I was at the range today with my .308 and noticed my grouos getting larger and had more and more flyers as my barrel got hot to the point you could barely touch it. I know it prob effects accuracy as it cooled a little but was still hot and i grouped 4 shots on the bullseye then the flyers started again. Is this pretty normal?
- Thread starter madav8r
- Start date
If your barrel has issues.
Its more common than it should be, but then again not all barrels are created equal. The better the barrel the less the problems.
Its more common than it should be, but then again not all barrels are created equal. The better the barrel the less the problems.
My first 600yd BR comp 2 years ago it was 86F and 90s humidity, after my 3 sighters the barrel was so hot you couldnt touch it(700 Varmint 6mmREM), 1st group was like 8", 2nd, and of course the barrel was even hotter went 5.398", I then went over to the 300yd range and it still shot the .8moa, barrel hotter than F^%K.
I don't run my barrel as hot as it sounds like you do but my groups also open up some as the barrel gets hotter in my stock R5.
I have not shot my gun enough to where I can not touch the barrel so I can not answer your question directly. I do however have a new barrel on my 308 and have noticed that after about 10 shots is seems to speed up 20 FPS. I will keep my chrony on next time I am out and run the temps up on the barrel to see if where the speed stabilizes at.
Hardmix
Hardmix
Yes, heat will cause a group to open up. The degree of which can be attributed to the quality of the barrel/chamber...barrel thickness is a factor as well.
Easy solution...don't shoot so many shots in a string, after a string, let the barrel cool a little.
Easy solution...don't shoot so many shots in a string, after a string, let the barrel cool a little.
Have used CO2 to cool them down when practicing. Do not open valve all the all just let it flow where you can just hear the gas through the barrel - keep feeling close to chamber until it's cooled down. Alway run a couple of dry patches. Cuts waiting Tim,e down.
Barrel heat can be transferred to the propellant if the round sits in the chamber overlong. This increases the available energy in the cartridge and may cause barrel transit time to fall outside the optimal range for matching barrel harmonics.
IMHO, loads should be developed and tested under the same conditions one expects them to be normally used. If those conditions include a hot barrel, then that's the condition where the development and testing becomes most important. Testing with a cold barrel probably won't get it.
Greg
IMHO, loads should be developed and tested under the same conditions one expects them to be normally used. If those conditions include a hot barrel, then that's the condition where the development and testing becomes most important. Testing with a cold barrel probably won't get it.
Greg
