Last month I picked up a new M&P 15 Sport. I've only had the opportunity to run through a couple of 30 round mags but noticed that the barrel heats up rather quickly.

Since prices have come way down lately, I was able to pick up a lefty SlideFire for $135 that showed up at my door yesterday.

For obvious reasons, one of my first objectives will be to burn through a 30 round mag all at once - just for the hell of it.

However, I don't want burn up the barrel on my brand new rifle.

I've read the barrel heat thread downpage which has me a little concerned.

I'm thinking that after burning up a mag I should practice with my other guns and let the barrel cool down to "hand touchable" before using the SlideFire again.

Just curious what others with a SlideFire (or not) would recommend so that I don't kill the barrel.

The fastest you shoot the faster you wear the parts, including barrel. You can let it cool but wear is still wear. Doing 30 rounds shouldn't make much if any difference. Doing this constantly with 100s of rounds then you you will see wear faster

Using the terms "SlideFire" and "practice" in the same sentence is by definition an oxymoron.

There is a bit of a cool factor with the Slidefire, but when all is said and done and the cool factor wears off, all you're doing is burning up your ammo budget and your rifle. AR's and barrel heat go hand in hand, it's just the nature of the beast. This is in part why the Military moved away from full auto M16's and opted for rifles with the 3 round burst feature.

Enjoy your new toy, but remember, a degree of common sense in its use will keep your Sport running reliably for a good long time. Good Luck and good shooting.

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SFC, US Army, Retired

Yeah, I know it's just a novelty item and ammo burner. That's why I didn't buy one until the price came down.

I also bought a recoil enhancer for my 15-22. Hopefully it'll work on that too without having to buy a lighter trigger.

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15 Sport,15-22,9Shield,22Comp

Bullet Cost X 30= Dollars Have fun. Don

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

Mag dumps are bad for the barrel so I wouldn't make them something you do too often. No doubt, it'll be fun though.