Thinking about a temp gun. For my barrels.

If that is what you want to do then go for it. I can say that I have done plenty of back to back mag dumps on full auto with the M16A1 and back to back mag dumps in burst mode with the M16A2 without ever getting the barrel cherry red or ruining them. I can't say the same about the M60 though. I've ruined a few M60 barrels at Uncle's expense :D
 
I still think using your had to see if your to hot is the best way, unless your mag dumping 20 rounds of more the barrel is most likely to hot to touch anyway. But for slow fire like shooting a small mag in a few minutes it works pretty good. Some barrels I'm not sure will get a accurate reading all the time either. Maybe some of those heat stickers that change color at Certain temps maybe cool to try out.
 
Ill admit i just dont worry about it lol. Ive burned myself a couple times grabbing a gun weve been shooting and touching the barrel....My 28s prone to that actually.

Ive got a couple ir thermometers. Id be happy to send you one if you want, i dont use them for anything anymore.
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
I heat 'em up pretty good when shooting semi-autos. I think this would be handy. Opinions please. Thanks Al,
Amazon.com: Etekcity Infrared Thermometer Upgrade 774, Heat Temperature Temp Gun for Cooking, Laser IR Surface Tool for Pizza, Griddle, Grill, HVAC, Engine, Accessories, -58°F to 842°F, Yellow : Industrial & Scientific
Click to expand...
If it's just to satisfy your curiosity then go for it. Those IR thermometers are handy to have around anyway. What kind of semi auto's are we talking about? You can't shoot a semi auto AR fast enough to damage the barrel (unless, perhaps, it's a very low quality barrel).
 
I have a few of them but have never measured barrel temperatures with them, have used thermal units before though they are not as position sensitive and tell you more, faster about heat, migration, etc.

Armored farmer said:
I never thought of it until now, but it would be good to test the temp of casting pot to get consistent mold fill when casting bullets.
Click to expand...

I have done that and when I did using the one I bought from Granger on molten, skimmed lead, it told me it was barely over room temperature. I stopped trusting them on reflective surfaces that day.

Infrared thermometers have good accuracy when measuring most objects, but shiny, reflective surfaces can be a challenge. You should be especially wary when measuring the temperature of shiny metal objects, but even reflections off of glossy paint can affect accuracy. Putting a piece of non-reflective tape (such as electrical tape) over the shiny surface or applying some flat paint gives you a target from which you can get a better measurement.
Click to expand...

If you are new to them, this is a good read and where the above came from.

https://www.fluke.com/en/learn/blog/temperature/how-to-get-great-results-with-an-infrared-thermometer#:~:text=Infrared thermometers have good accuracy,glossy paint can affect accuracy.
 
There are a million uses for an IR thermometer.
Enough that you ought spend a skosh more and get a kobalt, Ryobi, or a Klein one rather than drop-shipped potential junk.
klein-tools-infrared-thermometer-ir1-e1_145.jpg (Klein IR1, US$34 at Home Despot)
The cheap ones are cheap for having poor lasers, and/or poor displays, either of which will just up and go dead.
A person need not go crazy and drop major cash for a Fluke (which are running around 4 boxes of 9x19 even at the big box stores).

A person's barrel may get uncomfortable to the touch, but the range of possible temps, particularly on a hot day, is generally kind of small.

Now, a person shooting in Arizona, say, where dark finished arms can get to ugly-warm on a sunny day--that might be more informative.
 
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Temperature_Data_/118-473098/

There is damage done every pull of the trigger. A high rate of fire does the most damage.

Note barrel fail temperature in post #9 1600f .

Will be interesting what you come up with.


3.0 TEST RESULTS:
3.1 M16A2 Rifle; The M16A2 was fired continuously using 30
rounds bursts. Shown in table I are the rounds to failure, time
to failure and maximum barrel temperature of the barrel. Muzzle
flash increased and there was a distinct change in the sound of
the weapons firing approximately 30 rounds before the barrel
ruptured. There was also noticeable drooping (about 1 inch at
the muzzle) of the barrel just prior to the barrel rupture. The
barrel ruptured at 491 rounds with an approximately 1
/i
inch hole
in the top of the barrel about 8 inches in front of the chamber.
The barrel was bent approximately 5 degrees and bulged in several
locations along its length (see figures 4, 5, and 6). A plot of
barrel temperature vresus time at each thermocouple location is
shown in figure 7.
Click to expand...
Google - AMSTA-AR-ES-96-2
 
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