Suggestion on maintaining new HOWA 1500:heating/cleaning etc

[lionet]

Hello everyone. Just moved up from 22LR to my very first center fire today. Got a HOWA 1500 APC in .223, varmint blue 1:8 rifling. Quite a beauty this one. Shoots 0.8cm group of 5 at 50m despite my flinch at the noise and recoil (I know it's the mildest centerfire but considering my mere experience in 22lr...)

So what I heard is that CF heats up very quickly and shooting when hot decreases barrel life. People talks about holding the barrel by hand to check if it's humanly bearable. But how would one do that with the precision chassis on? And what's the interval you'd recommend? I can do a group of 5 in 1-2 minutes like I would with the 22lr, without seeing any degrade in precision. But would it harm the barrel still?

And for cleaning, I'm told to clean after each session. I think we can all agree on it but to what extent? Some say just patch with solvent, more detailing every now and then. Some say bristle scrubbing every time. Just wonder what every one does here.

Also the bristle brush itself - needs cleaning too?

Cheers

[deanp100]

There is still some barrel sticking out the front, touch that. It will heat up a bit from 5 but that is nothing. The gun is there to be enjoyed so getting it a bit warm is going to make no noticeable difference over it’s life. I wouldn’t go running 20 through it as fast as you can unless you need to , but if it is a working gun then it is meant to work. You will probably never get it hot enough to do any damage unless you are trying to hurt it. If you have a good cleaning regime going again, you won’t hurt it by cleaning it too much. Some people treat them like a new car and keep them clean every time and that’s fine. Others say stuff it , I’ll leave it for a bit and that’s fine too. I clean my centrefires every 50 odd . If I am hunting I clean every trip, regardless of how many I fired.

[lionet]

I touch that bit after 5 and it's only moderately warm. I hope it's not too much hotter near the breech
The gun is almost exclusively a range gun so not too much going out. More like shot after shot on paper. I'll take care not to run 20 in a row in it then.

[deanp100]

It will be fine. If you are target shooting at a range everything tends to be slower and more relaxed. You will love it like your first born, clean it after every outing and rub it with an oily rag every time you look at it and it will love you long time.

[pomemax]

What caliber
did you get it will make a difference how you should clean.
As say a 243 compared to 223.

[Oldbloke]

https://www.ssaa.org.au/stories/hints-t ... rearm.html

[SCJ429]

Does the rifle have a carbon fibre barrel?

Clean your rifle every time you shoot it, even if you only fired one shot.

You use a brush to agitate the crud in your barrel, it is great for cleaning out carbon.

What do you think of the chassis?

[straightshooter]

Hello everyone. Just moved up from 22LR to my very first center fire today. Got a HOWA 1500 APC in varmint blue 1:8 rifling. Quite a beauty this one. Shoots 0.8cm group of 5 at 50m despite my flinch at the noise and recoil (I know it's the mildest centerfire but considering my mere experience in 22lr...)

So what I heard is that CF heats up very quickly and shooting when hot decreases barrel life. People talks about holding the barrel by hand to check if it's humanly bearable. But how would one do that with the precision chassis on? And what's the interval you'd recommend? I can do a group of 5 in 1-2 minutes like I would with the 22lr, without seeing any degrade in precision. But would it harm the barrel still?

And for cleaning, I'm told to clean after each session. I think we can all agree on it but to what extent? Some say just patch with solvent, more detailing every now and then. Some say bristle scrubbing every time. Just wonder what every one does here.

Also the bristle brush itself - needs cleaning too?

Cheers

A few general comments on your post.
Steel properties are fairly stable from ambient up to perhaps 200 degrees c.
So if you can still touch the barrel even briefly (about 50 to 60 degrees c) then there is no concern. However rising temperatures in the barrel exacerbate issues with point of impact changes due to factors such as differential heating and cooling or eccentricity of the bore with the barrel profile.
There seem to be a million or more opinions about barrel cleaning but there is only one correct outcome and that is that the barrel is actually clean. People are free to pretend whatever they like.
Yes it's a good idea to keep a little bottle of turps or kero to rinse your brush and it is more important to rinse a steel core brush (such as Parker Hale) than a brass core brush such as a Hart in order to get a decent useful life from it.

[TassieTiger]

This conflicts a little with what I've been previously told about hot barrels and preserving throats...
I've been told (and I do not honestly have a clue as to the truth) that if you cannot touch the barrel, then do not put another shot down until you can...(my old fingers are worn, so I reckon the barrel temp must be 100% or so).
6 shots in reasonably quick succession when shooting for group re load development, in my lightweight 30-06, and I'm waiting 10 minutes...in my heavier barrel rifles I'm more than doubling that number but having to wait 12-15 minutes.

[straightshooter]

TassieTiger
Stop and think what is happening at the instant of firing and how it affects the lead and throat.
The burning powder gasses are at near plasma temperature (about 2500 degrees c) when they impinge on the steel on the throat but that is only for microseconds.
Whatever heat is applied to the internal surface of the barrel is quickly diffused into the mass of the barrel thereby raising it's temperature a slightly.
So where does the heat in the barrel come from?
Recent thinking has it that a substantial portion of the heat is a result of the massive friction generated when the projectile in a high pressure cartridge obdurates in the throat thus being forced into conforming to the internal dimensions of the barrel.
This may be the source of a significant portion of the observed wear, but it is not the only source.
What that all means is that, within reason, firing in a hot barrel isn't going to consume your barrel significantly faster than in a cold barrel.
BUT what is the point of continued firing if the now hot barrel is pointing in a different direction to where it would if it was cold.

[TassieTiger]

TassieTiger

BUT what is the point of continued firing if the now hot barrel is pointing in a different direction to where it would if it was cold.

Does that imply that if your being a little anal with your shooting, that you should only fire, when a barrel is within a consistent operating temperature window - as the barrel may be pointing ever so slightly else where after 6 or even 3 shots?

[lionet]

What caliber
did you get it will make a difference how you should clean.
As say a 243 compared to 223.

Forgot to mention it is a 223. Think I'll start small. And also I read bad things about 243 being harsh on the barrel. I do want it to last.

[lionet]

A few general comments on your post.
Steel properties are fairly stable from ambient up to perhaps 200 degrees c.
So if you can still touch the barrel even briefly (about 50 to 60 degrees c) then there is no concern. However rising temperatures in the barrel exacerbate issues with point of impact changes due to factors such as differential heating and cooling or eccentricity of the bore with the barrel profile.
There seem to be a million or more opinions about barrel cleaning but there is only one correct outcome and that is that the barrel is actually clean. People are free to pretend whatever they like.
Yes it's a good idea to keep a little bottle of turps or kero to rinse your brush and it is more important to rinse a steel core brush (such as Parker Hale) than a brass core brush such as a Hart in order to get a decent useful life from it.

Thanks. I'll try that turp or kero. The problem with touching the barrel is the cover which is full of holes that wraps around it (don't know the exact name of it), leaving only a bit of the barrel before muzzle. I think the temperature of that bit does not reflect how hot it is back near the chamber.

If the temperature only affect accuracy and not barrel life like you say, I can live with that. I'll just pause if the accuracy drops. So far I've put as many as 8 round in a row without seeing any changes. Above that then my group extends a little bit. But then again I'm fairly new to this calibre. Will keep observing to see if it's the heat or it's me not shooting straight.

[lionet]

Does the rifle have a carbon fibre barrel?

Clean your rifle every time you shoot it, even if you only fired one shot.

You use a brush to agitate the crud in your barrel, it is great for cleaning out carbon.

What do you think of the chassis?

It's a varmint blued threaded 20'.

The chassis looks absolutely handsome. The chassis+gun costs $1295 on a deal. I think it's not bad. Read on the net that the mag release is a pain being in front of the mag, which can be squeezed against a sand bag or something. The guy sold me it told me some people cut it in half to prevent accidental releasing. But during my range sessions I find no problem.

What annoys me more is the magazine not clipping in place. You shove it hard up in the magazine well and it still falls. Gotta put it up, then push a bit to the front to make it stuck. No "clipping" or any sort of feedback to let you know it's firmly on. You gotta try pulling it to make sure. For range that's alright. Take it out hunting and you might lose the mag in the field... but wait, do I want to take a varmint barrel hunting?

[pomemax]

What caliber
did you get it will make a difference how you should clean.
As say a 243 compared to 223.

Forgot to mention it is a 223. Think I'll start small. And also I read bad things about 243 being harsh on the barrel. I do want it to last.

Good idea have you figured out what brand yet I have 3 223 tikka ruger and omark easy to clean just a good bronze or nylon brush and patches 223 its nearly not worth reloading them the cost of ammo $173.40 /PER 200

[flutch]

Can be pedantic if you want, plenty of negative nancies around to scare the wits off you, mine gets cleaned occasionally, I use cheap s**ty factory ammo and it has had a tonne of rounds through it and it shoots clover leafs all day at 100m, don't stress about it, just keep it oiled up and run a brush through every now and then, winter time with my varmint barrel how's takes around 10 shots before I even notice it slightly warming.

[lionet]

What caliber
did you get it will make a difference how you should clean.
As say a 243 compared to 223.

Forgot to mention it is a 223. Think I'll start small. And also I read bad things about 243 being harsh on the barrel. I do want it to last.

Good idea have you figured out what brand yet I have 3 223 tikka ruger and omark easy to clean just a good bronze or nylon brush and patches 223 its nearly not worth reloading them the cost of ammo $173.40 /PER 200

First off with American Eagle - groups like a shotty [Facepalm].

Then Hornady VMAX 60gr and Buffalo Rivers blitzking green tip 55gr. Both very accurate at 0.8mm(1/3inch) at 50 meters.

I think Hornady is on sale at Horsley Park now at $150/200pkt, pretty sweet. I won't be getting into reloading at the moment coz I'm fairly new to the sport and during my safety training course, the tutor showed us a mangled shotgun and told the story of how a mistakenly double-loaded shot shell ruined its shooter. Although what he meant was for us to concentrate when handling firearms, nonetheless traumatised me about that idea...

[deanp100]

Don’t be afraid of reloading. It is a basic concept and a bit of concentration and a few simple checks will avoid all problems.

[lionet]

One day I'll get to that. I'm always open to learning new stuff and I sure as heck will use concentration while doing it. It's just between work and life, it's hard as it is to find shooting time. I've barely got a hundred rounds through my 223 now that a week has past since I got it. So more shooting, less chore the better, for the moment