OK smart guys....answer this.... - The Firearms Forum

jlloyd73 · 12-09-2012, 06:46 PM

So, a bunch of my buddies came by today and we were shooting all kinds of stuff.

My question is this......two different rounds in particular....

We shot a 416 Rigby a bunch and a 338 Lapua a bunch........right after we shot the guns and ejected the brass you could pick up the brass and it was always cold. The brass never got warm or hot.

I could never get a clear answer from my buddy......he wanted me to figure it out for myself and i just cannot figure it out or find the answer anywhere.

Do any of you know why/how this happens?

WHSmithIV · 12-09-2012, 07:06 PM

What was the temperature outside when you were shooting?

woolleyworm · 12-09-2012, 07:09 PM

Were they handloads? Milder loads often don't get too hot.

jlloyd73 · 12-09-2012, 07:10 PM

maybe pushing the mid to high 60s.

cycloneman · 12-09-2012, 07:10 PM

I have also seen Hornady light mag compressed loads act like that. Extremely clean too.

jlloyd73 · 12-09-2012, 07:12 PM

They were handloads, but they do a mid to high charge in their ammo, so nothing light.

JLA · 12-09-2012, 08:34 PM

The big magnums use slow powders that do not burn nearly as hot as faster powders do. Fire a .300 WM and a .223 next to each other and immediately eject the brass into your hand. the .223 will be a blazing and the WM will be barely warm.

76Highboy · 12-09-2012, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLA

The big magnums use slow powders that do not burn nearly as hot as faster powders do. Fire a .300 WM and a .223 next to each other and immediately eject the brass into your hand. the .223 will be a blazing and the WM will be barely warm.

That is exactly right. The higher the pressure rate the hotter the brass.

WHSmithIV · 12-09-2012, 11:03 PM

Keep in mind also that by the time the brass has ejected and hit the ground it won't be very warm anymore. So, if it takes you 10 seconds before you pick it up it will not be hot. I fire off 3 or 4 clips from my .45, pick up the brass and none of it is even warm to touch - not even the steel casings. Most of the heat follows the bullet out the barrel.

JLA · 12-10-2012, 10:18 PM

Clips?? You shootn a chinese C96 clone?

Jim K · 12-11-2012, 02:13 AM

Brass gets hot, but the heat dissipates pretty quickly if the gun is not being fired rapidly because the steel of the barrel and chamber will absorb the heat. Obviously, if the ambient temperature is cool/cold, the heat of the case will dissipate more rapidly.

But if the gun is fired rapidly (an AR-15 in .416 Rigby?) then the steel doesn't get a chance to cool; in fact it gets hot and stays hot. Not only does it not absorb heat, but it transfers its heat to the cartridge cases, which then become too hot to pick up or, in the extreme, can result in a cookoff.

Jim

12-09-2012, 06:46 PM	#1
jlloyd73 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Contributor Posts: 1,931	OK smart guys....answer this.... So, a bunch of my buddies came by today and we were shooting all kinds of stuff. My question is this......two different rounds in particular.... We shot a 416 Rigby a bunch and a 338 Lapua a bunch........right after we shot the guns and ejected the brass you could pick up the brass and it was always cold. The brass never got warm or hot. I could never get a clear answer from my buddy......he wanted me to figure it out for myself and i just cannot figure it out or find the answer anywhere. Do any of you know why/how this happens? __________________ --------------------------------------------------- The only thing better than good family is good friends. J and D Lloyd Get ready...it's getting "real" and really fast! -->

12-09-2012, 07:06 PM	#2
WHSmithIV Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Moore, Idaho contributor Posts: 2,605	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... What was the temperature outside when you were shooting?

12-09-2012, 07:09 PM	#3
woolleyworm TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SW Fort Worth Contributor Posts: 4,881	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... Were they handloads? Milder loads often don't get too hot. __________________ . What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death? -- (on Sigourney Weaver's worry about Guns in Aliens) "Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands." "I carry a small gun to compensate for my huge Blue press." .

12-09-2012, 07:10 PM	#4
jlloyd73 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Contributor Posts: 1,931	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... maybe pushing the mid to high 60s. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- The only thing better than good family is good friends. J and D Lloyd Get ready...it's getting "real" and really fast!

12-09-2012, 07:10 PM	#5
cycloneman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 7,398	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... I have also seen Hornady light mag compressed loads act like that. Extremely clean too. __________________ Who are you going to serve today?

12-09-2012, 07:12 PM	#6
jlloyd73 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Contributor Posts: 1,931	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... They were handloads, but they do a mid to high charge in their ammo, so nothing light. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- The only thing better than good family is good friends. J and D Lloyd Get ready...it's getting "real" and really fast!

12-09-2012, 08:34 PM	#7
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,305	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... The big magnums use slow powders that do not burn nearly as hot as faster powders do. Fire a .300 WM and a .223 next to each other and immediately eject the brass into your hand. the .223 will be a blazing and the WM will be barely warm. __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

12-09-2012, 11:03 PM	#9
WHSmithIV Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Moore, Idaho contributor Posts: 2,605	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... Keep in mind also that by the time the brass has ejected and hit the ground it won't be very warm anymore. So, if it takes you 10 seconds before you pick it up it will not be hot. I fire off 3 or 4 clips from my .45, pick up the brass and none of it is even warm to touch - not even the steel casings. Most of the heat follows the bullet out the barrel.

12-10-2012, 10:18 PM	#10
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,305	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... Clips?? You shootn a chinese C96 clone? __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

12-11-2012, 02:13 AM	#11
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: OK smart guys....answer this.... Brass gets hot, but the heat dissipates pretty quickly if the gun is not being fired rapidly because the steel of the barrel and chamber will absorb the heat. Obviously, if the ambient temperature is cool/cold, the heat of the case will dissipate more rapidly. But if the gun is fired rapidly (an AR-15 in .416 Rigby?) then the steel doesn't get a chance to cool; in fact it gets hot and stays hot. Not only does it not absorb heat, but it transfers its heat to the cartridge cases, which then become too hot to pick up or, in the extreme, can result in a cookoff. Jim