Barrel too hot??

[justplainbob]

I have a Glock 23 with a stock barrel. Today I was shooting 3 different loads of Bullseye at progressive distances. Temperature outside was 72F with a humidity level of ~60%. After 90 rounds thru the barrel I was out to 36' and could not hit paper. After letting the barrel cool down for 10-15" I tried again and all 3 loads shot well, some grouping better than others. Could it be the barrel got too hot and letting it cool down a bit helped? Something similar happened 2 weeks ago also, but the temperature was 82F with humidity close to 80%.
Thanks for any and all comments.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I don't know about Glock barrels but I do know metal tubing expands more lengthways than radially. Tubing actually expands very little radially but it takes very little to loose accuracy in a barrel so, yes it is very possible.

When you cleaned your gun was the barrel fouled more than usual?

Bullseye, Titegroup and some of the other fast burners are around 40% Nitro so they burn hot.

I leave my Semi-autos cool down every couple mags. You should do the same.

The glock guys with their polygonal barrels are the ones that should be responding to this.

 

[Hondo 60]

One thing to think about...

While it's possible your barrel go too hot, what about the shooter?

Sometimes when I can't hit the broadside of a barn (from inside)
I just put the gun down for a moment, & psych myself.
A couple of slow deep breaths, work my arms & shoulders a bit & try again.
I'm almost always back to my normal self again.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

^^
That could be a lot of it too. While my gun is cooling down, so am I.

 

[LiveLife]

I am thinking more towards shooter fatigue. Even with 70-80Fs ambient temperature, 60-80% humidity could be uncomfortable for many. 10-15 minute break could mean a lot for activities that requires fine motor control and focus.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

You can't get a pistol barrel hot enough to destroy accuracy if you are stopping to reload.

You can shoot too much in one setting to do more harm then good to the shooters concentration and muscle control.

Shooting 50-100 rounds slow fire, and making each shot the best you can make will do more to improve your shooting then burning though 300 rounds and wearing yourself to a frazzle every time you go to the range.

It's a proven fact in bullseye competition circles.

rc

 

[justplainbob]

Thanks for all the replies. Shooter fatigue could possibly explain my problem. It was just the abrupt change in my shooting that bothered me.

Next time at the range I will take a breather every couple of mags and see if that helps.

Thanks again guys for taking the time to respond.

 

[243winxb]

What bullet was used? All loads , same bullet?

 

[justplainbob]

155GR, 165GR and 180GR. All three had different loads of Bullseye.

 

[243winxb]

Jacketed, plated, coated, cast , swaged?

 

[justplainbob]

Berry plated.

 

[243winxb]

Glock 23 with a stock barrel

I would not use plated with a Lee fcd. Plus I would not use plated in a 40 with full pressure loads. To many post on line with problems. Bullet set back is one major problem. imo. I read Glocks don't like lead? Heat is not your problem. Maybe use jacketed bullets or install a different barrel? http://s338.photobucket.com/user/joe1944usa/library/Plated%20VS%20Jacketed%20Bullets I dont own one.

 

[fguffey]

After 90 rounds thru the barrel I was out to 36' and could not hit paper

It takes me several trips to the range to run 90 rounds through one rifle. When trying to find 'what a rifle liked'? Different, but it takes me all day to run high volume though a rifles that heats up fast and cools down slowly. My concern is the first shot.

To keep from getting bored and heating a barrel I always take at least 6 rifles to the range.

F. Guffey

 

[fguffey]

I have a Glock

I don't. I have Rugers etc.. I have extra complete slides, one P-89 slide is set up for 30 Luger. Then there is the DC option.

F. Guffey

 

[LiveLife]

Glock 23 with a stock barrel ... After 90 rounds thru the barrel I was out to 36' and could not hit paper. After letting the barrel cool down for 10-15" I tried again and all 3 loads shot well, some grouping better than others.

Berry's plated ... 155/165/180 GR

Could it be the barrel got too hot and letting it cool down a bit helped? Something similar happened 2 weeks ago also, but the temperature was 82F with humidity close to 80%.

My range sessions typically run several hundred rounds. With various jacketed/plated bullets, I have not seen accuracy deteriorate where I could not hit my targets at 12 yards with my Glocks (G22/G23/G26). I usually run my drills at 10-15 yards and even with shooter fatigue after several hundred rounds, I can place all my shots inside 8.5x11" copy paper targets. If accuracy deteriorated due to shooter, it's usually measurable to few inches at 10/15/25 yards. But I think mechanical accuracy would be maintained at 15 yards even with a hot barrel.

When I shot USPSA matches with two G22 and factory barrels, I used Berry's plated bullets (165/180 gr) for practice (among others). While my practice loads were not as accurate as my match loads with Montana Gold jacketed bullets, they were plenty accurate. Back then, practice sessions would easily use up 500-1000+ rounds as we repeatedly ran duplicate stage setups. Even with some shooters using Titegroup that would heat up the barrel/slide to sizzling levels, loss of accuracy was not noticeable and double taps were comparable at the end of the day.

So I think the loss of accuracy you experienced was shooter fatigue and not due to barrel getting hot.

BTW, if you want to increase accuracy of your 40S&W loads for your Glock, consider loading them longer - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9363753#post9363753

Verifying accuracy of longer 40S&W loads - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9955425#post9955425

 

[Sunray]

"...155GR, 165GR and 180GR. All three had different loads of Bullseye..." That would be part of it. How fast you fired the 90 rounds would matter too.
Find the load, using whatever weight you think best, for what it is you're trying to accomplish, first. Shooting different bullet weights with different loads doesn't tell you much.
10 to 15 minutes after shooting fast doesn't cool the pistol much. Doesn't give your body much rest either.