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Thread: Cold hammer forging question

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    Cold hammer forging question

    Let's assume an unlined, non-surface treated (like Melonite, NiCorr, etc.) piece of steel. Quality alloy steel, but just cold hammer forged. Does cold hammer forging in and of itself have a higher resistance to corrosion than a similar non-lined/treated barrel that is not CHF'd?

    Does corrosion take longer to form because of the hardness?
    Last edited by ABNAK; 05-20-11 at 09:45.
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    I would imagine it would not make a difference.
    It is untreated steel.

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    I have always heard good steel will corrode just as quickly as the cheap stuff.
    My brother saw Deliverance and bought a Bow. I saw Deliverance and bought an AR-15.

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    There might be a slight benefit because the forging process provides a smoother surface, and smoother surfaces provide less surface area for corrosive reactions and don't trap any corrosive chemicals as well.

    The comparison would depend on the button or cut rifled barrel you're comparing to. Bot of those processes initially leave a fairly rough surface, but in any quality barrel the bore will be lapped (polished) to reduce that roughness. It's possible that a high quality button or cut rifled barrel would have a smoother bore after the lapping is done.

    I'm not aware of any reason the steel would be chemically more resistant to corrosion after the forging process, only the potential for a physical resistance due to smoothness.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SomeOtherGuy View Post
    There might be a slight benefit because the forging process provides a smoother surface, and smoother surfaces provide less surface area for corrosive reactions and don't trap any corrosive chemicals as well.

    The comparison would depend on the button or cut rifled barrel you're comparing to. Bot of those processes initially leave a fairly rough surface, but in any quality barrel the bore will be lapped (polished) to reduce that roughness. It's possible that a high quality button or cut rifled barrel would have a smoother bore after the lapping is done.

    I'm not aware of any reason the steel would be chemically more resistant to corrosion after the forging process, only the potential for a physical resistance due to smoothness.

    Yeah, I was wondering about the smoothness thing.

    I'm referring to the HK MR556 barrel specifically FYI.

    Sounds like a chamber brush and a few twists a day under austere conditions (heat, humidity, rain, river crossing, etc.). Granted, I may never be in that scenario but it's nice to know that perhaps it's easier to maintain than others; not necessarily more "corrosion-resistant" but less likely to have corrosion form as quickly. i.e. easier to "stay on top" of.
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    Yugoslav AK barrels were/are cold hammer forged, unlined steel, and corroded and pitted like a mother when subjected to corrosively primed ammo and militias more interested in ethnically cleansing their neighbors than cleaning their weapons.

    Steyr in Austria, the pioneer of the "Steyr Process" of cold hammer forging, built the StG-58 for the Austrian military with a non chrome lined bore, to spec. I've seen parts kits here from when the Austrian gov't surplussed their rifles that had worn out bores as well as frosted and pitted bores, and they were using non corrosive Hirtenberger ammo.
    Employee of colonialshooting.com

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    Quote Originally Posted by Templar View Post
    Yugoslav AK barrels were/are cold hammer forged, unlined steel, and corroded and pitted like a mother when subjected to corrosively primed ammo and militias more interested in ethnically cleansing their neighbors than cleaning their weapons.

    Steyr in Austria, the pioneer of the "Steyr Process" of cold hammer forging, built the StG-58 for the Austrian military with a non chrome lined bore, to spec. I've seen parts kits here from when the Austrian gov't surplussed their rifles that had worn out bores as well as frosted and pitted bores, and they were using non corrosive Hirtenberger ammo.
    Oh I'm not gonna try and convince myself that a non-chrome lined (or even one not treated with something like Melonite) barrel is optimal---not at all. However, perhaps a CHF'd one with it's inherent "slickness" would be easier to keep clean (?). Like a lot of guys here I want a weapon I purchase to perform under the worst of circumstances, whether or not I will ever experience them. It's my $$$, I want the "extreme" of function if necessary.

    Biggest issue I picture is failures-to-extract under corrosion-welcoming conditions (think Vietnam as opposed to Iraq). The bore itself isn't as big a concern as the chamber. Granted, calcium carbonate isn't an issue as an ammo preservative and cleaning kits (namely chamber brushes) are now regularly issued so *perhaps* it wouldn't be an issue (?).
    Last edited by ABNAK; 05-20-11 at 21:45.
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    There are a lot of non-lined barrels in this country and most aren't troubled by rust, cold hammer forged or not
    INSIDE PLAN OF BOX
    1. ROAD-RUNNER LIFTS GLASS OF WATER- PULLING UP MATCH
    2. MATCH SCRATCHES ON MATCH-BOX
    3. MATCH LIGHTS FUSE TO TNT
    4. BOOM!
    5. HA-HA!!

    -WILE E. COYOTE, AUTHOR OF "EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE, I LEARNED FROM GOLDBERG & MURPHY"

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    Why am I not seeing templars post? [When I am just looking at the thread].
    When I respond to the post I see templars post?

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    I have seen unoiled bores and chambers rust in a single night in foggy areas.
    My brother saw Deliverance and bought a Bow. I saw Deliverance and bought an AR-15.

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