Unsafe temperature for barrel?

[Guns R Tools]

Is there certain number that is regarded as good guide line when sustained firing to avoid barrel damage?

Someone said that if the barrel is hot to touch, I guess it varies by individual, it is better to let it cool.

But on some hot days it gets hot just by laying under the sun.

So is there a good number (temperature) to avoid?

Is it different for rifle and handgun?

[Ech0Sierra]

IDK, but I remember a youtube vid where an M249 was fired until the barrel was orange.

[dgey]

The guy who shoots for Springfield, Rob Leatham, has a video in which he shot 1000 rounds out of a 45 acp 1911 in 10 minutes..., he dropped the gun on a table after he did this because it was so hot... world record I believe...

[ar15barrels]

I would try to keep them under 400 degrees.
Much hotter than that and you start fooling with the heat treating.

Remember that it's going to be MUCH hotter inside than outside because steel is not a really good conductor of heat.
If you can't hold it on the outside, it's probably close to 180 degrees.
That means it's a lot hotter inside and it's time to let it cool down some.

[tunder]

If it starts cooking off rounds in the chamber It's probably too hot.

[AJAX22]

IIRC (depending on the alloy) you won't start actually altering the grain structure of the metal seriously untill around 650 degrees.

When things glow orange, they are around 1725 degrees

so... bad things can happen if you get it glowing more than a dull red.

[CRTguns]

I would try to keep them under 400 degrees.
Much hotter than that and you start fooling with the heat treating.

Remember that it's going to be MUCH hotter inside than outside because steel is not a really good conductor of heat.
If you can't hold it on the outside, it's probably close to 180 degrees.
That means it's a lot hotter inside and it's time to let it cool down some.

416 SS, at 600 degrees can lose up to 80% of its tensile strength,and may not return to full strength (it's a sulferized alloy). 400 outside means lots more inside- so yeah, if you have a laser thermometer or surface pyrometer, don't go near 400 on the skin.

[gir007]

well crap, that means I can only do 1 shot for every 5 min or so with my mauser or all of my high cal stuff. I cant touch my barrels after the first shot the barrels hot with ever round.

[Mikeb]

I've got an old gunsmithing book on pdf from Hoffman and he recomends getting rifle barrels hot for stress relief. THe book is probably 80 years old and predates stainless steel. Seems like he liked hanging rifle barrels in a tall kiln and heating them to 700* f ( that is about drawing temp for 4140). He also said that a few rapid fire sessions have a good effect. I would be more concerned with the stock and finish.
take care
Mike

[saki302]

I've seen what happens to well overheated 1919A4 barrels. At one of the shoots, a barrel was shot-out. It was fired with no mercy- about as fast as you can fire a semi. It was already 'bad' from the Israelis who abused it, but not as bad as...

When done, you could drop a pulled bullet in one end, and it would fall out the other (but the gun still shot!).

The inside probably lost the heat treatment and wore out VERY quickly.

-Dave

[ar15barrels]

I've seen what happens to well overheated 1919A4 barrels. At one of the shoots, a barrel was shot-out. It was fired with no mercy- about as fast as you can fire a semi. It was already 'bad' from the Israelis who abused it, but not as bad as...

When done, you could drop a pulled bullet in one end, and it would fall out the other (but the gun still shot!).

The inside probably lost the heat treatment and wore out VERY quickly.

-Dave

It kept working because the chamber was still there to headspace the case.
Only the actual rifling and bore wears significantly.

Also, are you sure that was not an 8mm barrel?
30-06 would function in an 8mm barrel that was headspaced into the receiver for 30-06.