Why don't you see chrome lined barrels on
"sporting" rifles?? Seems to me it would increase barrel /throat life and reduce corrosion.

Pete,

I just saw an article about a sniper-type rifle from what must be a new FN, that came with a reworked chrome machine gun barrel. They said it was a tack driver and got some people saying, "HMMMMM?" about chrome lined barrels.

The traditional answer to chrome was that it sure made them last, but nobody could hold the tolerances. That may have changed.

Don

Don's right. Chrome lining makes a barrel last longer, but accuracy suffers because of dimensional variations. That's one reason chrome moly barrels are so popular. Less likey to rust than the older types of steel and easy enough to machine so that maintaining consistent tolerances aren't a problem.

As far as I know, the chrome barrels on the military kit has forged/hammered rifling if that is the correct term. I'm not sure how common this process is for "sporting" rifles
but I believe it is used by at least one highend European rifle company with excellent
results.

My old enfield had a chrome lined barrel by a firm called 'Black Mountain' It would shoot about .75MOA and was sooo easy to clean. I shot practical rifle with it and it got really really hot, never a sign of wear.

The only chrome lined barrel that I posess is on an AR-15. This is an extremly accurate rifle, but only one does not make a good statistical sample. On a good day it is capable of shooting sub 1/4 MOA. For most of our realistic needs for accuracy as hunters, I expect that a chrome lined barrel would meet the demand. Do most of need one for our applications, that is another question.

Hard chrome is a bastard to apply inside a cylinder evenly.

The magnetic force at the ends is stronger than the middle. A tapered annode is required to compensate for this.

The annode has to be held accurately in the bore center too. Deposition time is critical as is the current involved.

After plating, the real work starts as hard chrome is rough-as-plated and requires smoothing with something harder.

It would take a hard lap (slug) and diamond paste.

Of coarse, I've only done hydraulic cylinders. Barrel bores would be quite a challenge, but if done right could be the perfect barrel. Redd

Redd,

I don't think they actually plate military barrels. As I understand it you start off with a "lump" of steel with a large over bore hole drilled through it. A smaller lump of chrome is inserted into this,and this chrome has a hole much nearer bore diameter through it. A manderal (sp?) is inserted into the centre and the lumps are
hammer forged into a "barrel" complete with rifling. When finnished the chrome lining is effectively "welded" through the forging proccess to the steel outer. In reality the liner is very thin, but far thicker than you would get by platting. I'm sure other methods are used, but that is the proccess
I know of.

Pete