CHF Barrels - Price?

[bob4432]

i was under the impression that using the chf method of producing barrels equaled a very good quality barrel w/ a rather high production rate. if this is the case, why are the chf barreled options carrying a premium, seemingly across the board for the ar platform?

chf barrels have been used for many years, so is the premium a "fad" for the ar platform?

i don't know the manf tech firsthand, just from what i have read and understand the chf machine is rather expensive so i would assume that these brls are just coming from a handful of brl makers, so the cost of the machine/s should be offset rather quickly since they are filling a large demand.

[crazymoose]

I believe that CHF barrel production is much like plastic molding- high initial cost, lower per unit cost if you produce enough.

Durability is supposed to be improved, although I'm not convinced that these barrels are any more resistant to throat erosion, which is the real killer of barrels. I'm sure more knowledgeable folks than myself can illuminate us on this matter.

For the vast majority of shooters, guns are a quite durable good. To keep selling, and to differentiate from the competitors, you have to come up with something new; this is a business, after all.

[variablebinary]

CHF barrels are easier to mass produce. The process is supposed to make them more durable than other barrel steels

The original intent for CHF barrels was to have a way to quickly and cheaply, crank out durable barrels.

The higher cost for CHF barrels comes not from it being cool or great, but from the upfront capex for equipment and tooling. The cost of the CHF equipment is being rolled into the cost of the barrel.

[C4IGrant]

i was under the impression that using the chf method of producing barrels equaled a very good quality barrel w/ a rather high production rate. if this is the case, why are the chf barreled options carrying a premium, seemingly across the board for the ar platform?

chf barrels have been used for many years, so is the premium a "fad" for the ar platform?

i don't know the manf tech firsthand, just from what i have read and understand the chf machine is rather expensive so i would assume that these brls are just coming from a handful of brl makers, so the cost of the machine/s should be offset rather quickly since they are filling a large demand.

The machine to make them is like 2 Million.


C4

[Reddevil]

So perhaps well see the price of barrels/ uppers come down or at least stay at current prices within the next couple of years when these companies recoup their machine costs?

[C4IGrant]

So perhaps well see the price of barrels/ uppers come down or at least stay at current prices within the next couple of years when these companies recoup their machine costs?

Most likely not.


C4

[Surf]

So perhaps well see the price of barrels/ uppers come down or at least stay at current prices within the next couple of years when these companies recoup their machine costs?

I doubt it. Probably not enough to see a considerable difference in price.

Many big manufacturers have been using this method for many years. It is the standard in Europe and they have been doing barrels this way for at least 30 years longer than you have seen it in the US. As mentioned the costs for the machine, hammers and dies are very expensive. I am not getting into arguments over accuracy, strength, better way to make a barrel etc, but it almost seems to have become some new voodoo in the AR world and with so many willing to pay the higher price. Don't get me wrong as I believe that hammer forging of barrels is a good method, but with the costs of equipment and it being perceived as some new voodoo magic, it keeps prices up. Is hammer forging actually worth the extra cost that we are currently seeing in the AR market? Well that is a can-o-worms.

[sniperfrog]

I think the new trend of CHF barrels came from Noveskes N4s being quite accurate for a chrome lined barrel. Alot of people assume it is the hammer forging but you don't see any benchrest shooters that will use a hammer forged barrel. An article in Precision Shooting magazine detailed CHF barrels with ARs pretty well. They used CHF blanks from Ruger and mentioned they were only 60 dollars a piece. Now Ruger is a large mfg but so is FN and so I would think the FN blanks are not very expensive either. But if people are willing to pay an extra 100 bucks just because of the rifling method than that's what dealers will charge. I've now seen a pretty big price difference with the new DD CHF barrels out there. As high as $400 and as low as $290 so I have to wonder how much the dealer cost really is.

[crazymoose]

I think the new trend of CHF barrels came from Noveskes N4s being quite accurate for a chrome lined barrel. Alot of people assume it is the hammer forging but you don't see any benchrest shooters that will use a hammer forged barrel. An article in Precision Shooting magazine detailed CHF barrels with ARs pretty well. They used CHF blanks from Ruger and mentioned they were only 60 dollars a piece. Now Ruger is a large mfg but so is FN and so I would think the FN blanks are not very expensive either. But if people are willing to pay an extra 100 bucks just because of the rifling method than that's what dealers will charge. I've now seen a pretty big price difference with the new DD CHF barrels out there. As high as $400 and as low as $290 so I have to wonder how much the dealer cost really is.

I agree with this sentiment. People see a particular method of rifling/manufacture used in a good barrel and think that the magic is in the particular method. What makes or breaks a barrel are QC standards/attention to detail, well maintained machinery, good materials, and just general competence and pride in one's product. Button vs. broach vs. CHF is of minor importance (although, as you point out, you don't see too many accuracy-oriented rifles with CHF barrels; Noveske's N4 barrels are accurate by AR standards because Noveske's QC is high, but it's not fair to say the N4 is an accurate barrel).