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April 9th, 2011, 10:03 AM
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#1 | | Master Gunner
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Land of the big PX
Posts: 843
| chrome lined or not
Should a barrel be chrome lined? What are the pros and cons? Is a match barrel that is chrome just a thicker chrome lined barrel?
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April 9th, 2011, 11:02 AM
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#2 | | Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,492
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Chrome lined barrels are military standard. They are designed to keep wear down, and increse lubricity.
I have read that match bbls are not.
If you are looking for a correct miltary rifle then Chrome lined bbls should be used. M14 on forward. M14 was the first to incorporatre the chromed bbl.
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April 9th, 2011, 11:45 AM
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#3 | | Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: NW
Posts: 35
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I was talking with a buddy and I think he had said that if you're not shooting corrosive ammo it's not as important that it be chrome lined as the wear isn't as bad. Is this true or did he have it wrong?
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April 9th, 2011, 11:49 AM
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#4 | | Old Salt
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MN
Posts: 1,246
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for the best accuracy, non chromed is best, for longer life span, chrome is a better option.
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April 9th, 2011, 11:56 AM
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#5 | | Scout Sniper
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: north carolina
Posts: 789
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Lex_Ordo  Chrome lined barrels are military standard. They are designed to keep wear down, and increse lubricity.
I have read that match bbls are not.
If you are looking for a correct miltary rifle then Chrome lined bbls should be used. M14 on forward. M14 was the first to incorporatre the chromed bbl. | The WWII Jap 7.7 Arisaka had a chrome lined barrel. This is the earliest use of chrome lining that i am aware of.
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April 9th, 2011, 11:58 AM
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#6 | | Old Salt
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dixie
Posts: 1,842
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It depends on what you want and only you can decide...
Do you want perhaps a smidge more in the way of accuracy or do you require several times the barrel longevity a chrome lined bore and chamber provide over a chrome molly barrel??? For me this was the reason I got rid of a sweet N/M Mauntz back in 94 inorder to obtain a SAI rack grade with a chrome lined USGI Winchester barrel.
7th
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April 9th, 2011, 01:12 PM
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#7 | | Master Gunner
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Land of the big PX
Posts: 843
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I always thought the mosin nagant was the first chrome lined military rifle barrel. of course I may be wrong.
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April 9th, 2011, 01:24 PM
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#8 | | Scout Sniper
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: north carolina
Posts: 789
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Boom Stick I always thought the mosin nagant was the first chrome lined military rifle barrel. of course I may be wrong. | I have owned several MN's over the years and none of them had chrome lined barrels.
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April 9th, 2011, 04:13 PM
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#9 | | Master Gunner
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Land of the big PX
Posts: 843
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Thanks for the correction. I thought I watched a show once that said the Mosin was the first chrome lined barrel. Figures I was wrong!
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April 9th, 2011, 04:16 PM
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#10 | | Master Gunner
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Land of the big PX
Posts: 843
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Let's take a chrome-moly match barrel (your garden variety kind) and a chrome lined barrel for the ar15. Just to throw a number out there disregarding all of the variables that can come into play. How many rounds would you have to fire through each one respectively before it was unserviceable?
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April 9th, 2011, 05:11 PM
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#11 | | Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Central New York
Posts: 1,651
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Bottom line,,I would say "Thousands" of rounds from each !!! The Biggest factor would be the frequency in which you fire those rounds !! If you fire multiple Mags fast,, versus a few mags here & there,,& then let the BBL cool,,,the BBL that you let cool,,or should I say,,not get boiling hot each time ya hit the range,,,that one BBL will last longer that the other BBL that you get Super Hot each time you hit the range !! Heat is the BIGGEST factor in BBL wear and longevity I believe !! I know most NM highly accurate BBLs are not Chrome Lined,,but I know some of my Standard GI Profile M4 BBLs that are Chrome Lined are very accurate !! Its a tough call I would say !! Its just a hard Number to nail down I feel !!  I know there is a Video out there that shows a M4 with Mag after Mag put through it (Full Auto) and it finally melts the Gas Tube and the Rifle reverts to a Single shot,,the BBL is Red/White Hot,,I'm sure after that episode the Chrome Lined BBL was junk,,,I forget the number of mags put through it,,,but I think it was less than a Thousand rounds,,pretty cool vid !!! I'll try and find it !!
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April 9th, 2011, 06:49 PM
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#12 | | Designated Marksman
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Yuma, AZ
Posts: 557
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Several years ago, SHOOTING TIMES magazine did a torture test on a Colt AR-15 with a chrome-lined bore. While I don't recall all of the particulars, I do remember that they fired 10K rounds of one type ammo, essentially as fast as they could switch magazines. They had a bunch of mags and a number of 'loaders' and shooters.
When they finished, the rifle actually shot tighter groups than it did when they began - but not with the same ammo! The rifle would keyhole the test ammo, because the throat was badly eroded at the spot where that particular bullet sat in the throat. A longer bullet shot very well, indeed!
I would guesstimate that a chrome-lined AR-15 barrel is easily good for 10,000 rounds of combat (or plinking) accuracy, so long as it isn't grossly overheated. It probably won't still hold the 600-yard X-ring, but it should keep them in the black.
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April 10th, 2011, 02:32 AM
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#13 | | Old Salt
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: PNW
Posts: 1,833
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It is indeed dependent on what you want to do with the rifle. I built a 20" AR for varmint shooting last year and went with a match chrome-moly barrel because I wanted to squeak the nth amount of accuracy out of it. However the previous 16" carbines that I built were all with chrome lined barrels because those were CQB type rifles that could possibly see many rounds without any cleaning.
I also looked at stainless barrels which I understand can have the best accuracy when sub moa shots are what is desired, but which also have some wear characteristics that are not desireable.
For all intents and purposes a chrome lined barrel will offer the best compromise between wear resistance, accuracy and durability for the general use barrel.
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April 11th, 2011, 07:36 AM
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#14 | | Designated Marksman
Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: TN
Posts: 636
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If you're a match shooter, maybe chrome lining won't allow you to get the "next level" accuracy that you desire...
If you're counting on this weapon to keep you alive, get a chrome lined barrel.
Having said that, some companies are going with a nitrocarburized/melonite barrel. Supposed to have at least twice the wear of a chrome lined barrel. I have one of these in my LWRC carbine...it's a tack driver, too.
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April 11th, 2011, 12:00 PM
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#15 | | Old Salt
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: PNW
Posts: 1,833
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ArmyCPT If you're a match shooter, maybe chrome lining won't allow you to get the "next level" accuracy that you desire...
If you're counting on this weapon to keep you alive, get a chrome lined barrel.
Having said that, some companies are going with a nitrocarburized/melonite barrel. Supposed to have at least twice the wear of a chrome lined barrel. I have one of these in my LWRC carbine...it's a tack driver, too. | Very interesting! So does the n/m barrel have the same corrosion resistance as does a chrome lined barrel? If so this something that may replace chrome as a bore surficant?
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