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11/5/2004 4:23:53 PM EDT
I was just wondering, have any of you ever done cryo tech on an AR? We do it on majority of out engine parts and have had alot of success with it. Would a barrel be more efficient, POA vs POI when heated up? Another thing I have wondered about is thermal coatings. Would they work in a gas tube and other parts possibly? I was in our cryo specialists shop awhile back and there was a box of .50 BMG ammo waiting on a freeze. I didn't get to have a conversation about guns, but what effect would cryogenizing have on a bullet internally?
11/5/2004 4:28:51 PM EDT
[#1]
I plan on having my whole body frozen not just my head. I'm not going to have my AR frozen with me. I'm hoping that there will be better weapons available when I'm unfrozen. I can see you point though. What if all guns have been banned. Your AR could be an asset. Has anyone done any test to see if XM193 will survive after being frozen and thawed?
11/5/2004 4:35:05 PM EDT
[#2]
Har har.
11/5/2004 5:15:29 PM EDT
[#3]
From the Lilja website.

"In our testing we have found that the only effective means to completely remove the types of stresses introduced during rifling are with conventional heat treating using elevated temperatures. The -300 degree treatment alone will not remove these stresses. We have been told by a knowledgeable metallurgist that the deep cold treatment will, at best, remove up to 6% of the remaining stresses in the type of steel used for rifle barrels. The key words here are remaining stresses. In other words if the barrel was not stress relieved conventionally, then only 6% of the original stress will be removed. If the barrel has been treated conventionally with heat and then brought through the -300 degree cycle, up to 6% of any remaining stresses could be removed by the cold treatment. We do know through our testing that the cold treatment alone will not remove any significant amount of stress and that the problems outlined above concerning stress will remain in the barrel.

So, because of the very limited amount of stress that could be removed with the cold treatment (if the barrel has been properly stress relieved with heat as our barrels are) we do not believe that there can be much if any accuracy benefit to the -300 degree treatment of our barrels. It is for these reasons that we feel the cold process has very little potential for increasing the accuracy of our barrels. In our opinion, other than the removal of these stresses, there are no other mechanical factors involved that could benefit accuracy in a rifle barrel, resulting from a heat treating operation, either hot or cold.

For reasons not completely understood however there may be an increase in the wear resistance of the steel. This type of wear however does not contribute greatly to barrel erosion. We invite you to read our comments on this type of barrel wear in the question regarding the use of moly coated bullets. "

IDHunt
11/5/2004 6:49:49 PM EDT
[#4]
Cryogenics do not make a rifle more accurate first shot MOA's. What cryogenics do is to bond the metal better. Say warping from over heating or other stressful situations where the barrel is trying to change shape. That site does not understand how cryogenics work either. Never is just freezing metal affective. Typically they do not heat it, then put it in the cooler seeing as that would result in damage to the metal or material. It's frozen, then warmed slowly at a high temperature.

"In other words if the barrel was not stress relieved conventionally, then only 6% of the original stress will be removed. If the barrel has been treated conventionally with heat and then brought through the -300 degree cycle, up to 6% of any remaining stresses could be removed by the cold treatment."

I have never heard of heat treating then cryoing. So are they saying their barrels typically have 6% more stress than others? If it were that high of quality wouldn't there be very little limitation to bring about more durablitiy and consistency? If it weren't stress relieved, and cryoing removed 6%, and if it were, it removed 6% again???? Cryogenics are heavily misunderstood. The same thing happens in the racing industry. People think cryogenics are supposed to make your car faster. Wrong, it makes the molecular structure of the parts stronger. Therefore, a connecting rod in a motor will be less likely to flex or warp, or even worse break. It doesn't make the car faster, it makes it more consistent and reliable under pressure. The same applys to firearms and accuracy. It may not be more accurate, but it will witness much less wear and barrel distortion caused by heat and other dangerous factors. It propably won't be more accurate at regualr heat and tension, but under more stressful situations, it's structural integrity will be much more stable. 6% by what the article says.
11/5/2004 10:07:09 PM EDT
[#5]
All JP's barrels are cryo treated. You might contact them about details.
11/6/2004 4:13:08 AM EDT
[#6]

Cryo Plus is owned by a friend of mine who has close contacts with the benchrest crowd.  (A major national benchrest event is held at a range a few miles from her shop.)  Many of them think the treatment is a very definate plus.

Her website has lots of details, photos, and testimonials.

-- Chuck
11/6/2004 1:35:52 PM EDT
[#7]
Cryo treatment doesn't make a good barrel better, it does help a marginal barrel better. We messed with it at Barrett for a long time. The barrels all get cryoed from Krieger now.
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