Building my first AR. I want to go with a 1:8 twist but I'm open to 1:7. I'm trying to find a 14.5" CHF melonite treated barrel. Any suggestions? Money is not a factor. I've been finding CHF but not melonite treated. Thanks for any assistance!

YHM-seen a quite a few in various lengths, they shoot very well, good company.

There are very few manufacturers doing CHF melonite barrels.


Daniel Defense in their S2W line, no 14.5 and LWRC and they will not sell you a barrel.  




You are looking for a UNICORN as of yet.  


 

EDIT: YHM barrels are not CHF

Faxon has one that is 1:8 and melonite but not CHF. I don't think you will miss CHF with this barrel.

14.5” Medium Mid-Length

   Barrel Material: 4150 CMV Steel
   Barrel Type: Button Rifled
   Barrel Caliber: 5.56 NATO
   Barrel Twist: 1:8
   Barrel Length: 14.5"
   Barrel Profile: Medium
   Barrel Gas System: Mid Length
   Inside Finish: QPQ Nitride
   Outside Finish: QPQ Nitride
   Muzzle Thread: 1/2-28 TPI (Threads Per Inch)
   Gas Block Diameter: .750"
   Gas Port Diameter: .081"
   Barrel Extension: M4
   Weight: 1.93 lbs
   Magnetic Particle Inspected

http://www.faxonfirearms.com/p/38/145-556-ar-15-4150-black-qpq-medium-mid-gas

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=XFXB145MGB&name=FAXON+FIREARMS+Medium+14.5%22+5.56%2f.223+Caliber+4150+CMV+Steel+AR+Barrel&groupid=2144

I think you will miss the CHF more than you will the nitride.  CHF barrels are by and large chrome lined.  

 

God, I want that barrel in stainless so bad.

Patience is a virtue. ;)

Many things in the works. Up next is the "light" profiles.

Nathan maybe you can better explain the comparison between a Faxon with Nitride but non CHF vs somebody's CHF with chrome which seems to be representative of the OP's current available choices.

I'm not Nathan but...





Nitride is a treatment that is better than an unlined or untreated barrel.  There are a couple of nitrided CHF barrels available on the market.  One company only sells complete uppers.  Nitriding will harden the surface to a depth in the metal.  It will increase the life of the unlined untreated barrel most likely.

 




CHF is the pounding and work hardening of the barrel steel. Rather than button pulled through a barrel that wears a little each time, the rifling is formed by pressing the steel around an inverse blank.  This offers some properties to the barrel that are desirable and that mandrel wears at a much slower rate.  The barrel is better able to deal with heat stress in my own informal testing, that went head to head with non-Faxon nitrided barrels.  The chrome lining is said by some to decrease accuracy.  And to this I say yea if you are comparing to match barrels like Krieger, Lilja, Shilen, etc.  The CHF chrome lined barrels I have dealt with are extremely accurate though.  The FN and DD barrels shoot very tight.  Not to mention it has yet to be proven by anybody other than the barrel manufacturer that a nitride barrel will outlast a chrome lined barrel.  I own 2 nitride barrels currently.  I am not anti nitride.  I am not convinced that a nitrided barrel is better than a chrome lined barrel based on simply being nitrided.  There are many components to a barrel.  Faxon barrels maybe great, I have no experience with them.  I will not knock them.  I am saying I would rather have a CHF barrel than a nitrided barrel.  Faxon is not offering a CHF barrels.  Faxon may chime in with a barrel life study done on their barrels.  But there is little 3rd party longevity testing.    My CHF barrels have proven they hold tighter groups under heat stress than my nitride barrels do.  I have no idea how many rounds to expect out of my nitride barrels.  And under non stressful conditions my nitrided barrels are pretty accurate but so are my CHF CL barrels.  

OP was looking for a unicorn in the form a CHF Nitride 14.5" barrel.  I felt the CHF barrel commentary was applicable.  OP may love a Faxon barrel, he may also love an FN or DD barrel.  






 

Take a look at this barrel.

http://ballisticadvantage.com/14-5-inch-556-hanson-mid-cmv-performance-barrel.html

This is a nice option, not CHF or 1:8 though, but still decent... http://vtsupply.com/14-5-mid-length-government-profile-voodoo-barrel-pinned-manimal.html

While Lug has touched upon some of the differences in manufacturing, our experience has shown he is a bit off-base in his assumptions, especially with relating to heat. The details of which are their own treatise.

Often, those who do not make CHF, do not use good steels or good processes; we are a major exception. We only use 4150 MIL-SPEC steel and 416-R (something CHF cannot do).

We make a quality product that stands by itself and we will put it next to any of the "quality" CHF barrels any day of the week. We'll let it speak for itself and hopefully the new builder will see the value in our barrels. If not, we wish him the best and look forward to serving him again in the future.

To us, its not just the barrel itself, its the service that comes with it. I'm here on the forums and when someone calls, you get a real human being who will walk you through anything and will not rest until issues are solved.

Not sure why the all the hoopla about CHF. CHF was developed by the Germans to manufacture barrels FASTER.

It was called Hammer Forged Rifling and it was invented by the Germans in 1939. After the war, this method of rifling spread to all the neighboring European countries and this method is much more popular today in Europe than Button Rifling.

Right before WW-II, the Germans had invented a machine gun called the MG-42 (in 1939 actually, though it went into full production in 1942, hence the MG-42 name). This gun had an amazingly high rate of fire of over 1200 rounds per minute and it would need barrel replacements often, since the barrels would heat up so much. Hence, they needed a way to produce barrels at a much faster rate as well and the Hammer Forged Rifling method was invented. Interestingly, in the hammer forging method, the barrel is pounded into shape from the outside, whereas in button rifling, the barrel is shaped from the inside. The first hammer forging machine was invented in Erfurt, Germany in 1939 and these machines were shipped off to Austria ahead of the invading Russians at the end of WW-II, where American technicians got their first look at them.

Never in the history of ever has there been a long distance shooter ever won a match with a Cold Hammer Forged barrel. They are not as accurate as cut, broach, or pulled rifling. The only thing they have going for them is the ability to withstand sustained fire longer.

While I appreciate your response, I can assure you I was in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM OFF with any ASSUMPTIONS.  Because I didn't really make any ASSUMPTIONS.  I can also assure you the nitrided barrels I compared the CHF barrels to, were apples to apples to what you have posted.  The barrel steel in those barrels is advertised as mil-b-11595e.  They are made by a super popular manufacturer with a great reputation on arf.  I do not name them because I think it is unfair to do so.  They are awesome barrels regardless of how they may measure up to CHF and my desired use.  I also made zero disparaging remarks about your product as I have not used them.  While this post is intended in the politest, non snarkiest of ways, I reject your ASSUMPTIONS I have no done due diligence here.  And I also posted full disclosure that my results are based on my own informal testing.  I also posted in regards to what the OP was looking for and how it tied in.  I was never really posting in regard to Faxon barrels in particular, merely my personal findings with CHF vs Nitride accuracy under heat stress.  I informal testing falls short because I did not have multiple brand samples of nitrided barrels like I did with the CHF.  My CHF findings are similar to those findings of Steyr and H&K results I have seen in videos.  Apples to Apples in shooting session treatment the CHF (FN and DD)barrels shot significantly tighter 30 round bench rest groups after equal preheating and equal time intervals.  

 

When we get some real 3rd party results on nitrided I will start drinking some of the magic pill kool aid if the results suggest.  Until then I will accept they are good barrels.  If you want to say your barrels are a shade more accurate than an FN or DD please post your video or results.  If you want to say your barrels last longer than a hammer forged extra thick chrome lined FN barrel, please post the third party testing.  


I accept it is very possible Faxon makes great barrels at a great price.  I do not state anywhere this isn't possible.  What I state is it is not possible that I made some wrong assumptions or that the barrels in my informal testing were in any way below the quality of a Faxon barrel.  That would just be totally false.  But I am sure you make some nice barrels and I do not disparage them.  One mans informal testing does not make a scientific treatise.  But I know my particular results were real and based on multiple barrels not just a sample of two side by side.  Thanks for the debate hope your business does well.  Competition makes great products for the consumer.  

We think you misunderstood our post. We did not criticize CHF nor attack it.

Specifically we stated "those who do not make CHF..." which was part of a larger point its difficult to compare CHF to non CHF as CHF has an innate quality associated with using good materials (required for the forging process to even work).

Our post was to emphasize that we do use quality materials, the same MIL-Spec you called out, in fact.

Well you caught one aspect of what I am referring too.  And you are comparing elite manufactured barrels (when you talk about competition winners) to every day off the line barrels.  Seems like an apples to door knob comparison.  How many $200 button rifled barrels do you know of that won national championships.  I suspect, but do not know for sure, that if a manufacturer set up to make a super tightly toleranced hammer forged barrel they could get a competition winner in there somewhere.  The big players are not set up to make CHF barrels.  So while you have a point with your comments, the point A to point B reasoning may or may not be accurate.  But it does appear you can wikipedia pretty good.  

 

CHF and nitriding both treat the metal ( in very different ways) instead of coating the metal.  I am not convinced that CHF nitrided barrels don't warrant an extra measure of merit.  But I will wait on 3rd part testing or history before I start pronouncing nitriding as the best barrel treatment.  It really does depend on your mission for the barrel and the quality of the manufacturer.  I myself am willing to sacrifice MATCH accuracy in most cases for a long life durable barrel.  Without a doubt nitriding with a QPQ process offers the best corrosion resistance, but does it make the all round most durable barrel.  I do not know.  Based on what I have seen in read I am convinced a CHF barrel is quite durable and long lasting, all based on history, videos, personal use, etc.  

I have no hard feelings or ill will.  Just mild heartburn over your use of how I made 'assumptions'.  All is good here and hope it is with you also.  Internet posting is awfully dry when no facial expressions or emotion can be conveyed.  

 

Have a look at MicroMoa. I've got one of their 14.5 fluted barrels.

Sorry my response was not that CHF barrels are not quality barrels. They just have a place. Mil-Spec is 6 MOA and they will make mile spec and better. As far as accuracy goes they are not the barrel of choice for any long distance shooters. They will remain much more accurate under sustained fire as full auto and will last much longer. If you are shooting steel at 300 yards in 3 gun then there is much better options than CHF. My Wiki shills are strong and I encourage anyone to research barrel types and coating before laying down their hard earned money on something that might not be right for them.

And a final parting thought...Daniel Defense and FN hammer forged barrels, at least the ones I am exposed to, shoot much tighter than 6MOA.  I suggest with good ammo you can achieve 2MOA or better.  I love me some Wikipedia from time to time myself.





 

Just my opinion, I believe that 6 MOA was because of the chrome lining of the barrel. I have shot several FNs and none have been close to being over 2 MOA. I actually carried an FN in Iraq and It never let me down.

THANK YOU FOR CARRYING THAT FN IN IRAQ.

 

Bill are you suggesting staying away from chrome lining?  what do you suggest?