doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Barrel Heating Study

Discussed the findings with my collaborator, and next week we'll keep the infrared thermometer in a pocket and take immediate "maximal heating" readings. Stay tuned.

Ah science is hard, but the little guy is the one holding the hot barrels

I hesitate to post this but......... a friend and I were shooting clays at a prodigious rate. He was shooting a 28 ga Ruger Red Lable bottom barrel only. The 28 gauge has separated barrels secured at the breach and muzzle only. I happened to notice after a lengthy session the barrel appeared to have an arc downward. I had to apply a straight edge to it to confirm and yes it had deformed presumably from the heat. I've never witnessed anything like that since.

Drew, very nice piece of research. Thanks for posting it. We always need more of this.

DDA

Thank you Don. GOOD research would probably be of more value

I might take the thermometer to the trap range and see if I can check a guy's barrel after shooting 25 in rapid succession.

Drew, while not exhaustive, it is 100% more data than I have seen to date.

DDA

Expiring minds seek to know Part II

Air temp 93

Damascus Smith and new fangled Benelli kept in shade and carried to shade at Skeet Station 7

12 shots taken at about 3 sec. per shot.

Barrel temps immediately after the 12 shots
Benelli - 117
Smith - 106. Only the left barrel was used and very likely that the right barrel contributed to heat dissipation.

Conclusion:
Arizona sun heating (last week) contributes about 10 degrees. It is quite possible the barrel would continue to heat if left in the sun.
I was surprised the Benelli didn't get hotter. Must be the mystical cryogenics

Hopefully a contributor will take an infrared thermometer down to Argentina and provide some high volume data.

Be that as it may, the Benelli still looks like the hot ticket. It must be the tangle of welds in the Smith that don't take well to cryo.

Probably all the sand and voids in the Damascus that keep the barrels cool Craig

Ken, that barrel bending can be a serious problem to accuracy in double rifles. Keep firing just the one barrel and if will soon start sending its shots wide. It the same principal at the bi-metallic strip in a thermostat. I guess shotgun shooting accuracy would suffer too but not be quite as noticeable.

Drew, I've certainly found that shooting black powder cartridges will heat a barrel up much faster than when using nitro cartridges. Try firing half a dozen BP rounds on a warm sunny day then try to touch the barrels. When I mean 'warm and sunny' I am referring to England where that would be in the low to mid 70's. Goodness knows what it would be like at around 100 degrees! Lagopus.....

Which smokeless matters too.

WBY .300, five shot strings with about 45 second cadence.

My handloads with 4895, barrel too hot to touch.

Hornady Custom, barrel cool as a cucumber.

Remarkable.