01-24-2022, 03:49 AM
NDS,
I will be the lone contrarian. Brux 4150. after fitting and chambering and break in of the leade, then take it off and get it nitrided and re-installed.
Brux barrels are top shelf barrels. Just as the others mentioned here. Reason i like 4150 is that it is a bit tougher steel. If I recall, the barrel makers won't make #1 or FWT tapers in SS because SS loses 50% of it's tensile strength at arctic (-40) temperatures. I think I remember seeing this on the Pac-Nor web site at one time, or was it the Krieger web site. not sure. It's not a big deal for a bull barrel but if you are making a light AR and want a pencil barrel profile, it's something to consider. Also regarding throat erosion, generally SS resists throat erosion (checking and heat cracking) better than CM, but, when SS does erode to failure, typically a chunk will come off of the alligator hide. So accuracy will slowly degrade as throat erosion progresses and then all of a sudden it goes south in a step function. CM on the other hand, accuracy just continually degrades as throat erosion takes it's toll but doesn't get the chunks come out of the alligator heat checking so no step function in accuracy degradation.
Since throat erosion is the primary cause of a barrel's degradation in accuracy, it's what to think about. Just as an aside though, CM resists bore wear from the bullet sliding across the surface better than SS does, but accuracy degrades due to throat erosion long before you see rifling wear out due to just the number of bullets down the barrel.
Chrome lining is good at reducing the throat erosion by 50% but it can have adverse effects on potential accuracy if its' not done really well. the top match barrels are not chrome lined and one is just expected to replace the barrel to maintain peak accuracy when the barrel has enough throat erosion that accuracy starts to degrade past one's allowable limit.
In general, one will see accuracy degradation past the acceptable point before the throat erosion is so bad that chunks start to break off on SS barrels.
best of luck to you.
-tdbru
I will be the lone contrarian. Brux 4150. after fitting and chambering and break in of the leade, then take it off and get it nitrided and re-installed.
Brux barrels are top shelf barrels. Just as the others mentioned here. Reason i like 4150 is that it is a bit tougher steel. If I recall, the barrel makers won't make #1 or FWT tapers in SS because SS loses 50% of it's tensile strength at arctic (-40) temperatures. I think I remember seeing this on the Pac-Nor web site at one time, or was it the Krieger web site. not sure. It's not a big deal for a bull barrel but if you are making a light AR and want a pencil barrel profile, it's something to consider. Also regarding throat erosion, generally SS resists throat erosion (checking and heat cracking) better than CM, but, when SS does erode to failure, typically a chunk will come off of the alligator hide. So accuracy will slowly degrade as throat erosion progresses and then all of a sudden it goes south in a step function. CM on the other hand, accuracy just continually degrades as throat erosion takes it's toll but doesn't get the chunks come out of the alligator heat checking so no step function in accuracy degradation.
Since throat erosion is the primary cause of a barrel's degradation in accuracy, it's what to think about. Just as an aside though, CM resists bore wear from the bullet sliding across the surface better than SS does, but accuracy degrades due to throat erosion long before you see rifling wear out due to just the number of bullets down the barrel.
Chrome lining is good at reducing the throat erosion by 50% but it can have adverse effects on potential accuracy if its' not done really well. the top match barrels are not chrome lined and one is just expected to replace the barrel to maintain peak accuracy when the barrel has enough throat erosion that accuracy starts to degrade past one's allowable limit.
In general, one will see accuracy degradation past the acceptable point before the throat erosion is so bad that chunks start to break off on SS barrels.
best of luck to you.
-tdbru