave the benchrest accurate to the eagle eyed members here.

 

[s4s4u]

Is there some requirement to have a clean bore? I always foul my barrel prior to shooting for serious, if at all possible. When I check zero for the last time before hunting season begins I do not clean the barrel...until after season is over.

One can cool a barrel with a special fan, but it will take some time for it to become "cold" again.

 

[Mobuck]

"I fire the first round or two from the rifle to get the sights where I want them, then I go shoot my pistols for 15 minutes (*precisely) and come back to a "cool" bbl. for the next two shots. "
Sorry to say this but you need to find different rifles.
As for cooling the bore: I've never been in a hunting scenario that produced such a high volume of fire that this was necessary. This sort of thing would be for those paper blasters and/or prairie doggers who crank off dozens of rounds w/o stopping.

 

[M118LR]

Here's my layman question, why the clean bore? I've always thought a rifle shot better after it had had a few rounds through it and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the need to clean the barrel after a few shots using modern powder and bullets and primers....

Guess the USMC experts have a different opinion?

I'll attempt a easier to follow photo?

And a helpful page for what Old Folks used to annotate to track the Clean Cold Bore .

 

[txramfan]

Sure glad dove don't care if the barrel is dirty or hot when hunting them.

 

[M118LR]

Sure glad dove don't care if the barrel is dirty or hot when hunting them.

We used to hunt doves with smoothbore shotguns.
Never really considered using a high powered rifle.
Probably cuts down on the time required to clean them?

 

[kmoore]

Answering the question, 1st off I have done some testing about this besides match shooting range talk and reading. Stop using canned air. Depends on climate and how much spray, you could be depositing moisture into the barrel.
Get an IR temp sensor so you have a better idea than just touch. Slowing down shooting is the best way, in between shots stand rifle up with action open. Measure the temps before and after, outer barrel near chamber, inside chamber.
I shoot in the desert on 100f plus most summer months at times and using calibers 7mm Weatherby, 338 RUM, 358 NM, 375H&H all heat up barrel faster than my 6.5, 308, 3006.
I used an air pump powered by 4 D batteries in a mattress pump and attached some tubing to blow air into the chambers. It helped slightly. Using the chimney method of standing an open rifle up does the same. 5 mins or so and shoot again.
My opinion about why forced air does not do much, I was blowing air at 100- 110 and up to 115f from the environment into the rifle. IF, I had made an ice bucket big enough to cool down air, say at 70f and draw that into a rifle barrel maybe it would cool barrel down faster.
In the end it's easy, free and takes up about the same time as cooling a barrel by standing it up and waiting. A trick I did as others firing 10 rounds in a minute. With the bolt open, I would blow a puff of air into the barrel from the chamber. Normally I could see smokey stuff leave the muzzle. But doing that you can be introducing moisture, so just a puff.
Myself, I load 1 round, fire, open bolt, muzzle slightly higher than chamber. Wait about 2 minutes and shoot again. Fire 3 to 5 rounds before getting off bench and out of position. Checking targets etc, stand rifle up. I could wait longer and sometimes do but you risk conditions changing and more time just getting back into same position.
Another reason to leave bolt open and testing 1 round in rifle at a time. You don't heat up ammo in the rifle. At the range wanting tiny groups never close bolt in a hot rifle chamber and leave ammo in the mag or chamber for minutes before firing.

 

[txramfan]

We used to hunt doves with smoothbore shotguns.
Never really considered using a high powered rifle.
Probably cuts down on the time required to clean them?

My dad taught me to clean all firearms , even shotguns.

Uncle Sam must give different guidance

 

[Neon Vernon]

Sure glad dove don't care if the barrel is dirty or hot when hunting them.

The first shot cleans the barrel from last season! I try not to, but that actually has happened - once.

 

[M118LR]

My dad taught me to clean all firearms , even shotguns.

Uncle Sam must give different guidance

I meant cleaning the doves.

 

[Joe Reilly]

I had read that the buffalo hunters would just pee on them

 

[Dan in MI]

From my automotive experience I can honestly say you are probably fooling yourself with any cooling method beyond time.

I did cold start testing. Now to be honest cold start has a different meaning in automotive testing. Because of that I will limit my answer relative to overnight -40* soaks and ambient temperature soaks.

-40- The car sits in the cold chamber for roughly 14 hours. Everything is truly -40. We start the car and take data until fully warmed up. Then we start another soak. For a second start in the same day we get about 8 hours in the chamber. While many of the measured parameters are -40, deep in the engine it is still between 0 and -20. Not enough time.

Ambient- again an overnight soak. Start and take data. Same procedure. For the second start we do “forced cooling.Big fans everywhere and the coolant is run through a chiller. Allows retesting in about 6 hours. Again most temps are ambient, but deep inside we’re still 20* or so off.

Any accelerated cooling is not allowed for final approval/sign off. It is only used to get more data faster.

 

[GunnyGene]

I had read that the buffalo hunters would just pee on them

Didn't the buffalo object to being pee'd on? Seems dangerous to me.

 

[M118LR]

Didn't the buffalo object to being pee'd on? Seems dangerous to me.

I don't believe that I want to hold Old Blue close enough to urinate down a barrel that is going to be cooled down in such a manner. Especially since most barrels are way smaller than the 50 cal them Old Buff Hunters used.

One eyed sea snake touching the precision crown of a bing cherry red small bore .30 caliber. That sounds DANGEROUS to me. Think I'd prefer to pee on the buffalo. Especially after it was shot. YMMV.