Supposedly more durable than chrome lining, but also provides an exterior protection. QPQ, Nitride, Tennifer, Melonite, et al....????????
Printable View
Supposedly more durable than chrome lining, but also provides an exterior protection. QPQ, Nitride, Tennifer, Melonite, et al....????????
If it does prove to be more durable than chrome, and not negatively effect accuracy like chrome lining can, then yes it should become the standard.......
BUT
Government profiles, 203 cuts, 1:7 Twists, and other things just dont go away because its the Mil Spec.
So no I personally dont think it will become mainstream.
There's a patent held by Noveske related to it...
http://www.google.com/patents/US8333029
I thought about getting a melonite barrel once because from what I researched the coeficient of friction of melonite is lower than chrome. The result was that the barrel stayed cooler.
I wonder how nitro-carbinate compares in that category.
I would love to see data on barrel temps vs. different coatings to see if that is BS or not. I was not able to find anything real concrete so I did not buy the barrel.
If it scores a Mil contract then I would think so.
Many things that are adopted by the mil are made standard or get one hell of a promotion.
Beretta is still raking in the cash on commercial M9s and 92s. I love them:D
I was mulling over sending a stainless precision barrel to get the treatment.
I've read only positives about it.
I have, however, read conflicting reports about removing the barrel extension prior to the treatment.
Sig and H&K have already been doing it
And a "2nd rate" company like CMMG has been doing it for about 5 years now...hmmm.
I have to say I was very pleased with its performance!
Sparky
The military currently uses two finishes on an M4 for the barrel: parkerizing and chrome lining. Nitrocarburizing could narrow it down to one process which provides equal durability inside and out. Hell, it could be used for the other steel parts too. Not sure if it's compatible with aluminum though.
What process was he using to "strip", if you will, the bore of all firing residue? I think it would involve more than just Hoppes and a bore brush to get it to that level.
There is a guy on HKPro who did it to his MR556 barrel. I can't remember exactly what he did to get all of the fouling from the lands and grooves. I'll have to see if I can find his thread.
Heat kills barrels.
The bimetal jacket likely created more friction in that Lucky Gunner torture test.
If it can be quantified that the melonite bores create less friction than their chrome lined counterpart, I'd be inclined to agree with you.
Personally I hate shiny guns, so the treatment appeals to me because my barrel is in the white.
The wear resistance is a big bonus. (How many rounds did that Glock have through it in Pannone's torture test?)
BTW, there needs to be a tongue in cheek smiley.
;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferritic_nitrocarburizing
Nitrocarburizing seems to be superior to chrome in every respect.
MilSpec is only a minimum standard - it is not the last word in quality.
Yeah, thanks, among my other talents I am a COR. I have managed more than a few govt contracts. I can assure you that a manufacturer can (and in many cases do) make something that exceeds the minimum acceptable standard ( "MILSPEC" ). MILSPEC is what the company needs to make in order to get paid. If they happen to make it stronger, lighter, longer lasting, better, then it is a win-win. Frequently companies who out perform their contract will get additional consideration when it comes time to renew the contract.
Now, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, nitrocarburizing!
I had my MR QPQ nitrided.
I fired 60 ish rounds through the barrel to ensure proper function of the system and then used KG-12 copper solvent to clean the bore followed by handlapping the bore.
All steel parts with the exception of the smaller pins were sent to H&M Metal processing and within three weeks I had all of the parts back. After getting it back, I also Parkerized over the nitriding.
I unfortunatly havn't had the time to run as many rounds through it as I want, but I have had excellent results (sub 1/2 MOA groupings using an Aimpoint PRO and a larue po-boy magnifier mounted in an aimpoint magnifier mount). The ONLY issue i've run into is that the firing pin tip broke off.
Nitriding penetrates fairly deep and if a part is small enough, it will fully penetrate and over harden that piece. If that piece is a high impact piece and placed under stress, it will break.
A simple replacement with another untreated firing pin fixed the issue and the gun is in top form. It's got close to 2k rounds down the pipe (like I said, not nearly as much as i'd like) but work has prevented me from shooting for awhile, and other then the firing pin issue, there hasn't been a single other problem.
Yeah, WMD does the whole barrel in a salt bath. Problem is, IMO, the barrel extension is done as well, fully attached. I almost sent in a barrel for them to do, but I've read too many stories of the extension coming loose after that treatment, so I decided against it. Just Cerakoted the outside and will let the chrome do its job.
A couple of things RE: Nitriding....
Nitriding pretty much locks a piece into stone. If the quality was crap before nitriding, then it will be forever crap afterwards with little or no hope of being able to be fixed.
Secondly, do NOT nitride over chrome. The process will corrode the chrome and ruin the barrel. SOmeone already tried this and found out the hard way.
Lastly, When I got my HK MR parts back, I soaked them in windex for awhile and used Kroil to fully penetrate into the nooks and crannies to get out as much of the salt remnants as possible. Windex seeps in and dissolves the corrosive salts and then Kroil penetrates and displaces the now liquid nitriding salts from the joints, nooks, and crannies of the parts, thereby ensuring that the salts will not continue to be exposed to moisture and continue corroding and destroy the parts.
While very simlar in the end result, the Tennifer and Melonite processes are a little different in regards to certain chemicals used. In the Tennifer process, certain compunds are used that are not legal to use in the U.S.
Does anyone have a list of the companies that actually make nitrided AR barrels?
I just got a Green Mountain 11.5" barrel and found out the chamber and bore are not chrome lined, maybe they nitride some of their barrels now?
It certainly seems to have its advantages.