Keep That Barrel Cool — Temp Strips Display Barrel Temperature
Bad things can happen if your barrel gets too hot. First, with some barrels, the point of impact (POI) will shift or “walk” as the barrel heats up excessively. Second, even if the POI doesn’t change, the groups can open up dramatically when the barrel gets too hot. Third, if the barrel is very hot, the chamber will transfer heat to your loaded cartridge, which can lead to pressure issues. Finally, hot barrels wear out faster. This is a very real concern, particularly for varmint shooters who may shoot hundreds of rounds in a day. For this reason, many varminters switch among various guns, never letting a particular barrel get too hot.
How do you monitor your barrel temperature other than guessing by “feel”? Neconos.com offers Bar-L Benchrest strips that visually display heat readings from 86 to 140 degrees. Think of these strips as compact, unbreakable thermometers. With adhesive backing, they can also be used to monitor barrel heating. Put a strip on the side of the barrel and the barrel’s temp will be indicated by a stripe that changes from black to green. There is also a “general purpose” strip that reads to 196 degrees (bottom row). The Benchrest strip (86F to 140F) is in the middle. Bar-L temp strips cost $9.00, or $25.00 for a 3-pack.
Value-Priced Temp Strip 10-packs
If you have many rifles, McMaster.com (a large industrial supply house) offers the same reversible, 7 temperature, 86F to 140F strip (item 59535K13) for $11.86 per pack of ten (10) strips. That’s an excellent value. Thanks to reader Josh B. for this tip!
Controlling Ammo Temperature is Important Too
Keeping your loaded cases at a controlled temperature is vital for maintaining good ES and case life. At a late summer varmint match we observed pressure signs with cases that had been sitting in direct sunlight for about 15 minutes. As we were running a “moderate” RL15 load, the pressure indications were surprising. Testing over a chronograph, cases that had been sitting in direct sunlight showed velocities up to 70 fps higher than those that had been kept in the shade. Using QuickLoad’s temperature function, we calculated from the rise in velocities that case pressures had increased by over 4,000 psi–just from 15-20 minutes in direct sunlight!
Similar Posts:
- Monitor Ammo/Barrel Heat Levels with Temp-Sensitive Strips
- Monitor Barrel Temps with Heat-Sensitive Strips
- Beat the Heat with Barrel Temp Strips
- Monitor Summer Barrel Heat with Handy Temp Strips
- Monitor Barrel Heat This Summer with Handy Temp Strips
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You might point your readers to http://www.mcmaster.com (a large industrial supply house) where the same reversible, 7 temperature, 86-140F strip (their P/N 59535K13) sells for $11.86 per pack of 10, vs Neconos price of $9 ea. Thrifty readers can contact benin@charter.net for ideas on disposing of the extra strips.
I have read several articles over the years related to barrel temp. When shooting any of my rifles I don’t let them get any warmer than what still feels comfortable to hold for at least 5 seconds.
Can anyone tell me what temp. should not be exceeded for general benchrest shooting? Knowing the temp of your barrel is only helpful if one knows what is the recommended maximum temp suggested for best accuracy/wear/practicality.
Here in Western Australia during the summer months when temperatures in Perth can soar to 45degC, I place my ammo in a small insulated cooler bag to maintain a consistent temperature