High rate fire can make a barrel very hot, even glow in low light, soften rather than melt. That's why many heavy machine guns are water-cooled and good light machine guns have quick-change barrels. A hot barrel will erode quickly from the combustion gasses, resulting in loss of accuracy and muzzle velocity.
The M-16/AR-15 use direct impingement where some combustion gas from the barrel is piped directly to the bolt carrier; this is what pushes the bolt carrier back to cycle the action after each shot (eject the spent shell casing and load the next round). As a consequence, the bolt carrier will also get hot and dirty, which can cause a jam, especially if it is not kept well lubricated. Still, most jams are magazine-related; high-capacity (greater than 30-40 rounds) AR magazines are not reliable. > -----Original Message----- > From: Mountain Man via Mercedes > Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 11:43 AM > ... > > Does high rate continuous shooting tend to melt the barrel? > tin.man _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
