Moderators and heat

[TomH]

I am thinking of getting a moderator for my varmint barreled Remington 700 in 308. A fellow club member let me try his heavy barrelled Howa 308 with and without a Wildcat Predator 8 and I certainly noticed a difference in recoil and the ability to watch the impact on target. Howver after four fairly rapid shots heat haze was apparent in the scope. It wasn't a particularly warm day. I do like more dynamic type shooting and don't want to buy something that might be unsuitable for certain courses of fire if I did those at a later date.

Now questions. Are all reflex type moderators virtually the same as regards heat haze. If I bought a Predator 8 with a longer tube length would it heat up less? Buy a moderator sleeve to sort haze?

I like the idea of Predators in terms of cost and adaptability if I bought another rifle. Plus they are relatively cheap compared to some on the market made of unobtaineum.

Your thoughts and experiences please folks.

[kennyc]

its the nature of the beast, I have both reflex and muzzle mods, both types will get hot with repeated shots, about the only way to stop the heat shimmer is to fit a moderator jacket, although that can lead to overheating with the wrong mod

[WelshShooter]

I have a wildcat evo on my heavy barreled 223 rifle. I also have a heat jacket sold by wildcat. It does indeed reduce the haze, but after a while when it heats up the jacket will not prevent any further haze from your view. Also, it will retain more heat when its hot, which will increase the time for it to cool down.

Your best bet with reflex moderators is to allow the mod to cool down when you notice the have starting to build up. The muzzle type moderators like ase utra are better in this regard because you don't trap barrel heat within the moderator. I've not used one of these so I cannot compare it directly with my wildcat, but the physics aren't wrong.

[kennyc]

I have a wildcat evo on my heavy barreled 223 rifle. I also have a heat jacket sold by wildcat. It does indeed reduce the haze, but after a while when it heats up the jacket will not prevent any further haze from your view. Also, it will retain more heat when its hot, which will increase the time for it to cool down.

Your best bet with reflex moderators is to allow the mod to cool down when you notice the have starting to build up. The muzzle type moderators like ase utra are better in this regard because you don't trap barrel heat within the moderator. I've not used one of these so I cannot compare it directly with my wildcat, but the physics aren't wrong.

I have both and the Ase Utra gets just as hot after 6-7 .308 rounds, don't forget they are made of steel and are considerably heavier than the Evos so hold the heat longer .

[TomH]

Any evidence that the trapped heat of reflex moderators increases barrel wear compared with muzzle types?

[Lancs_Oakley]

http://www.zircotec.com/zircoflex/

[Oddbod]

I've a dedicated cover on my stainless steel, brake mounted .243 moderator & a home made one on the .22 moderator.
Both work, though I'd not want to be putting too many rounds through the former in quick succession in any case, due to barrel heating.

[Blackstuff]

If you want a moderator that is designed to cope with rapid fire well you'll need to pay for it and you'll be talking £400+

[kennyc]

If you want a moderator that is designed to cope with rapid fire well you'll need to pay for it and you'll be talking £400+

my ASE will cope very well with rapid fire, see the YouTube video of one fitted to a Gimpey , however the issue here is the heat haze

[ovenpaa]

If you want a moderator that is designed to cope with rapid fire well you'll need to pay for it and you'll be talking £400+

+1



I can take 20 shots with my 6,5x47 Accuracy International and unscrew the moderator by hand without fear of burning myself. Downside is it weighs around 1.2kg (Stainless and aluminium construction)