barrel cooling

don marable · Post by **don marable** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 9:55 pm

Hey Shooters:

I am having trouble with barrel heat in Longview, Texas. So what's new? Is there anyway to safely cool down the barrel of a 45-110 in 95 to 100 degree heat? I have heard of one remedy, but it seems risky, so I am fishing for ideas.

Your input will be appreciated.

Don

Gunny · Post by **Gunny** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:00 pm

D.M.

Well it certainly can get hot there in Greg County, I was born and raised not to far from you there in Titus County. However there is heat and there is heat. Almost all of East Texas is cursed or blessed depending on what you are doing at the time with high humidity. There in Longview this time of year the humidity should be between 65% and 100% and it doesn't even seem to matter if it is raining or not. High humidity is a real plus when shooting BP. Dry conditions like we have hear in the High Desert of California with humidity around 8% to 15% will cook the fouling right into the barrel. Your high humidity helps, but only to a degree.

Barrel heat can be a real problem, those big boomers like the 45-110 produce a lot of heat fast. Solutions are tough but you may try and slow down your rate of fire some hopeing this will slow down the heating of the barrel. Also try and keep the barrel shaded when ever possible and when you are not shooting. It is a tough problem and if you actually find a real answer be sure and share it with all of us.

On a side note next month in August down at the convention center there in Longview there is a great old Antique Gun Show, give it a try. Maybe you will be able to use all of that droll you produce to help with the fouling.

Gunny

James M · Post by **James M** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 3:31 am

All you have to do is this:
attach solid-state Varmaraf heat exchangers in clusters of four along the barrel at two inch intervals, alturnating along the flats of the octagon. Connect the exchangers via 4 gauge cable to a the thousand watt full-wave power inverter installed in your truck. Route a foot switch inline with the cable, and your ready to go

don marable · Post by **don marable** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 6:07 am

James M.

My Quigley already exceeds the Silhouette weight limit so I guess I will try your idea for long range and hunting. Could you make me a weight estimate and engineering drawing of your contraption. Upon receiving the drawings and materials list, I will make up a cost analysis of how many gunbearers I need and at what hourly cost. Do you know where to find gun-bearers? This is probably going to be cost prohibitive. Since I started BP shooting in January of this year, my sons think I am determined to pass nothing on to them. In fact, they may be thinking of how much it will cost them to support my habit if I ever quit work.

Don

don marable · Post by **don marable** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 6:30 am

Gunny:

Can you give me the date of the antique gun show in Longview?

Also, I really enjoy your posts. It is obvious that you have spent some time at the range and loading bench. I have about decided that loading bench time is as important as shooting.

I am new the game, but I work out of my home about 70 percent of the time. Since I am 65 years old and all my kids are gone, I am able to keep my loading bench and Quigley in my office. When I take breaks during the day I work on my reloading skills. My shooting has eratically improved. I am able to shoot 10 shots into 2-1/2 inches at 100 yards most days, with seven or eight of the 10 being in a 1-3/4 inch group. The groups are finally round in lieu of vertical or horizontal.

I read your recent post about how the 45-110 is not for beginners. YOU ARE CORRECT. The 45-110 reacts severely to small changes. For instance, small changes in bullet seating depth and primer changes may incrase a 2 inch group to a 10 inch group. My family gave me the Quigley or I probably wouldn't be shooting BP until my retirement. My sons selected the 45-110 because of the Quigley movie. I would have opted for a 45-70, but as we say in Texas "you can't look a gift horse in the mouth."

I live close to Rdnck and get to shoot with him on occasion. He has undoubtly accelerated me a couple of years along the BP learning curve in a few shooting sessions. As I stated earlier, these posts on this forum have also been of immense assistance.

I am having eye surgery for cataract removal the third day of August, and after a couple of weeks of recovery I am hopeful that my eye sight will improve my shooting in a short period of time.

Any way, thanks for your suggestions and keep posting.

Don

RMulhern · Post by **RMulhern** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 7:29 am

Simple! Shoot during latter part of Septermber through April of the next year like I do! Noone but an idiot shoots in temps at 104-110+ degrees!!

wwben47 · Post by **wwben47** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 7:33 am

Gunny..Glad you referred to the high humidity. I had been looking for threads that discussed teh effect of high humidity. Here in South East West Virginia, the average summer humidity is between 80 and 100%..My question is ..When I shoot my first loads..should i shoot without any blowtubing and record the effect?

Gunny · Post by **Gunny** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:33 am

Don,

The gun and Knife show is August 7th a Saturday, try and make it. Lots of cool stuff.

Don my feelings on all of the long 45 cases not being for begineers is pretty much known. However with that said, they damn sure can be made to shoot. The learning curve may be a little longer, but any man willing to put in the time can get the job done. You also have an advantage living there in East Texas so close to one of the proponents of this caliber the "RDNCK". If you are prepared to listen and learn it should not be to difficult at all.

I also would like to clear the air about these big capacity cases. I am a little selfish when it comes to this shooting thing. I want to see all of the different BPCR sports grow and grow a lot. Black Powder Cartridge Rifles have been very good to and for me. I would like to see a lot more folks get some of the benefits I have from these sports. My only complaint with the BIG 45's is this. Most guys that eventually come to the BP sports come from some other shooting discepline. There is a large learning curve in shooting BP and almost all of the skills one learned loading smokeless will not help very much and just may hurt the new BP loader. This new shooter then goes out and buys himself a new rifle, he has watched the movie "Quigley" and maybe "Valdez Is Coming". After seeing these two movies this new to BP shooter is convinced he knows he really "NEEDS" the biggest and baddest caliber there is. His a man and a macho man at that he can handle it. He then reads on here or someother board about how Joe Smo shooting his 45- something with a 100 behind it is shooting groups of 2 to 5 inches at some riducilous distance like 800 to 1000 yds, and Joe Smo is doing this all of the time. Mr. New Shooter then takes his brand new in the box 45-100 or 45-110 or maybe even 45-120 and his freshly loaded bullets out to the local range, sets out a target at 100 yds and procedes to blast away. Hell it takes him 25 or 30 shots just to find the paper, and when he does finally find paper his groups look a hell of a more like patterns than groups. He gets through gathers his target with its 15 inch pattern ( and that was only a two shot group) and takes his bruised ego not to mention his bruised shoulder home and soakes in the tub. After Mr. New Shooter does this a couple of times he is so discouraged that the new rifle goes in the closet and stay there. He goes back to shooting Trap or smokeless and WE ALL have lost this new shooter, he is done. Once some folks get the hell beat out of them. and can't hit the ground with there hat, we have loast them. And folks that is a loss none of us can afford.

There is nothing wrong with the big 45's. I believe that in the right hands they can be fun and very accurate. But they are not for new shooters!!!

wwben 47,
Humidity does make shooting BP a little better, read that a little better. Now 80% humidity is a lot better than 15% humidity. The fouling is not quite as hard and you "may" not have to use the blow tube as much---maybe. But no matter the humidity you will still need to use the tube. However you certainly can experiment a little, and maybe you will really learn about how important blow tubing is if you try and shoot a little without one for a few shots. If you do that do record the effect and let us know your results.

Gunny

wwben47 · Post by **wwben47** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:39 pm

Gunny I will do that...I appreciate the tip..but appreciate the encouragement and info from yourself and others even more. Around here days when the humidity gets under 80% is like outside air-conditioning..The rest of the time we just kinda slog along lookin wilted.

JAGG · Post by **JAGG** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:38 am

D M ! Water is the answer ! You can also take that now hot barrel and run a stick of Beeswax all over the hot barrel and let it cool down and soak up the wax ! Latter you can put a damp cloth over the barrel to cool it as the wax will protect it ! Then damp patch the inside of the barrel and dry for the next shot ! I keep on hearing about these wonder- Bullet lubes that let you shoot 60 rounds without wiping , but they just don't work for me with a little 45/70 ! JAGG

Matthew_Q · Post by **Matthew_Q** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:22 pm

I just shot my rifle this weekend, being kinda hot here in Texas, even in the shade, the barrel got hot and stayed hot.

I had an idea for a barrel cooling device, so I think I'm gonna have to get some parts and whip something up, then give her a test. If it works well, I might have to patent the sucker and sell it!

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:26 pm

Probably a water jacke--a la Browning, Vickers, & Maxim-- would work but I don't think that it would be in the Spirit of the Times....

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 3:23 pm

Last year at KW's shoot in WY, I saw Jim Terry, who I believe was shooting a .45-110, use a strip of deer hide that had been soaked in water and then laid down the length of the barrel from front sight to receiver. He was just trying it, and stated that it worked great.

Whether this is legal in competition, I have no idea, but is worth examining. Randy

JAGG · Post by **JAGG** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:40 pm

Remember those old seltzer water bottles the 3 STOOGES used to use ? Think about it maybe just one squirt or 2 will work ! I bet Billy Dixon would of used one if he had it ! I remember it was a movie with shooters for money with Ben Johbson and Sam Elliot shooting in a match and they used a bucket of water and stuck the muzzles of their hot rifles in them to cool down ! Any body want to stick their Shiloh in a bucket of water like it was done in the old days ? JAGG

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:46 pm

Awhile back on one of the boards, there was a discussion about someone re-creating the “Fisher Bore Cleaner Brush” for BPCR. Can anyone recall that thread?

IIC, it was a copy of the original, a popular accoutrement during the original BPCR era.

Like the original, it had a brush & series of flexible washers on a rod . The Shooter placed the brush in a can of water, then pushed it thru the bore, & the flexible washers squeegeed the bore dry.