Steel is alloyed with other metals like nickel and chrome as well as other non metals such as carbon sulfur and silicon.
Chrome moly vs stainless steel barrel.
416 r stainless steel is stainless steel formulated specifically for gun barrels.
Break in of a hard chrome lined barrel is not possible due to the hardness of the chrome.
Over 90 of high grade match barrels are made from stainless steel.
The common grades of alloy steel have a skooch less than 1 chrome which is way more than is needed to ensure something as skinny as a rifle barrel achieves hardness to the core.
416 r is stainless in name only as it is still susceptible to corrosion but at a reduced pace.
Chrome moly or stainless steel.
On race cars they use chrome moly to save weight by using thin wall tubing made of chrome moly as apposed to heaver carbon steel tubing with the same strength.
That said chrome moly barrels can be just as accurate when made correctly and there is evidence a chrome moly barrel will hold its.
First let s have a discussion about the chemical elements of each material and how their properties effect barrel life accuracy and cost.
Stainless is easier to machine because it is slightly softer.
Throats appear to last longer on stainless barrels than chrome moly.
Chrome moly vs chrome vanadium is a wash.
It is also easier to apply a fine hand lapped finish to a stainless bore.
The primary purpose of the chrome is to increase depth of heat treatment for a given severity of quench.
I asked brux barrels if there was any accuracy benefit with stainless over a chrome moly barrel or if there was any other reason not to use a chrome moly barrel.
The fella at brux told me that the chrome moly was every bit as accurate and the only real difference he knew of was that a stainless barrel craps out all at once when its usable life.
It is a high carbon content steel which makes it resilient to high heat scenarios and with its abrasion resistance the barrels wear slower over time.
