IN STOCK Parts, Parts, and More Parts

[BluntForceTrauma]

4150 is tougher and its rifling should last longer. 4150, being carbon steel, however, needs to be surface treated with something like black nitride to make it rust-proof. 4150, being tougher, is harder to machine, and thus THEORETICALLY harder to get the rifling more precise, which THEORETICALLY makes it harder to make an accurate barrel.

416R is softer and its rifling doesn't last as long, particularlly in the throat. 416R, being stainless steel, is "mostly" rust-proof without special treatment. 416R, being softer, is easier to machine, and thus THEORETICALLY easier to get the rifling more precise, which THEORETICALLY makes it easier to make an accurate barrel.

These accuracy claims are all anecdotal. They have not been rigorously and scientifically tested on a mass enough scale to draw valid conclusions.

Now, some guys are taking 416R with its easier machining benefits (easier machining is easier profits), and then black nitriding it, to give it a very hard surface treatment to toughen it up and make the rifling last longer. However, used to be that it was very difficult to do nitriding correctly on stainless steels — and some companies refused to take the risk of ruining a batch of stainless barrels and so refused to nitride them — but it's quite possible that this issue has been figured out.

Another consideration is that, if one doesn't black nitride stainless, then it's shiny silver, and because my emphasis has always been hunting and tactical with my barrels, reflectivity is not an option. The 6mmARC 416R stainless barrels I previously offered, I bead-blasted to make them non-reflective. I'm planning to offer a line of stainless barrels with slightly heavier profiles, but I'll either leave them polished for those who aren't worried about reflectivity, or I'll verify that, indeed, black nitriding is no longer a problem with stainless.

Do you have a preference that stainless barrels be left in the white or black nitrided?