chrome moly barrel

[D.R.D.]

I'm looking into a chrome-moly 308AR barrel for another upper build. I'd like it to have nitride/melonite coating for increased corrosion resistance (salt water/sea air). I know some can be made that way, or finished later. This needs to be precision barrel, so standard to heavy contour, 18 - 20", preferably 5R and/or polygonal rifling. These are some brands I've found. I don't know if they build to all these specs. Anyone have experience with any?  Any others that I haven't listed?

Compass Lake

Krieger?  (criterion only makes CM in lightweight profiles)
McGowen
PacNor
Rock Creek
CMMG

POF (Don't know if they sell barrels only - are these piston only, or can one use a barrel for DI?)

Thanks,
DRD

Edited October 20, 2013 by D.R.D.

[imschur]

DRD one of the things to consider is delivery. Unless your willing to wait a year or much more for a barrel you might want to consider whats readily available versus your dream barrel. Alternatively buy "something" that's available now while you wait for your dream barrel. It still sucks out there with regard to lead times, especially custom quality barrels.

 

Skip the CMMG.

 

Can you just get something Cerakoted?

[D.R.D.]

imschur,

 

I hear you, but actually I'm in the middle of several builds, and this is one I can wait for.  I'd rather get the 'right' barrel and wait.  

Cerakoting would only be for the outside, which is great. I've used that before.  I'm more concerned about the bore's exposure to corrosive elements (mostly salt), that's why I'm looking into the nitride/melonite "treatment" of the Chrome-Moly metal.  (That treatment on Stainless steel will actually make the next layer down from the surface less corrosion resistance, hence why I'm not asking about SS)

 

Why skip the CMMG?  Their barrel (while overpriced) seems to have more of the features I'm looking for already fabricated than others do.  It's this one:

http://www.cmmginc.com/product_p/38df40b.htm

 

DRD

[98Z5V]

Check NEMO.  They nitride their barrels, and those are some nice barrels.  I've got one of their 300BLK barrels.  Other than that, it's a big hurdle of yours that would be out of the way from the start.  You'll have to check out their other features.  5R rifling, poly rifling - if you think you need it, then go for it.  There are plenty of other barrels out there that don't have that, and they do just fine with precision, at distance.

 

 

On another note - I've submerged M4 rifles in salt water for quite some time.  Run them in boats.  Swam with them.  Nothing bad ever happened to them.  Obviously, they were cleaned afterwards, but I had the same rifle for 10 years.  It was fine.

[D.R.D.]

Thanks.

 

Looked great until I saw the barrel was 416SS.  I don't know why they nitride SS unless to increase barrel life, because it's been proven that ferric nitricarborizing / meloniting stainless steel actually decreases the corrosion resistance. 

 

Here are the Brownell's reviews:

By Finding Nemo

from Michigan

PROS

CONS

• Poor Construction

BEST USES

 

Comments about NEMO BR-UH93L1-34 20" NITRIDE HBAR 308 BARR:

At first glance the barrel looked great, but the excitement was short lived:
1. Nitriding salts were leaching out and dried up in the chamber area from the barrel extension threads. This would suggest the barrel was nitrided with the extension already installed (gas port hole was also showing no bare metal). Do your research on this point and decide accordingly.
2. Gas port hole appeared to be mis-clocked from receiver alignment pin. After setting the barrel up on my surface plate and v-blocks, the height gage confirmed it was off by about half the diameter (rotated CCW).

Returned to Brownells and am searching for an alternative.

BOTTOM LINE No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Was this review helpful? Yes / No

 - You may also flag this review

 

 

5/23/2013

 

1.0

Expected more

By Defiant

from Ca

PROS

CONS

BEST USES

 

Comments about NEMO BR-UH93L1-34 20" NITRIDE HBAR 308 BARR:

Got the barrel and it looks nice and well made but thats where the good ends. I put it on a DPMS LR308 and it fit fine, the first few rounds fired normally and then I started having problems. It started ripping the rims off of casings and leaving them in the chamber. When it didnt leave the casing in the chamber it would still really mess up the rim of the case and make it unreloadable. Then it started the shortstroking. I noticed the gas block was twisted on the barrel so I figured the gas tube was dragging in the key, causing the shortstroke. I tried to take off the block to see what was happening and when I went to take the compensator off the whole barrel started unscrewing from the extension, which I would guess is the source of all the problems. Total round count around 50.

I tried calling Nemo and got no answer so I left a message and no one returned my call. I called Brownells and they gave me the usual great service and help in returning it.

• WAS THIS A GIFT?:
• No

 

BOTTOM LINE No, I would not recommend this to a friend

 

Edited October 24, 2013 by D.R.D.