A 4140 rifle barrel can be nitride heat treated with no ill effects to the barrel. Not sure about stainless
The problem is that it is a form of case hardening and I have never heard of anyone case hardening a barrel at least not in modern times. If you choose to do this be sure the barrel is finish machined before nitriding.
not exactly a case hardening. nitride hardening is often done in amoniak gas bath, but the the older system of carbo-nitridizing is a kind of case hardening when the powder is used for enhencing the carbon and nitrogen in the surface of steel. yes
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Posts: 1807 | Location: Sweden | Registered: 23 September 2005
You may consider Melonite QPQ. I have had great results with it. I usually shoot a Kreiger 1000 rounds in a BR barrel. I have extended that to 5000 rounds after QPQ. It works either on CM or SS barrels. Butch
Go over to 6mmbr.com. There's a guy over there offering some kind of a bore hardening treatment. I don't know if it ever really got off the ground or not.
Posts: 460 | Location: Auburn CA. | Registered: 25 March 2007
SWD, That would be Joel Kendrick. He is a well known long range BR shooter. He is an engineer for the company that does the QPQ. I'll try to find Joel's contact. Butch
Originally posted by yes: not exactly a case hardening. nitride hardening is often done in amoniak gas bath, but the the older system of carbo-nitridizing is a kind of case hardening when the powder is used for enhencing the carbon and nitrogen in the surface of steel. yes
What I mean is that Nitriding forms a thin layer of harder steel around the core similar to case hardening but it's not a carberized part
October 10, 2009 Salt-Bath Nitriding for Barrels — Whidden is Impressed Filed under: Competition, Gunsmithing — Tags: Barrel, Kendrick, Melonite, MMI, Nitride — Editor @ 11 am Many shooters expend considerable time and effort to coat their bullets with friction-reducing compounds such as Boron Nitride (HBN), Molybdenum Disulfide (Moly), and Tungsten Disulfide (WS2 or ‘Danzac’). Many of these same shooters believe that coated bullets permit longer strings of fire between barrel cleanings. Also, there is some evidence that coated bullets may extend barrel life (though this remains controversial).
What if you could enjoy all the benefits of coated bullets without the effort? When you think about it, why not apply the anti-friction coating to the barrel itself, rather than the bullets? That is the thinking behind salt-bath nitriding of barrels. This nitriding process creates a very slick, very hard surface coating on the steel in the bore. The coating is only 10-20 microns thick (so it doesn’t cause pressure problems). But that coating is enough to reduce friction, and just possibly, extend useful barrel life.
John Whidden, well-known long-range shooter and 2008 Camp Perry Long-Range Champion, recently had one of his Broughton 6mm match barrels nitrided by Joel Kendrick. Joel does the salt-bath nitriding for MMI TruTec. Whidden reports he “is happy as he can be with the barrel” after the nitriding process. After nitriding, the stainless Broughton 5C barrel was “every bit as accurate as before, and noticeably easier to clean”, according to John. Also, John reports that he did NOT have to change his load after the barrel was nitrided (which left it with a handsome black, semigloss finish). Whidden says, “after cleaning, the barrel takes about 3-4 rounds to settle in… that’s the same as before.” This barrel shot very well before nitriding, and after nitriding, John used it successfully at Camp Perry in the 2009 Wimbleton Cup competition.
Overall, John tells us “Everything looks good. No accuracy loss, and easier cleaning.” He is pleased enough that he has sent more barrels to Joel Kendrick for nitride processing. John also said that he’s heard that nitrided barrels in some of the big caliber rifles, such as the .338 Lapua Magnum, are showing “significantly enhanced” barrel life.
To learn more about salt-bath nitriding for barrels, or to place a processing order with MMI-TruTec, email joelkndrck [at] aol.com, or call Joel at (704) 616-6442. Joel, a past 600-yard Shooter of the Year, is very knowledgeable about both shooting and the nitriding process. He can give you well-informed answers to your questions. Price for nitriding depends on quantity — call Joel for pricing details.
Posts: 7158 | Location: Snake River | Registered: 02 February 2004
