I've got a Chilean M1895 Mauser in 7x57 that I took out shooting for the first time yesterday.  I had two boxes of ammunition (Winchester 145gr SP and S&B 173gr SP) and was just wanting to get a feel for how the rifle shoots.

My brother and I spent 60-90 minutes putting those 40 rounds downrange.  At the end of the session the barrel was extremely hot.  My brother actually burned his hand on the rear sight towards the end of the session and the handguard had oil leeching out of it from the barrel heat.

I was very surprised by the amount of heat generated by 40rds of ammunition.  Is this normal?  If not, where should I start troubleshooting?

Thanks!

It's not hot until you get cosmoline bubbling out of the top of the stock.  Then it's hot.  Try putting a whole 70 round bandolier through yours, rapid fire--the shot patterns are really interesting as the barrel heats up.  Mine shoots high and left every time the barrel gets hot.  What a great way to clean the cosmoline out of a gun!  Just shoot it until the cosmoline starts to boil and it will be much easier to remove.  

;)

Seriously--your experience is pretty ordinary.  Thin barrel, not free floated at all, conducts alot of heat from a very high powered round through to the stock.  Aren't you glad you didn't sign up for the Africa Korps in 1941?

Thanks for the info.

Now you've gone and got me wanting a couple of those $50 C&R 8mm Mausers so I can get in on the dirt cheap ammo.  Wonder how hot it'll get with 350rds getting pumped through it in a single session?  

Quoted: Thanks for the info. Now you've gone and got me wanting a couple of those $50 C&R 8mm Mausers so I can get in on the dirt cheap ammo.  Wonder how hot it'll get with 350rds getting pumped through it in a single session?

The question is not how hot it will get, but how much punishment can you endure.  I shot a full bandolier through mine when I first bought it.  My shoulder was not right for two weeks after. I can tolerate maybe 40 rounds or so, 20 before serious flinch sets in.

I have a Yugo M48 Mauser, chambered in 8mm, and I have similar experiences with my barrel heating up.  While it may be "warm" after 20-30 rounds, that is only the pieces directly attached near the end of the barrel.

After I shoot a 70 round bandolier through it (with agin 1954 ecuador ammo, fairly hot loads I believe), anything that is metal gets very hot to the touch.  After about 110 rounds, anything you touch metal, aside from the bolt and the stock, will pretty much guarantee a burn, and the stock is fairly warm too.

The most I have ever put through it at onetime, was probably 110 in about 30 minutes, and then I let it sit for about 45 minutes because the heating was causing ammo feed problems...

My shot patterns go high and to the right after a lot of heat on the barrel...

It's not hot until both your hands and the stock are dripping with sweat, so don't worry about it.

My friend has a Mauser that his grandpa is loaning him. He said after a 70rd bandolier you would get burned to the touch...it didn't heat up as much but still a lot after he cleaned the bore really well (his grandpa never cleaned it...and to think it has Nazi proofs with all matching numbers ).