Cooling a barrel with compressed air?

D

DukeDurham

New member
Let's say you are in a REALLY hot dog town, or maybe any place that requires a long string of fire. You only have the one gun and you don't wanna roast it on the first day. Can using canned air to cool the barrel work or is it not a feasible thing to try? What negative side effects should i be thinking about, if any? Thanks for looking, Duke.
 
I was in a hot SD dog town a few years back shooting a Model 70 in 223. I was taking my time, just loading 1 round at a time. My son was using one of my ARs. I would shoot a bit, and watch him a bit. I was going at a rate I could really key on the high percentage shots.

With the casual pace I usually had a dog pop up at a range that lead to splatter. The compressed air seems a little bothersome, it may work. I think I'd rather spend the time doing something else. You could pick up brass, scout around some, maybe tend to gear or another shooter. That is if you don't have another gun.
 
A buddy of mine uses CO2 for cooling the barrels. He has the tank mounted below the shooting table for easy access.
 
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I heard one trick that i may try this year. Put a boresnake in a bag then put the bag in a cooler with an icepack, once the barrel gets hot pull the snake into the barrel for a few min and it will speed up cooling.
 
Water down the center of the barrel, 15 seconds and it is dead cold, can not hurt the metal. Follow with 4 tight patches on a punch type of jag, dry the chamber, go back to shooting.

We have used this method since 1988 on the finest barrels made, a real rocket scientist taught us how to do it after I took him on a p. dog hunt.

Just dry patch out with a tight punch type of jag. It will also extend your shooting strings inbetween cleanings due to the fact that you are getting that carbon out before it hardens.

It has always amazed me at how slow people are to change and accept a new idea because cooling a barrel with water is as easy and as cheap as it gets.
 
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Water it down how exactly? You mean standing it on end and pouring cool water down the bore? Plug the end and fill it up, wait a min, flush, repeat? And then just wipe it dry? Hm, I'll have to try that.
 
Thanks Ackleyman. I don't guess there is any reason not to carry a couple more bottles of water instead of an air can. Good enough for a real rocket scientist, good enough for me.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGWater it down how exactly? You mean standing it on end and pouring cool water down the bore? Plug the end and fill it up, wait a min, flush, repeat? And then just wipe it dry? Hm, I'll have to try that.

There's a thing made for getting motor oil from the bottle to the engine. I've bought them at Walmart but probably an auto supply would have one. It's a cap that screws onto the oil bottle and has a plastic tube attached. That cap also fits a water bottle. The other end has a nozzle. This nozzle fits the back end of my cleaning rod guides. Insert cleaning rod guide, insert nozzle into back of guide, with muzzle down run water through the barrel. All it takes is about 15 seconds and not much water, the barrel is cool. Then dry patches and the gun is ready to go again. It's just stupid simple.
 
Originally Posted By: Lefty SRHHas anyone heard of accuracy problems developing when the barrels are cooled off at such a rapid rate?

What feels hot to the human hand, 130-140deg, is barely warm for a piece of steel.
 
Originally Posted By: ackleyman

It has always amazed me at how slow people are to change and accept a new idea because cooling a barrel with water is as easy and as cheap as it gets.

YES.
Ackleyman showed me this trick and I can't believe how easy and effective it is. Also can't believe that some are actually fearful to do this.
 
I will try and post pictures of the home made bottle, tube, used in conjunction with the tube ran into the back of your bore guide. This technique is simple, cheap, and you do a half way cleaning job getting the powder fouling out at the same time.

No way you can hurt your barrels using this technique when you follow it with a tight punch type of bore jag with 4 patches, swab the chamber out, go back to shooting in less than 5 minutes when you get the technique down pat.

Keith
 
How do you determine what hot is? The sense of burning to human touch is near 150F degrees. Hardly to hot to shoot. You could reach150 degrees and more on a hot day of blued barrel in direct sunlight. Bluing should be ok to about 600 degrees fahrenheit.
copper melts at about 2000 degrees fahrenheit. I have never seen documented when a barrel is too hot to shoot.
 
I have been laying a soaked towel I cut to fit and triple layered and run it over the barrel & keep wet.
I also dump water along the barrel and it holds in the plastic stock, cant do that w/wood stocks though.
Ive run 30-80 shots in a row w/no issues ever to the barrels.
Water is your best pal in a p-dog town for barrels, carry a few bottles & give it a try.
 
Ok, lots of misinformation out there. If the barrel were to get to 800*, then you water quenched it, there could be some warping.



this is the basic unit:
pepsi bottle, oil bottle attachment($4) available at Wal Mart and most auto part stores,
Sinclair rod guide($20)



We have used mountain dew, diet pepsi, 7 up



TIGHT FIT



about 6 oz of water is all it takes, then follow by using 4 dry patches on a PUNCH type of jag, then dry the chamber. Since you have the bore guide on the end of the unit, things are simple

Also, as you are dry patching the barrel out, a lot of loose carbon comes out. Your shooting strings are extended using this method.

We have used this method on the finest custom rifle barrels made along with Rem, Savage, Ruger, and Winchester factory barrels. None of the barrels have been harmed since the late 80's.

If this method scares you, or is inconvient, then douse the outside of the barrel with a 50/50 solution of water and rubbing alcohol to the point to where the water is dripping off the bottom.

The old tried and true method of rotating guns with the bolt open standing up, just does not work, we tried that and ended up wasting barrels(shot too hot, would not cool in temps of 90*+) on good dog towns, barrels never cooled and we had 6 guns each.

Till some idiot gun writer publishes an article on how effective this is, not one will accept it.

After I quit shooting Benchrest, I would take my Hall M actions with McMillen stocks and Hart barrels and just fill the barrel channel full of water on hot dog towns, never hurt a thing...but the dogs!!! With the left port and right bolt, pulling the trigger with my middle finger, I could accurately place shoot 5-6 rounds a minute, with rarely ever missing. It was so hot at times, we had no clothing but our bathing suits. We shot in the shade of the tarp.

I finally got the picture posting thing down pat, about time....
 
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CO2 works well but is more to pack.

A hand full of ice to the out side of the barrel is pretty fast too.

A battery powered fish arreator will blow air down a open bolt. Works best if you are resting one and shooting another.
 
Originally Posted By: ackleyman



this is the basic unit:
pepsi bottle, oil bottle attachment($4) available at Wal Mart and most auto part stores,
Sinclair rod guide($20)







Till some idiot gun writer publishes an article on how effective this is, not one will accept it.



That's all there is to it, couldn't be simpler. And it works FAST.
 
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