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Posted: 4/30/2014 6:54:25 PM EDT
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I want to Nitride one of my barrels, I've read about the process on the interwebs and it's something that I want to try. I've read that you should shoot a few rounds through the barrel to 'break it in' before you put it through the process. Is this true? The barrel in question is an 18" White Oak barrel. I'm also interested if anyone could recommend me a shop to do the nitriding. Thanks
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Once the surface has been hardened, you won't be wearing down imperfections any time soon. While some barrels shoot as well as they ever will from the start, there are some that benefit from a little smoothing out. I figure that you might as well do a little breaking in, just to be sure. It isn't like you will appreciably shorten the barrel life, considering the new surface will outlast most people.
H&M does a good job, and has experience with firearms. I haven't had a barrel done by them, but I believe others here have. No matter who you use, I would talk to them, first. I don't know if you have come across such information, but a few people have had issues with extensions coming loose, and the gas port not indexing properly after re-torquing. |
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I love nitride barrels and believe in them. But I would NOT nitride treat a broken in barrel. A new, unfired one, yes, if done by a reputable company.
Once you send rounds through that barrel, no matter how meticulously you try to clean it, there will still be imbedded copper, guilding metal, perhaps lead, and certainly carbon and other powder residue still in the barrel. The nitriding process needs pristine bare barrel steel, as it is hardening the actual barrel steel at the molecular level. The process will be incomplete and the benefits questionable on a barrel even microscopically "dirty." |
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Quoted:
I love nitride barrels and believe in them. But I would NOT nitride treat a broken in barrel. A new, unfired one, yes, if done by a reputable company. Once you send rounds through that barrel, no matter how meticulously you try to clean it, there will still be imbedded copper, guilding metal, perhaps lead, and certainly carbon and other powder residue still in the barrel. The nitriding process needs pristine bare barrel steel, as it is hardening the actual barrel steel at the molecular level. The process will be incomplete and the benefits questionable on a barrel even microscopically "dirty." I called a shop about this and they bathe the barrels in very strong cleaner before the process. Not sure what, possibly MEK but he hinted that the cleaning process was not safe for use at home. |
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Quoted: The receiver extension will need re-torquing. This can be a problem. I'd buy an assembled nitrided barrel from a reputable manufacturer vs. rolling your own, on the AR platform. |
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Quoted: Do you mean barrel extension? Why does it need re torquing? Do they remove it during the process? Quoted: Quoted: The receiver extension will need re-torquing. This can be a problem. I'd buy an assembled nitrided barrel from a reputable manufacturer vs. rolling your own, on the AR platform. |
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Quoted:
I love nitride barrels and believe in them. But I would NOT nitride treat a broken in barrel. A new, unfired one, yes, if done by a reputable company. Once you send rounds through that barrel, no matter how meticulously you try to clean it, there will still be imbedded copper, guilding metal, perhaps lead, and certainly carbon and other powder residue still in the barrel. The nitriding process needs pristine bare barrel steel, as it is hardening the actual barrel steel at the molecular level. The process will be incomplete and the benefits questionable on a barrel even microscopically "dirty." I sent a barrell out after breaking in. They did not do the internal. |
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http://www.ar15performance.com/barrels
Harold knows all about this, his nic here is constructor. |
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