Chrome Moly vs Hardened Steel

[Guest Keal G Seo]

What are the performance differences? Does one handle more rounds? Is one more accurate, given the same manufacturing standards and design?

(For 5.56)

Edited January 9, 2014 by Keal G Seo

[peejman]

Barrels I presume?

 

Chrome-moly's typically are hardened steels so it's hard to give you any sort of intelligent reply without more information.  What kind of chrome-moly steel and what kind of "hardened" steel?

 

Though functionally, for any normal recreational shooter save perhaps a national match or frequent 3-gun type competitor.... there is no difference.

[Caster]

Chrome moly is a generic term given to the masses for 'Oooo & Ahhh" appeal.
It's just an abbreviation of some of the elemental content to the steel itself.
4140, 4142, 4150 and SEVERAL more variants are all 'chrome moly'.
All of these steels are easily heat treated. They are a very good working grade non tool steel.

Typically, its my understanding that barrels aren't "hardened" anyway. Stress relieved for sure on your better made barrels but hardening them would not be a good thing. They loose their elasticity and ability to give. Despite the fact that we try to reduce harmonics and flex and whip and all other manner of things with bull barrels and what not, and barrel that doesn't give to some degree is not a good thing.

[Guest Keal G Seo]

Ok so here is the scoop on why I ask. I asked on another thread about the maker of a buffer tube and when I went to MAS Defense's website I got to looking around. They seem to have decent prices on pistol barrels so I was considering them. Their options are: Hardened Steel, HBAR Chrome Moly, Chrome Moly, Melonite Nitride, Chrome Lined, Stainless Steel and HBAR Stainless.

I'm just not sure what the performance differences in these are as I usually just stick with factory.

[TripleDigitRide]

[quote name="Keal G Seo" post="1092243" timestamp="1389292678"]Ok so here is the scoop on why I ask. I asked on another thread about the maker of a buffer tube and when I went to MAS Defense's website I got to looking around. They seem to have decent prices on pistol barrels so I was considering them. Their options are: Hardened Steel, HBAR Chrome Moly, Chrome Moly, Melonite Nitride, Chrome Lined, Stainless Steel and HBAR Stainless. I'm just not sure what the performance differences in these are as I usually just stick with factory.[/quote] I am also considering one of their barrels for my pistol build.

[Caster]

Melonite. All the way.

[peejman]

Ok so here is the scoop on why I ask. I asked on another thread about the maker of a buffer tube and when I went to MAS Defense's website I got to looking around. They seem to have decent prices on pistol barrels so I was considering them. Their options are: Hardened Steel, HBAR Chrome Moly, Chrome Moly, Melonite Nitride, Chrome Lined, Stainless Steel and HBAR Stainless.

I'm just not sure what the performance differences in these are as I usually just stick with factory.

 

 

 

 

Hardened Steel - I have no idea what this is.  There are literally dozens upon dozens of types of steel that are considered "hardenable". 

 

HBAR Chrome Moly - HBAR stands for Heavy Barrel and has nothing to do with the type of steel.  An HBAR barrel is simply thicker in some areas than a "government profile" or "lightweight profile" barrel.  Chrome Moly is a subdivision of "hardened steel" but still could be one of several types.  They're generally high strength steels and make good barrels. 

 

Chrome Moly - see sentences 2 & 3 above.

 

Melonite Nitride - is a surface treatment for various types of steel.  It leaves a very thin but very hard surface layer on the metal and is typically applied for wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and/or improvement of cyclic fatigue life.  The degree of fatigue life improvement depends largely on the base steel which isn't specified. 

 

Chrome lined - Similar to the above, chrome plating leaves a very thin but very hard surface layer and is typically applied for wear or corrosion resistance.  No effect on strength or fatigue life per se. 

 

Stainless Steel - again, this is a very general category of a large number of steels.  Some make good barrels, some don't.  Obviously stainless is chosen for its corrosion resistance and aesthetics (aka, it's purdy.) 

 

 

The ignornance of people who use these terms as buzz word selling points and have no idea what they mean annoys me.

 

 

All that said... My statement above still applies... they're all functionally the same for the recreational shooter.  Get what you want and fits your budget. 

[Caster]

The ignornance of people who use these terms as buzz word selling points and have no idea what they mean annoys me.

God! Ain't that the truth. If I hear CNC in a conversation it makes me wanna puke. I just ask people who are hung up on it " Have you ever run one?"
Well, I have. Several. I've run Haas and Mazak machines that will hold +/- .0001 under the rit circumstances. I've run a Fadal that couldn't be trusted to +/- .001. I've run a Bidgeport EZpath (we called them sleezypaths) that couldn't circular interpolate a hole fer $hit. More like a decagon.
I've also seen machines run by imbeciles. The machines were capable but not the machinist. Set up, program, tool offsets & quality of that tooling is EVERYTHING. I've seen talented (seriously talented!) Tool makers, usually twice my age who can put many fancy automated machines to shame for quality. CNC shines ONLY when competent people set it up, and of course for volume production they can't be beat.

For anyone who'd care to argue; pick up the most expensive current production revolver. ...and I said PRODUCTION not a Hamilton Bowen custom. Then take a long look a 150 year old Colt that's been moderately taken care of. If you have an unlimited bank account and wanted the finest shotgun there is, you'd probably buy something like a Holland & Holland. They use CNC machining centers, but nowhere near as much as Remington.
Until we get A.I. there will NEVER be a machine that can out craft a human hand. Ohh sure, you can get some wild geometries from multi axis but it still has to fitted.....by hand. I've seen (not in person) a ten axis machining center making impellers for the space shuttle fuel pumps. They still need a human hand to be finished.

Okay,I'm done. Edited January 9, 2014 by Caster

[peejman]

Agreed, there's a big difference between a machinist and a CNC operator.  While I know how to program a few CNC machines and design tooling and such, I'm no machinist.