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Posted: 7/9/2005 11:11:22 AM EDT
| Hi guys I am building a midlength and was wondering if I shouls get a chrome lined barrel or not. If I go chrome I will have to wait a bit. The rifle will be for duty use. How long will a none chrome lined barrel last compared to a chrome lined? Does anybody use a non chrome lined barrel for a duty weapon? If you dont want to post you can email me at [email protected] |
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Uncle Sam spends the extra $$$ on Chrome for a darn good reason. It was learned at the school of Hard Knocks in the Pacific during WWII. Less corrosion Easier to Clean Less friction with bullets = higher velocity less chance of a stuck case longer barrel life and probably some others..... |
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If the $50 difference a chromed bore costs makes the difference between buying the rifle and not buying it, maybe you have more problems than deciding whether or not to get a chromed bore rifle. My current AR does not have a chromed bore, but only because I wanted to get it and didn't want to wait. My next AR WILL have a chromed bore though. |
+1 Danny 
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Simply a matter of personal choice depending on your expected use of the weapon. If you are requiring a "blaster" with US Military accuracy requirements, and are primarily interested in corrosion resistance, barrel wear, and better reliability without cleaning, then a chrome lined barrel is great, and is why the Military uses it. If you are requiring an accurate barrel, with competition-quality accuracy requirements, clean your gun regularly, don't worry about corrosion, or barrelwear to the extent that you'd want to sacrifice your accuracy, then a non-chrome lined match-grade barrel would be great, and is why competition shooters and accuracy nuts never use chrome lined barrels. For myself, if I wanted a "blaster" barrel, I'd go chrome lined. If I wanted a match-grade barrel, I wouldn't go chrome lined. |
+1 |
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I have two chromed (bushy), one Stainless (Olympic), one chrome moly (DPMS) My most accurate is the stainless and my least accurate is the Chrome lined. No real difference in cleaning between chrome and non-chrome, it all sucks. I properly maintain my weapon and it is never subjected to harsh combat conditions so the barrel composition isnt a big deal for me. Chrome is nice, but I can live without it |
+1 The old rule of thumb in the 60's is that yes, chrome lining would indeed make accuracy suffer. Some claim take off 1/2-3/4MOA. However, the chroming process hase changed since then, and this effect on accuracy has really become arguable. I bought a Bushy Varminter and had them swap the DCM barrel with a chrome lined 24" barrel. I've found it to be VERY accurate. It likes some loads better than others, but with the right handloads, it's been hitting under a dime at 100, I'm not worried about the chrome. I think one of the main problems you will have doing a "side by side" comparison, is this. MANY of these SS or plain chrome-moly barrels are setup for match shooting. They have a .223 or Wylde chamber, tight bore, and fancy crown. Generally all the chrome-lined bores are a NATO chamber, lighter spec bore with a goody at the end of the barrel? So would a tight chrome lined gun with all the match features be less accurate than a SS counterpart? I don't know, but I'd venture to say many would be surprised how little difference in accuracy there would be... Gundraw |
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Match barrels are "air guaged" for uniformity of the lands/grooves along the entire length of the bore. Good match barrels approach a zero change in uniformity over their lengths. Chrome plating is simply not able to match the uniformity levels needed for match grade use. The plating process cannot ensure the level of uniformity wanted for this use. This is not to say that you can't get a good shooting chrome lined barrel, but it will not equal a good uniform bore in a match grade barrel, due to the changes in bore diameter and other irregularities in the chrome lined barrel. I agree that in some cases where the shooter is only capable of a certain skill level, and the ammo is not tuned to the gun, that there may be very little noticeable difference in the observed performance differences between these barrels. |
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