cool down before putting away?

[ekkthree]

what's the word on letting your barrel cool down before tossing back in the rifle bag?
it can get quite hot and obviously the weather doesn't help with it hovering in the 90-100 range so even if i were just kill time, it wouldn't cool down much anyway. alternatively, when i put it in the rifle bag, all that padding essentially acts as insulation so i imagine all the heat would just stay in the bag and warm up the scope.

typically, i move to the rimfire area of the range where i finish off the day with some 22 plinking so it can get tiresome to just sit around at the other side of the range doing nothing.

[Spyder]

Not unless the barrel is so hot it will light the bag on fire.

[strakill]

Don't overthink it. Unless you're doing 300 round mag dumps you'll be fine.

[Calif Hunter]

I don't let mine get so hot that they don't cool off i9n a few minutes, even here in the desert in the shade of the shooting area. (Not cool to the touch but just barely warm when I put them back in the case. By the time I get the other guns packed up, my rest/bags, ammo, spotting scope, etc, the gun is cool enough. I don't like putting a gun barrel in he case if it is too hot to hold onto for several seconds. Hot rounds like .22-250, .257 Wthby, etc can get hot in just a few rounds.

[JackEllis]

Your barrel has to be way too hot to touch (as in close to red hot) before the heat will cause permanent changes in the shape or the properties of the steel.

[Divernhunter]

I prefer to let my rifles/pistols cool so that they are not too hot to hold the barrel in my hand.
As far as the scope is concerned---If you get a quality(or almost quality) scope that heat will not hunt it.

[BigFatGuy]

as long as the bag doesn't scorch or smoke, I'm good.

[mtenenhaus]

It has been hot lately.

I always bring a cleaning rod with me to the range (along with some minor tools, cleaning supplies and bandaids just in case).

At the end of the session, i run a bore mop moistened in CLP down the barrel and let it sit while i clean up my station, retrieve brass and target etc. By that time the rifle has always been cool enough to secure away.

Plus it makes it really easy to clean by the time i get home.

[BarrettM99]

I wouldn’t worry about it if it’s just a regular range session.

[kendog4570]

Putting a hot rifle in a synthetic case can cause it to 'sweat' in certain conditions, like in the trunk of a car. Moisture can condense on the metal like a glass of ice water on a hot day. If you have to sack it up while it is warm, leave the case open to breathe.
Doesn't always happen, but you dont want to learn it the hard way. I did.

[JackEllis]

Putting a hot rifle in a synthetic case can cause it to 'sweat' in certain conditions, like in the trunk of a car. Moisture can condense on the metal like a glass of ice water on a hot day. If you have to sack it up while it is warm, leave the case open to breathe.
Doesn't always happen, but you dont want to learn it the hard way. I did.

I don't get this. Heat will drive moisture out. Cooling will cause condensation, but for that to happen, the item in question has to cool below the dew point of the surrounding air.

In the case of a glass of ice water, condensation occurs because the melting ice causes the temperature of the glass to fall below the dew point. In the case of a "hot" rifle barrel, it's never going to get cooler than the surrounding air. If you put it in a very cold cloth case, you *might* get some condensation, but it's unlikely.

I don't doubt that you saw some corrosion, but there's something else going on.

[kendog4570]

I don't get this. Heat will drive moisture out. Cooling will cause condensation, but for that to happen, the item in question has to cool below the dew point of the surrounding air.

In the case of a glass of ice water, condensation occurs because the melting ice causes the temperature of the glass to fall below the dew point. In the case of a "hot" rifle barrel, it's never going to get cooler than the surrounding air. If you put it in a very cold cloth case, you *might* get some condensation, but it's unlikely.

I don't doubt that you saw some corrosion, but there's something else going on.

Probably. Ben many years, and the memory is fuzzy. Since that time I do try to avoid plastic or vinyl cases.

[Divernhunter]

I might add that traveling in Ca with an open case may just be illegal. I do know the rifle/shotgun case does not need to be locked like a pistol case---unless you go within a certain distance from a school---but open to vent just may get you in trouble if you are stopped.

Like I said before it will not hurt the rifle and a quality optic.

[19K]

if you can touch it without burning you and causing a blister, you are fine.

If it wont melt plastic, you are fine.

[BOBGBA]

... In the case of a "hot" rifle barrel, it's never going to get cooler than the surrounding air. If you put it in a very cold cloth case, you *might* get some condensation, but it's unlikely.

I don't doubt that you saw some corrosion, but there's something else going on.

What if you were shooting in a very cold climate?
Why doe water condense on my car? Couldn't the same thing happen to a gun left in the trunk overnite?