Am I wrong?

[Ruark]

So where is melonite in this picture?

[okie]

So where is melonite in this picture?

I have no idea. I get the impression folks around here don't like melonite, but I don't know why. I think it's fine for pistol barrels, at least. No one can deny it's been great for Glock. However, since pistol barrels last virtually forever it's more about corrosion prevention than it is about preserving barrel life.

One thing I will say, though, is that nitride finishes of today aren't generally what they used to be. Some are still pretty good, but the environmental regs have made the good stuff too expensive and bothersome to do. If you talk to people in that business, they'll tell you that they work at lower temps now, and with a different ratio of chemicals, all to reduce the amount of cyanide in the waste material from what I understand. I tend to believe them, too, because if you talk to machine shops like ADCO that do a lot of cutting on finished barrels they'll tell you most nitride can now be cut through with no problem.

So I don't know. The original high temp formula may have rivaled chrome in some ways, but I think what they're predominantly using now is probably just a corrosion preventative than anything else. Even though it's not what it used to be, it's still probably the best finish you can get to keep a gun from rusting, at least in terms of surface treatment that doesn't add any material to the dimensions of the part. For pistols and pistol caliber carbines I would rather have it than stainless I think.

[AAMP84]

I don't think that it's so much that guys here don't like it. They just refuted the wild claims that manufacturers were making about it. The whole "nitride/melonite barrels will last 30% longer than chrome lined barrels" claim that so companies were making without any data to back it up rubbed some people wrong.

[Sry0fcr]

So where is melonite in this picture?

Nitro Carburization is a surface conversion process, it doesn't affect the dimensions but may affect the surface finish to some degree. But with barrels, it depends on the quality of the machine work. That's what you're paying for with the high end SS barrels. So Melonite and such depends entirely on the barrel you're processing to begin with.

[Sry0fcr]

Double tapped.

[ABNAK]

I have no idea. I get the impression folks around here don't like melonite, but I don't know why. I think it's fine for pistol barrels, at least. No one can deny it's been great for Glock. However, since pistol barrels last virtually forever it's more about corrosion prevention than it is about preserving barrel life.

One thing I will say, though, is that nitride finishes of today aren't generally what they used to be. Some are still pretty good, but the environmental regs have made the good stuff too expensive and bothersome to do. If you talk to people in that business, they'll tell you that they work at lower temps now, and with a different ratio of chemicals, all to reduce the amount of cyanide in the waste material from what I understand. I tend to believe them, too, because if you talk to machine shops like ADCO that do a lot of cutting on finished barrels they'll tell you most nitride can now be cut through with no problem.

So I don't know. The original high temp formula may have rivaled chrome in some ways, but I think what they're predominantly using now is probably just a corrosion preventative than anything else. Even though it's not what it used to be, it's still probably the best finish you can get to keep a gun from rusting, at least in terms of surface treatment that doesn't add any material to the dimensions of the part. For pistols and pistol caliber carbines I would rather have it than stainless I think.

I don't and I'll tell you why. I will state up front that I'd take a nitride/Melonite treated barrel over a non-treated (or lined) barrel anytime. No doubt about it. HK MR556 barrels are a good example; I would (and have when I had one) send it off to be nitrided.

That said, nitride is a cheap-ass alternative manufacturers are now using because they're too tight to pay for chrome lining (God forbid it cut into their profits), yet market it as "just as good or better". It isn't, despite what some fan-boys on here will say (who likely own nitrided barrels).

Your point about environmental regs is valid: I read where Glock's Tennifer process, perhaps the pinnacle of a nitriding process (and one I'd consider next for a rifle barrel if chroming wasn't available) is basically verboten nowadays because of that environmental crap.

[okie]

Nitro Carburization is a surface conversion process, it doesn't affect the dimensions but may affect the surface finish to some degree. But with barrels, it depends on the quality of the machine work. That's what you're paying for with the high end SS barrels. So Melonite and such depends entirely on the barrel you're processing to begin with.

That is of course true. The argument I've heard made many times is that stainless steel can be cut much cleaner than CMV. Then there's another side that argues that that was true back in the old days, but not so much these days. Due to better tools and whatnot.

Important to note that stainless cannot be nitrided, at least not successfully. There was a low temp nitride developed for stainless, but it didn't offer any increased barrel length.

[okie]

I don't and I'll tell you why. I will state up front that I'd take a nitride/Melonite treated barrel over a non-treated (or lined) barrel anytime. No doubt about it. HK MR556 barrels are a good example; I would (and have when I had one) send it off to be nitrided.

That said, nitride is a cheap-ass alternative manufacturers are now using because they're too tight to pay for chrome lining (God forbid it cut into their profits), yet market it as "just as good or better". It isn't, despite what some fan-boys on here will say (who likely own nitrided barrels).

Your point about environmental regs is valid: I read where Glock's Tennifer process, perhaps the pinnacle of a nitriding process (and one I'd consider next for a rifle barrel if chroming wasn't available) is basically verboten nowadays because of that environmental crap.

Agreed. Given the choice between nitride and in the white CMV, I'll of course take the nitride, if for nothing else than corrosion resistance. But if chrome is an option, I'll take that every time. I might not be too worried about a 300 BLK barrel with nitride, especially if I were only planning on shooting subs mostly. More towards a pistol at that point.