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Posted: 10/8/2011 6:34:07 AM EDT
| want to upgrade Barrel Bore, Gas Key, Bolt Carrier to chromed components i heard they were better to clean and more durable is this true is this a good idea |
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By that reasoning then a steel carrier would be just as bad. Chrome does not increase wear on the receiver; that is pure hogwash. In fact, chrome is slicker so it would generate less friction and friction causes wear.
I have almost all my rifles running chrome carriers because I like them, but in all honesty, except for being super easy to clean and see the grime, I see no other advantage of them over steel carriers. I run Rock River, DPMS, Young, Les Baer, and Smith Enterprises. Any one of them seems as good as any other. And I cannot tell a lick of difference between a $200 LB or Young and a $69 RR or DPMS. They're all good IMO. |
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OP here is the deal. - Chrome lining is harder than standard phosphated parts. It is not "slicker" it is harder which translates into less surface resistance. - You do NOT... i repeat NOT need a chrome lined bore for your barrel unless you shoot over 10k rounds a year, use corrosive ammo, or shoot full auto/mag dump all day like and idiot. A standard non CLed bore will be just fine for 99% of shooters here. CLing does make your barrel wear less but if you consider how much the average shooter actually uses his rifle and the cost in ammo it would take to shoot out a barrel chromelined or not... it gets obvious pretty fast that chrome lining is not something the average person "needs" - Chrome lining the bore translates into a less accurate rifle because of the variations in the bore caused by the etching process required to enlarge the ID for the chrome. Once again though, the average shooter won't be able to shoot well enough to see the difference, so once again its a wash. - You can't have your barrel chromelined after the fact anyways... youll have to buy a new barrel. - Chrome lining makes it easier to clean, but standard phosphated parts are easy to clean anyways... you aren't gaining that much there. I see you are in a southern state, so you might have problems with corrosion, if that is the case you should consider a melonited barrel and a NiB coated BCG... that will actually increase your functionality and be cost effective. But the rule of thumb with ARs should always be "if it ain't broke don't fix it..." Trust me, after time you will start noticing needs for your AR and those needs will be real and learned from use. |
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The modern method of chrome lining a rifle barrel is very precisely controlled electro chemical process in which a standard sized barrel is electro chemically honed and polished removing .0002 of material from the bore and replacing it with hard chrome. The bore is again electro polished to degree of smoothness not achievable in the past.
With the old method the barrel was bored and rifled roughly .004 oversize and plated (hopefully) to standard size, tool marks and all. The modern method produces a barrel bore that is far smoother and far more dimensionally consistent than was possible before. Hard chrome BCG was the original finish as specified by Eugene Stoner, designer of the AR15. Chrome has the advantages of friction reduction, wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Manganese Phosphate( A.K.A.) parkerized finish was implemented as a labor and cost saving measure. $12 per rifle at the time. |
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Quoted:
Chrome lined barrel = good.. Chrome lined carriers = good Chrome carriers may be not so good. If the carrier is alot harder and wear resistant than the receiver then the receiver will wear faster. The carrier is a lot harder than the receiver even when it isn't chromed. |
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