Seekins integral.... heatsinks on barrel?

[wacki]

What are the fins on the barrel right in front of the receiver? They look like a heat sink to me:

http://www.seekinsprecision.com/media/c ... side_2.png

http://www.seekinsprecision.com/media/w ... nner-2.jpg

[ncorry]

Looks like a finned barrel to me, which would basically be the same thing as a heat sink.

[whiterussian1974]

Looks like a finned barrel to me, which would basically be the same thing as a heat sink.

Yes. Radiator fins. Works like heatsink in reverse. Transfers heat from barrel to air, rather than soaking up heat.
OP author got the right idea, just slightly different term.

[Will_M]

Looks like a finned barrel to me, which would basically be the same thing as a heat sink.

Yes. Radiator fins. Works like heatsink in reverse. Transfers heat from barrel to air, rather than soaking up heat.
OP author got the right idea, just slightly different term.

Well technically they ARE a heatsink. The point of a heatsink is to absorb heat from a mass, in this case the barrel, and dissipate it. In this case into the atmosphere.

[TROOPER]

Those aren't even remotely uncommon, and frankly, I've wondered in the past why they weren't applied to firearms the way they are RELIGIOUSLY applied to electric RC Helicopter main motors.

I've also wondered if someone could engineer an AR bolt to work the way the Spectre M4 did. Its bolt compressed and blew air between the barrel and barrel shroud to keep it cool through extended strings of fire.

It probably wouldn't be very quiet, but next to an unsuppressed AR, it probably wouldn't add any noticeable noise.

[whiterussian1974]

Looks like a finned barrel to me, which would basically be the same thing as a heat sink.

Yes. Radiator fins. Works like heatsink in reverse. Transfers heat from barrel to air, rather than soaking up heat.
OP author got the right idea, just slightly different term.

Well technically they ARE a heatsink. The point of a heatsink is to absorb heat from a mass, in this case the barrel, and dissipate it. In this case into the atmosphere.

You are entirely correct. Thanks for illuminating me.

Trooper: Rapid fire barreled actions such as MG and SMGs used fins first in a water cooling tube, then transferred to air-cooled barrels, ie: MG34, French and British 1900-1930s designs.
Instead of blowing air along the 'outside' of the bbl I would prefer it cleared the 'interior' like M1Abrams do after firing each rd.
Since it is a low volume/velocity purge, it SHOULD be fairly quiet. Even more so if muzzlebrake or other device.
Maybe a CO2 cartridge or mechanical compressor could blow 2 cu-in air through the boltface prior to cycling the action. The gas piston could compress a bladder that would shoot cool air through the chamber prior to cycling.
1 cu-in = .3^2 * Pi/4 * 15"
So 1 cubic inch of air would purge 15" of barrel length.