JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
211
Reactions
353
For anyone who wants a relatively brief, accurate, and easily-understood summary of the current state of barrel manufacturing technology and processes, this will be interesting to you. It's a video that InRange TV did where they interviewed Nathan from Faxon Firearms. None of this is new info, but there's a lot of misinformation out there, and it can be hard to sift the wheat from the chaff. Here, they explain barrel manufacturing accurately and explain it well. Enjoy!

 
When I was still working at the sporting goods store this was the second debate talked about next to 9mm vs. 45.

Especially with the new folks to the AR world who spent hours looking at all the data on the forums.

It's good info.
 
bizzaro tin hats.gif
 
The guy was not clear about throat erosion. And was a bit contradictory about several things.
On one hand he said chrome did a better job with extreme heat. But he also said super fast rounds could benefit from the extra lubricity from nitrite coating?
Dose he not know what causes throat erosion?

Then he said M855 ammo required chrome per the army and it's probably better. [18-20 min in]
But later said if he had a AR carbine he would go with nitrite?

And worst of all. Near the end. He said WWII sniper guns were 3 MOA Rifles? [He really kind of looked down his nose at old technology.]
When a good star gauged 03 is easily a sub 1'' gun.

It may be that he is not much of a gun guy. But thinks since he makes barrels he knows more than he dose.

I don't know. But overall. I did enjoyed it. Thanks for the post.
But I will stick with chrome.


Tinfoil hat please! :s0108:
 
On one hand he said chrome did a better job with extreme heat. But he also said super fast rounds could benefit from the extra lubricity from nitrite coating?
Dose he not know what causes throat erosion?

How I understood that was that a belt-fed machine gun's barrel is subjected to higher and more-prolonged heat than a semi-auto rifle, even when a high-velocity cartridge is fired rapidly (much less a bolt action rifle). Chrome handles this higher and more-prolonged heat better because it can be above a critical temperature for a nitrided barrel. Whereas even though high-velocity rounds generate more heat and cause more wear than lower-velocity rounds, this heat is lower than nitriding's critical temperature.

Then he said M855 ammo required chrome per the army and it's probably better.
But later said if he had a AR carbine he would go with nitrite?

I believe he was talking about M855A1, not M855.

He said WWII sniper guns were 3 MOA Rifles?

I don't think his point was that you, personally, are wrong to like the '03. I think his point was that rifle barrels have become more accurate, and more consistently so, barrel to barrel, as manufacturing technology has improved.
 
What I picked up out of the vid is there is no such thing as a perfect process for every application. I know what I have written below is a basic over view of the movie but it is how I explained it to customers at the shop.

With heavy full auto fire the chrome lining is at this time a better process for throat wear and heat at least on infantry weapons as it is harder than the original material. 600 to 900 rounds per minute full auto can produce a lot of heat and with very little to no cool down time between shots the chrome being harder and with a higher melting point keeps the barrel for coming apart as quick as a non chrome barrel.

The drawback is unless you hand lap the barrel first the chrome is put over any imperfections from the manufacturing process and those imperfections will remain that way forever and also by just doing the chroming process itself it can add imperfections in the barrel. This is the reason for the accuracy issues some complain about.

With nitride it is a process somewhat like anodizing on an aluminum receiver it makes it harder than the base medal but unlike anodizing it is not a coating but a true chemical reaction to harden the barrel but it is still the original barrel so as you shoot over time it can smooth out some of the imperfections making it more accurate and the hardening will make it last longer than a non treated barrel. So you get improved life and better accuracy over a non Nitride barrel.

Nitride makes the base metal harder but does not change the base materials heat range, it still has a lower melting point than chrome and it is still is not as hard as chrome so you put it under full auto conditions and it will melt down and were out faster than a chrome lined barrel.

Why one over the other:

Well in the civilian world where the average shooter will never shoot full auto or even a thousand rounds in the guns life time so why spend between 100 to 200 more for a chrome lined barrel (on factory built guns) on average when you lose some accuracy and they will never shoot it out in their or their kid's life. That money can go for a nice red dot or 1x4 scope, something they will get true use out of.
 
Years ago we were taught that the barrel had to be perfect in every way before chroming. That and the pesky requirement that about one half, (0.0005) to one thousandths, (0.001) of one inch had to be removed from the critical dimensions BEFORE chroming. Seems the chrome adds material to the finished specifications. Usually acid etched back in the day? I dunno about today.

But sometimes material was NOT removed. Resulted in slightly over sized parts. Occasionally with tolerance stacking certain combinations of build parts went together very sweetly. Tight. Perfect. But only once in a while. Usually it did not seem to make a difference. Specifically speaking here of bolt and carrier parts. Made for a sweet precise build. Long ago and far away. :)
 
Part 2 of the interview is up:

In this one they cover barrel profiles, fluting, and add a bit more about nitriding.

One curious thing I've heard about fluting from Precision Rifle Blog is that both Shilen and Accuracy International have found that as a fluted barrel heats up, its POI drift is less predictable than with a non-fluted barrel. Apparently, AI rigged a rifle with several lasers – one co-aligned with the scope, one on co-aligned with the receiver, and one co-aligned with the barrel – so they could accurately track this as the barrel heated up. To me, this seems like an issue with the material – like stress-relief or uniformity of dimensions – rather than an inherent attribute of fluting.
 

Upcoming Events

Oregon Arms Collectors March Gun Show
Portland, OR
Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top