melonite/Ion Bond finish to M4 barrel

[Jerik1m4]

I suck at using search features to start this off on the right foot, google constantly corrects me on such things. Now to the post, I have been told by a few mostly reputable sources that having my barrel and/or upper treated with one of these finishes would result in a higher Rockwell rating(or whatever the term is) and thus longer barrel life, less wear, and other tales of longevity and superiority.

I was curious if anyone else has heard this or done this, and if anyone has any info on who does these treatments I would love to hear from you. Thanks for all your help.




Dan

[MikeCLeonard]

Dan,

The IonBond finish is extremely durable but it's really just a surface finish. If you have your barrel coated at IonBond, then the outside of your barrel will prevent rust, scratches, and dings better than standard parkerizing. They don't coat the inside of the barrel though so it won't make your barrel last any longer or perform better. Springer Precision (http://www.springerprecision.com/) now handles the go-between for all of IonBond's custom firearms work, so you'll have to send your parts to them and then they will ship to IonBond for you. They don't really do aluminum parts unless you really want them to, and they still say that anodizing is better for aluminum parts because IonBond works best with harder base-metals. I have this finish on a few of my pistols and really love it. It is some very hard shit and is REALLY hard to scratch.

I don't know quite as much about melonite other than it is a penetrating surface treatment that will greatly increase steels protection against corrosion. It is pretty much the same thing Glock uses on their guns but it is just a surface treatment and not an actual black finish. The black finish is applied over and after the melonite process is done. I also don't think you can melonite aluminum but could be wrong. Some people are wary of the melonite process also because it needs a much higher temperature to be applied...but I also don't know how big of an issue that really is.

[Belmont31R]

The area a barrel will wear out first is in the throat area. For AR's the gas port can also wear out.




Whats important is the barrel steel. Stainless will wear out faster than 4150. One reason 4150 (ordnance grade) is more desirable than 4140 which the cheapie brands like to use. There are a few varieties of 4150 but the good brands like Colt and BCM use the correct grade 4150.


These barrels resist erosion better, and will generally result in a longer lasting and more "hardcore" barrel. 4140 is fine for the plinker and casual shooter. If you put a lot of rounds down range training, courses, or duty use always get the best barrel you can.

[Jerik1m4]

ok, sounds good I'm still trying to do some research. For the record I have a Sabre Defence M4 1:9 chrome lined I dunno what kind of steel it it, all I know is its a chrome molyvandium but thats the extent of it. I just know how to shoot it, and only mediocre at that.