Hot can (after rapid fire 250 rounds of .22LR)

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Odd Job

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The thing about having 10 magazines (25 rounders) for my Rimfire Magic rifle (a 10/22 variant) is that I can get through 250 rounds very quickly. The last two range sessions I have been doing that, during the ongoing testing of my A-TEC CMM4(6) suppressor.
You can check the link in my signature for details of that testing.

Anyway, last Sunday it reached 26,000 rounds. I photographed the end cap earlier today and when I checked the image closely I saw what looks like molten lead on the rim.

I must confess I was firing quite fast and got through 250 rounds in a matter of minutes. The suppressor was too hot to handle and so was the breech end of the barrel (the rest of the barrel has a carbon fibre sleeve, since it is a Volquartsen).

I thought you would find the image interesting...
 

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Is there any chance that the high heat would melt some of the deposited lead and push it out the endcap? I remember you mentioning that the can you were testing at one point (maybe the same one?) was gaining weight.
 
That is a definite possibility (this is the same suppressor). I will take a close look at the latest radiographs and see if there are any clues about where the lead came from.
 
At 25000 rounds there was no molten lead on the exit hole of the suppressor. I only started getting the suppressor really hot at 25500 and 26000 rounds respectively, so that fits in with the end cap appearances. At 25500 and 26000 there is evidence of molten lead.

I have put the last three radiographs on one pane, looking for any clues. Note that the suppressor has picked up weight all along:

0HYcw6x.jpg

If there was large scale melting going on I would expect to see some smoothing of the edges of the high density deposits, when comparing one radiograph to the next, especially 25000 vs 25500. I don't see any obvious evidence of this.
This doesn't mean the molten lead didn't come from a previous deposit. The can is mostly opaque now from all the deposits, so it is possible that the lead has migrated from a baffle surface that is being concealed by residue coatings surrounding it. If that's the case, the radiograph will not detect the small density difference between the two areas.
 
Leave it to you to get a .22 LR can too hot to touch! Lol.

Probably never be able to get it this hot, though!


I haven't gotten my can that hot , I've had it glowing ... but I don't live where suppressors are cheap!

Ares-M16.mp4


This is my M16 with an Ares Defense beltfed upper & YHM Ti suppressor, I've also got a CMMG 22LR upper with the M16 kit, it's the only time I've had my 22 suppressor "to hot to handle" ;)
 

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Yep you need a lot of mags to get a .22 can hot. Or auto, which sadly we can't have here in the UK.
I saw some videos of an American 180, the .22 with the drum mag on the receiver.
Me wants!
 
WOW. If they were only eighty bucks (pounds) here, I'd have one for every firearm. Perhaps by the time failure happens the suppressor will be eighty pounds (lbs) too!

Molten lead means vaporized lead. I hope your range has good ventilation.

I really enjoy your posts. I wish I had the time to shoot twenty six thousand rounds!
Great stuff, @Odd Job. Carry on.:thumbup:
 
Thanks, I just put another 500 rounds through it and 500 last week so it now stands at 27k.

This time I checked to see exactly when the can got too hot to handle. From cold it was after the ninth magazine of 25 rounds.

The can cooled down whilst I reloaded those ten magazines. It wasn't down to cold though, so it got too hot to handle after the eighth magazine this time.

Indoors we have good ventilation but to be honest I think the bulk of my lead exposure comes from residues escaping from the action. I'm due another lead serum test in November and if it is elevated I'll post the numbers in another thread.
 
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