• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Badass DIY barrel cooler(s)

secondofangle2

secondofangle2

Online Training Member
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Jul 3, 2017
    2,332
    2,355
    If you’ve tried one of the commercial offerings, you were probably disappointed with airflow, battery life, or the whole shebang. That inspired me first to buy a rechargeable mattress inflator on Amazon for about $25 and rig a plastic pipe elbow so that it will generally fit in the bolt raceway pointed towards the chamber. That thing blows air out the suppressor of a 26 inch barrel at between 5 and 10 mph and cools the barrel extremely well. The only problem being that it has limited battery life & takes a while to charge on a USB port, and will not run off of an auxiliary battery USB port when battery dead/charging. So when it's dead it's dead for several hours till you get it recharged. FWIW, it does last for about 40 minutes of blowing, which is a pretty good range day.

    Then, my brother showed me that the toolmakers like Ryobi and Milwaukee are now making an accessory for the 18v lithium batteries that is basically a high velocity air blower. For cleaning out workspaces, inflating stuff, and whatnot. I got a piece of plastic tubing that likewise fits in the ejection port and up towards the chamber and just duct taped it to the nozzle head of the Ryobi blower and that sucker blows air out the suppressor end at like 15-20 miles an hour. It’s ridiculous, how much air it blows. It will blow for several hours on one charge and I’m sure you have spare batteries in your truck like I do.

    Now I can run those 20 shot groups that the Hornady guys were talking about on podcast 50 lol. Seriously though. 10 shots. Cool. Repeat.
     

    Attachments

    • AC8B1AAD-B331-4D14-A7FC-F0A3ADCA9C51.jpeg
      AC8B1AAD-B331-4D14-A7FC-F0A3ADCA9C51.jpeg
      428.1 KB · Views: 703
    • EAE057C4-4055-40A6-8A0B-B8FA6BB993D5.jpeg
      EAE057C4-4055-40A6-8A0B-B8FA6BB993D5.jpeg
      389.7 KB · Views: 577
    Last edited:
    • Like
    Reactions: PRDRIVER, Ash$$, Krawlven and 13 others
    do you have a model # for that Ryobi? Hope Makita makes something like this given I have the batts already.
     
    Interesting... I've got one of those little Milwaukee M12-powered air compressors... I'll have to see if it has an option to work as a blower. While I like my Rifle Kuhl way better than my old BarrelCool... those CR123 batteries are annoyingly expensive for no longer than they last.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: secondofangle2
    memilanuk said:
    . those CR123 batteries are annoyingly expensive for no longer than they last.
    Click to expand...
    www.bhphotovideo.com

    SureFire 123A Rechargeable Lithium Phosphate Battery 2-Pack with Charger Kit

    Buy SureFire 123A Rechargeable Lithium Phosphate Battery 2-Pack with Charger Kit featuring 450mAh, 3.2V Batteries, Life Cycle: 1000 Charges, Charge 2 Batteries in 3 Hours, AC or DC, Auto Charge Termination, Overheat & Overcharge Protection, Short-Circuit, Polarity Protection. Review SureFire null
    www.bhphotovideo.com www.bhphotovideo.com

    I've used a different charger and different batteries before, but this is the charger and batteries I use now.

    I use the same charger for eight pairs of batteries. Useful in training weaponlights & flashlights as well.

    I still keep a pair of lithium CR 123's with each bag of kit as backup.

    For use in riflekuhl's which I love, I keep four batteries in rotation. I try to charge when 3 of them have gone weak

    We use Riflekuhls for chamber flags btw (with a red tag that says "Remove Before Flight")
     
    Last edited:
    • Like
    Reactions: memilanuk
    secondofangle2 said:
    If you’ve tried one of the commercial offerings, you were probably disappointed with airflow, battery life, or the whole shebang. That inspired me first to buy a rechargeable mattress inflator on Amazon for about $25 and rig a plastic pipe elbow so that it will generally fit in the boat raceway pointed towards the chamber. That thing blows air out the suppressor of a 26 inch rifle at between five and 10 mph and cools The barrel extremely well. The only problem being that it has limited battery life takes a while to charge on a USB port, and will not run off of an auxiliary battery USB port when battery dead/charging.

    Then, my brother showed me that the toolmakers like Ryobi and Milwaukee are now making an accessory for the 18v lithium batteries that is basically a high velocity air blower. For cleaning out workspaces and whatnot. I got a piece of plastic tubing that likewise fits in the ejection port and up towards the chamber and just duct taped it to the nozzle head of the Ryobi blower and that sucker blows air out the suppressor end at like 15-20 miles an hour. It’s ridiculous It will blow for several hours on one charge and I’m sure you have spare batteries in your truck like I do.

    Now I can run those 20 shot groups that the Hornady guys were talking about on podcast 50 lol. Seriously though. 10 shots. Cool. Repeat.
    Click to expand...
    Awesome idea, what is the ID of the hose that fits?
     
    memilanuk said:
    Interesting... I've got one of those little Milwaukee M12-powered air compressors... I'll have to see if it has an option to work as a blower. While I like my Rifle Kuhl way better than my old BarrelCool... those CR123 batteries are annoyingly expensive for no longer than they last.
    Click to expand...
    Yes that was a major reason I got rid of my Rifle Kuhl like a day after receiving it. No way am I going to feed it CR123s. Also, its output is pathetic compared to the options in the OP. And there's kinds no excuse for that - like they could have made it just as good as a rechargeable mattress inflator, right?
     
    • Like
    Reactions: 338dude
    secondofangle2 said:
    Yes that was a major reason I got rid of my Rifle Kuhl like a day after receiving it. No way am I going to feed it CR123s. Also, its output is pathetic compared to the options in the OP. And there's kinds no excuse for that - like they could have made it just as good as a rechargeable mattress inflator, right?
    Click to expand...
    I take it you never used one of the predecessors to the Rifle Kuhl? Trust me, it was leaps and bounds better than what came before. Maybe not better (in terms of volumetric flow rate) than a plug-in air-mattress/pool-toy inflator, which was the DIY option at the time... but those weren't exactly (easily) battery powered back then.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: secondofangle2
    David Lepley said:
    Awesome idea, what is the ID of the hose that fits?
    Click to expand...
    well, the Ryobi attachment is 5/8" and a 5/8" ID & 3/4" OD tubing can be stretched slightly to fit. However, the 3/4" OD of that tubing and won't fit in the bolt raceway/slot without deforming it into an ovoid shape, and then won't allow you to jam it up in the chamber where the bolt head goes. So it's better to just duck tape a piece of 5/8" OD and 1/2" ID pipe/tube. This ain't a museum piece.

    In fact I just tested it. I got 11 MPH with the kestrel and a 22.5" SAC .223 barrel and SiCo SAKER 762 suppressor attached with the bigger tube. With the smaller tube and duck tape I got 14.7 MPH. Blowback with the former was significant, and barely noticeable with the latter because you can jam it up in the chamber better. With larger calibers (e.g, my 338 or 50 BMG), the exiting MPH is even greater, because of reduced resistance with increased cross sectional area of the bore.
     

    Attachments

    • D928C354-A32B-4E88-9A17-ADB738CB6C24.jpeg
      D928C354-A32B-4E88-9A17-ADB738CB6C24.jpeg
      556.8 KB · Views: 105
    • Like
    Reactions: Balor
    memilanuk said:
    I take it you never used one of the predecessors to the Rifle Kuhl? Trust me, it was leaps and bounds better than what came before. Maybe not better (in terms of volumetric flow rate) than a plug-in air-mattress/pool-toy inflator, which was the DIY option at the time... but those weren't exactly (easily) battery powered back then.
    Click to expand...
    No I never used one till a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon the Magnetospeed option
     
    Using the Ryobi inflator is a great idea. Not very expensive and runs a long time on a single charge. Bonus that it can be used for other purposes as well.

    A few years back I found a 3D printer model of a blower adaptor for DC blower fans. I had one made and found a DC blower fan on Amazon that I could power with a USB lithium battery pack. It works, but I'm only able to move air at 3 MPH through the silicone tube. There's no filter on the intake...

    The unit is fairly small. The USB cable and silicone tubing take up the most space. That's a .308 round in the image for reference.

    3D Printed Blower Model

    DC Blower Fans

    IMG_2681.jpeg
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Balor, memilanuk and secondofangle2
    secondofangle2 said:
    Ryobi P738 Inflator

    Click to expand...

    Have been using the horrible freight version with rechargeable batteries. Works awesome and huge step up from the air mattress inflator. One I got moves quite a bit of air and cuts down on cooling time quite a bit. Got a couple of extra batteries charged up and works good for a range day. Stumbled onto this by accident when looking for another drill. Hmm, that looks like would work as a barrel cooler. Yep works like a charm. Ymmv
     
    • Like
    Reactions: secondofangle2
    secondofangle2 said:
    Yes that was a major reason I got rid of my Rifle Kuhl like a day after receiving it. No way am I going to feed it CR123s. Also, its output is pathetic compared to the options in the OP. And there's kinds no excuse for that - like they could have made it just as good as a rechargeable mattress inflator, right?
    Click to expand...
    That’s what I use a cheap mattress inflator had some clear tubing laying around with batteries and all I have less than $20 in mine
     
    Cool thing about getting the Ryobi high volume inflater is then you can get their 4” clamp fan. The thing works great to blow air over your barrel to reduce/eliminate barrel heat mirage. Cheap and well made.

    www.homedepot.com

    RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless 4 in. Clamp Fan (Tool Only) PCF02B - The Home Depot

    Expand your RYOBI 18V ONE+ System with the RYOBI 18V 4 in. Clamp Fan. This 18V Clamp Fan is the ultimate in portability. Not only does it provide cordless power, but it has the ability to clamp to materials
    www.homedepot.com

    33CCF366-6BDF-46ED-A036-497EFC889E1A.jpeg


    76E6F4F5-3C12-4CA8-A433-A4F361C26EE5.jpeg


    I don’t know why the Ryobi stuff is so much cheaper than other brands, but as a guy who owns Milwaukee and Bosch cordless stuff, the Ryobi fan is impressive. I need to pick up that inflater.

    We have a Ryobi cordless weed whipper with a battery/charger so that’s why it’s an easy decision for me.

    At the range I’m going to look like a friggin’ Ryobi dealer.
     
    Last edited:
    • Haha
    Reactions: Balor and 338dude
    A61D265B-2C93-4771-8553-025A0026D7B0.jpeg

    I bought couple of this made by Caldwell when Midwayusa blow them out like 13 bux a piece. I jam a tube in it and insert in the rifle chamber. This thing is rechargeable. Run time is like 3 hours
     
    Last edited:
    • Like
    Reactions: Balor and secondofangle2
    If there’s enough air being blown you don’t need much of a seal at all just point in the direction of the chamber
     
    David Lepley said:
    Yeah that was my though too, if you can get the nozzle geometry right and straiten the flow down the bore axis you can pretty much count on a good chunk of the flow to reach into the chamber.
    Click to expand...
    You know, there’s a lot of bore guides already being made. A cool idea would be to have one made without a solvent port and just hook a hose up to that.

    I think I have an extra bore guide laying about. Perhaps I’ll cut off the solvent port (if it has one, can’t remember), buy that Ryobi thing, buy a hose, and give it a whirl.
     
    Last edited:
    • Like
    Reactions: secondofangle2
    Yeah, the way I estimated the velocities was to put a kestrel at the end of the suppressor or muzzle or whatever. Comes out pretty dang fast.

    I wonder how much life, if any, you add to your barrel by doing this, when it heats up. If heat is the true enemy, rather than flame and pressure, I’m betting we are doing our barrels a significant favor with these contraptions.
     
    secondofangle2 said:
    Yeah, the way I estimated the velocities was to put a kestrel at the end of the suppressor or muzzle or whatever. Comes out pretty dang fast.

    I wonder how much life, if any, you add to your barrel by doing this, when it heats up. If heat is the true enemy, rather than flame and pressure, I’m betting we are doing our barrels a significant favor with these contraptions.
    Click to expand...
    I can tell you that the “bulk” temperature of spark plug electrodes has a direct impact to erosion rate from my professional life, the same principle should apply in the barrel throat if my thinking is correct.
     
    Built this. Never used. If anyone wants it they can have it for shipping. .338, .308, .30 "Grendel"

    Bbl cooler.jpg

    Thank you,
    MrSmith
     
    I just picked up one of the Ryobis. Holy shit that thing is a little turbo! Loud little guy. Glad everyone at the range has earpro lol.

    I have a bunch of step-up and step-down vacuum cleaner hose adapters. Gonna check to see if I can find a no-tape solution.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: secondofangle2
    First I wanted to say thanks OP for the idea, these things work awesome. I wanted to add that might help someone else that I was hesitant to buy one bc I didn’t want to have to use royobi batteries bc I use dewalt tools, and didn’t want to have multiple platforms. But… I found an adapter so I can still use the batteries I already have.
     

    Attachments

    • IMG_0321.jpeg
      IMG_0321.jpeg
      659.4 KB · Views: 51
    • Like
    Reactions: 338dude, secondofangle2, Balor and 1 other person
    You must log in or register to reply here.

    Similar threads

    Shoebox
    AR new barrel cycling issues
    Replies
    74
    Views
    3K
    belchermw
    B
    N
    Range Report LabRadar battery issues
    Replies
    25
    Views
    4K
    NamibHunter
    N
    viking78
    DIY barrel cooler.
    Replies
    25
    Views
    10K
    cobus13
    cobus13
    Burdy
    Heartbreak 2022
    Replies
    9
    Views
    2K
    D_TROS
    D_TROS
    zfk55sr
    A long range Garand
    Replies
    32
    Views
    3K
    Greg Langelius *
    Greg Langelius *
    Top Bottom
    Back