22 Hornet - hot barrel?

[prosper]

I've tried a few loads for my 77/22H, and so far, stout lil gun loads are the best. 13-ish grains of powder and 45 grain bullets. This is around the max load I've seen published, but that seems more due to case capacity limitations than pressure. The problem I've found though, is that the barrel get HOT really quick. I'm talking 6-10 or so (aimed) rounds, and it's time to put the rifle down for some cool-off time. Not too hot-to-touch hot, mind you, but definitely enough to give it a break. I can put a whole box of ammo through my .204 before it's even warm to the touch. Granted, that's a heavy barrel, but still, I'd expect the Hornet to be a little closer to a rimfire in this regard than it is.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[sunray]

"...I'd expect the Hornet to be a little closer to a rimfire in this regard than it is..." Nope. Any cf uses far more powder than any rf. Barrel heat has to do with the thickness of the barrel too. A thin barrel will get hot much faster than a heavy barrel. Mind you, that's the purpose of a heavy barrel.

 

[Slash5]

I'll check for that the next time I have the Hornet out. I always shoot a 5 shot group, then move on to another rifle so I've never checked.
Reloads with Lil Gun always have much lower pressure numbers than other powders, so I assume that the powder continues to burn in the barrel longer than other usual Hornet powders - less spike, more controlled.

Take a look at this thread on low heat reloads:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27315

 

[dragoon7214]

I load 12.5 gr of Lil gun over 40 gr Nos BT, in a standard Ruger 77/22H. Although it's not a heavy barrel, it doesn't seem to heat up much, whether shooting groups at the range or gophers out in the pasture. Maybe back off a few tenths of a grain, and see how that works. I usually take the bolt out of my rifle to allow better air circulation when shooting at the range (and for safety).

 

[BCWILL]

I shoots 13.2 grains of Lil gun with the 35 Vmax's in my 77/Hornet(standard light barrel)
I can shoot quite abit and Yes the barrel gets Warm...but it takes at least 10-20 rounds before I feel it needs a little Cooling off

 

[david doyle]

10 rounds sounds like a reasonable point to start feeling barrel heat. Does'nt sound like you have an odd occurance.