The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Tactical Rifle & Carbine => Topic started by: billt on July 19, 2016, 08:34:58 AM
-
Shooting AR-15's out here in the Summer really heats up your barrel, with no way to cool it down. About the best I could come up with was bringing one of those cans of "Canned Air" along with me to the range. Then shoot it down the barrel in an attempt to cool it off. It worked OK, and helped, but I could easily go through a can in one range session. Sometimes more. And that got expensive.
When I saw this gadget advertised on the Outdoor Channel's, "Shooting USA" program by Jim Scouten, it looked promising. So I went ahead and ordered one on Amazon. This thing really works well. It comes with rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries built into the unit. It charges up pretty quick with the included charger. And it can run for a couple of hours on a single charge. More than enough for a day at the range on a hot day, (100F+).
With the bolt locked back you simply insert it into the magwell, and turn on the switch. It's designed to blow a forceful stream of air down the chamber, barrel, and into the gas tube. I usually stop shooting when my barrel is too hot to keep my hand on it. Then I just stick the unit in the gun, switch it on, and in about 2 to 3 minutes it's cooled down enough to resume shooting. For guys that live in cooler climates it's not really necessary. But for guys like me who deal with 3 digit Summer temperatures 5 months out of the year, it's a real blessing. For anyone who's interested Amazon is the best place to buy. They had the best price I could find.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B7OYN4Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-
Careful, Bill.
It looks wicked in the picture showing it installed.
If the anti-gunners go crazy over a bayonet lug, this will send them farther off the edge..
-
What did the troops in Iraq use ?
Men have been fighting IE large volume firing in extremely hot environments, as long as there have been guns.
Originally they used water cooling or finned barrels for cooling but quit because performance did not compensate for the weight.
If a full auto M-4 can be reliable in Iraq, or Sudan, or Somalia then there is no reason you should have worse results with a SEMI auto in a similar climate.
If you are having issues beyond burning your hand I would look for things interfering with the natural cooling process of the design, like a heavy barrel holding more heat, or a steel alloy that holds the heat longer, or maybe the ventilating properties of your handguard are flawed.
-
Military combat is entirely different. You basically shoot until 1.) The bad guys give up or are all dead. 2.) You run out of ammunition. 3.) You die. 4.) Your gun stops running, (See #3)...... Which quite a few M-4's have done over the years. As far as barrels, the taxpayers can always pay for more.
In civilian use the cooler you keep a barrel, the longer it will last. Shooting a barrel that is too hot to touch will greatly accelerate wear, and degrade accuracy. Out here in the Summer it's all but impossible to actually "cool off" a barrel once you heat it up. Especially if it's over 100F and you're shooting in direct sunlight. A tool like this can really help keep things cooler than you could otherwise.
I'll admit I'm a little more anal about it than most. For run and gun, or full auto shooters something like this can really help. While I can certainly live without it, it's a nice gadget to have on hand. I just let it run while I refill my magazines, and it really helps keep the barrel cool. It's also nice to cool the gun down before you case it, and head for home. Not so much here, but in Illinois I've cased hot guns in very warm, humid weather, only to find condensation on them after I got home. This helps eliminate that condition.
-
The only time I've purposely cooled barrels on guns was during accuracy/load testing. We had electricity close at hand, so we just used compressed air from a small air compressor.
I can see this item being beneficial at speeding the test process up as well if time is a concern.
-
Ahh, I see your point, especially about buying your own replacements. LOL.
ON a side note, I was just watching one of Ian's video's at Forgotten Weapons where he mentioned that the German's issued 3 spare barrels with the MG 34 (rate about 1000 rounds per minute) the drill was to change barrels every 250 round belt.
-
Don't trap/skeet shooters just stick a water hose in the breech?
At the National Glock Match they have a master level shootoff and use factory supplied guns so everybody's shooting the same hardware. I believe they just drop them in a bucket of water between competitors.
On a less drastic note, I've had a small 5v fan for a number of years that I've used mainly on revolvers and pistols. This device looks cool, but compared to cheap little fans, I think I could rig something up with what I've got. Plus when not cooling the gun, it works on moi. USB powered fans are less than $10.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-xvq76n8/0/M/IMG_5510-M.jpg)
-
Those are all good methods. The problem I have at my range is there are no 110 outlets. They have 110 volt fluorescent lighting above, so it wouldn't be that expensive to install them.
I would like to see Caldwell make an adapter with a piece of surgical hose. that way it would work for bolt actions and pistols as well. With the Lithium Ion batteries, It really blows a forceful stream of air. Most of the Trap shoots I've been to out here in the Summer, shooters wipe their barrels with a cold, wet towel if they are getting a bad mirage from heat. I never did because I was afraid of rust. Hot shotgun barrels are really a lot more prone to heavy plastic fouling from the wads.
-
I'm fortunate in that my club has outlets on every bay on every range.
However, if the fan, such as mine is "USB" (5V) powered, then there are plenty of rechargeable power packs that will run them. I use one such pack for my chronograph. Got it on sale at OfficeMax/Depot for less than $20. 2Ah capacity I think.
Thanks for the reminder. Tomorrow is designated, "Shoot the heck out of my 9mm guns" day at the range, and I'll take the fan. With revolvers it's not the barrel so much as it is the frame area around the crane. Run 200 rounds through in under an hour and it'll burn you when you reload.
-
This is some thing I DO know about for sure.
When I was in Boot Camp the night before rifle inspection the Drill Instructors took GI cans into the shower and filled them with hot tap water we then dunked our M-16's.
The tap water was hot enough to evaporate immediately.
In the reverse, wiping down a hot shotgun barrel, the same thing should happen with no threat of rust.
-
Now don't get me wrong. Caldwell is owned by S&W and I'm a stockholder, 0.00000005%, so yeah anything Caldwell makes.
If they had attachment that let you stick it up most any pistol mag well and one that was a short hose to stick in any barrel, then maybe I could go the $50.
Here's my $10 fan in op at the range with the USB rechargeable battery pack.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-HkPRt9r/0/L/IMG_5542-L.jpg)
-
Alf,
Give me the skinny on that whole USB Battery pack you've got going. Is the fan a USB "plug in type"? What's the deal with the battery pack? How do you recharge it? 110 Volt outlet? What kind of batteries are they, and how long will they run the fan? I've seen chargers that plug into 110V, and have a USB port going "out" of them.
-
If you have anything powered by a USB port, like these little fans, or cell phone chargers or LabRadar, then there are dozens of these "emergency" chargers.
I stumbled on this one at Office Max/Depot just when I needed one for the radar. It was on sale for $20 at the time and has Li-Ion cells inside. It has a 6AH capacity if you don't discharge it too fast. Has two USB ports that can supply either 1A or 2.1A. There also a mini-USB port that is used to charge it from any of the USB wall warts. So anything that will run off a USB wall wart will run off of this battery.
I used it Friday to run the little fan for about 4 hours, no problem. And of course I run the LabRadar with it as well when I take it to the range.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-K6Hmdvc/0/L/DuracellCharger-L.jpg)
Here's the Office Depot link for more details.
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/408211/Duracell-Portable-Power-Bank-With-6000/ (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/408211/Duracell-Portable-Power-Bank-With-6000/)
Here's Duracell's web site. At work we're partial to Pro-Cells, Duracell's pro line, so I tend to prefer them at home as well.
https://www.duracell.com/en-us/products/category/usb-battery-packs (https://www.duracell.com/en-us/products/category/usb-battery-packs)
Other manufacturers make USB solar panels and, especially in your weather, you could run a fan all day and charge multiple cell phones while still have power left over for the evening festivities.
-
Oh and from a prepper standpoint, you do want one of these rechargeable ones, a solar panel to keep it charged and also a recharger that will take alkaline batteries in a pinch.
-
Thanks Alf. I appreciate the info. I'm not up on a lot of this stuff.
-
While I'm at it, do all cell phones require the same power? I have a Motorola Moto G Smart Phone. How do I know I'm not giving it too much power? I know that batteries don't "push current". But is there any way I could damage it using one of these type of battery packs?
-
Not all cell phones have bought into the USB style charging system. If the charging cable is a USB type, socket pictured above, then probably any USB charging battery pack or wall wart, or even a computer port, could be used to keep it charged.
I was a little skeptical of these emergency chargers at first, looking down my nose thinking, "Stupid people If just keep your phone charged in the first place." That was until I was on an extended trip and got caught in DFW for would could have been 2-3 days. I commandeered one of the few pay phones in the place and only used my cell phone for texting until I could get out of there. Now when I travel, I carry one of these in my carry-on bag.
-
Mine has that little trapezoidal port that the phone end plugs into. And the other end plugs into a 110 outlet. I've seen chargers for it that plug into a cigarette lighter. I have a 110 outlet in my new Jeep, but for my truck I'd need the 12 volt cigarette lighter deal. I have no idea what voltage or amperage the phone requires to run.
-
A device you might consider...if you would have another use for it....is a Bio-Lite stove. Several sizes and accessories including lighting arrays.
CampStove
Turn fire into electricity using wood
http://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/biolite-campstove
Also, a tip I happened to see the other day. I found I had been making good emergency tinder for many years now. Clothes dryer lint.
-
Do they make wood burning cell phones? ;D
-
Also, a tip I happened to see the other day. I found I had been making good emergency tinder for many years now. Clothes dryer lint.
In the Boy Scouts, when I was a leader (just so you'll know we're not talking dark ages here) we took the cardboard type of egg cartoons and filled each hole with fluffed drier lint. Then pour wax into each hole, what you got was a waterproof fire starter tablets.
-
Do they make wood burning cell phones? ;D
They might be working on it...
But in the mean time you can charge your cell phone with a wood burning stove. Light your whole campsite the same way.
These stoves are being used in very remote 3rd world areas to bring electricity, lighting and communications to them, albeit on a small scale.
-
Mine has that little trapezoidal port that the phone end plugs into. And the other end plugs into a 110 outlet. I've seen chargers for it that plug into a cigarette lighter. I have a 110 outlet in my new Jeep, but for my truck I'd need the 12 volt cigarette lighter deal. I have no idea what voltage or amperage the phone requires to run.
If it looks like the picture below, you can get a USB cable at most any store from wally world to Dollar General. Pretty much all cell phones will charge via USB. All our phones and Kindles all use the same plug/cord combos.
(https://pinkyelectronic.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/charging-prob.jpg)
-
Thanks Peg, I'll have to pick one up. I should have looked today. I did a coolant drain and flush on my truck this morning, and was at Wal-Mart for antifreeze and distilled water. Oh well, next time.
-
I've noticed that it varies by device manufacturer as to whether the charging cord is one with the wall plug attached or a USB plug with a wall adapter.
-
I've noticed that it varies by device manufacturer as to whether the charging cord is one with the wall plug attached or a USB plug with a wall adapter.
Mine only has the 110 plug on one end, and the phone port on the other. There is no provision for a USB connection. When we are home, we leave them plugged in all the time. If we go anywhere together we usually just take my phone because it has the app. for the house cameras. If my wife goes shopping, she'll take hers. Both phones are recognized by our new Jeep, and will work hands free.
-
We also use the USB cables in the truck as well, instead of a standard car-charger cord. We were in line getting some medication refills and noticed one of these cigarette plug USB units on the counter for $5.
(http://www.premierevapor.com/assets/images/mini_usb_car_charger.jpg)
Walmart has the dual port chargers like Alf posted about for around $13....I might pick one up just because. We go camping at the beach several times per year and while we can charge kindles and phones inside the camper, one of these would allow us to charge with the phone nearby outside.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/12000mAh-Universal-Power-Bank-Backup-External-Battery-Pack-Portable-USB-Charger-Black/41475379
-
MicroCenter is having a sale on an Inland brand rechargeable with over 10Ah of capacity. $15.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/453787/10,400_mAh_Power_Bank_Battery_Charger_-_LED_Flashlight_for_Mobile_Devices_-_Gold (http://www.microcenter.com/product/453787/10,400_mAh_Power_Bank_Battery_Charger_-_LED_Flashlight_for_Mobile_Devices_-_Gold)