The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Why don't they build Aluminum barrels?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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You see how they take a steel blank and make it as thin as possible and wrap it in carbon fiber. Why don't they do this with aluminum for weight loss? | ||
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they do, for pistols ... opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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Seems to me they (Winchester I believe) did it to a shotgun barrel. Very light, yes; too light to balance or shoot smoothly, definitely. NRA Life Endowment Member | |||
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I know diddly about reinforcing strength of aluminum but I did stay in a Holiday Inn once. The expansion differences when going from cold to hot may make it difficult to sheath a steel insert with complex contours, plus the machining required to match the two parts would be steep. The aluminum clad pistol barrels are (a) very low pressure relative to a rifle barrel and (b) straight tubes with no contours to match. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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MikeMichalski: I think you are talking about the Winchester Model 59. It was actually a very thin steel liner wrapped in a fiberglass coating. I think it was string that was then heated and fused to the liner. I can't remember the exact length of the string/cord, but it was substantial. | |||
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Which Pistols are manufactured with aluminum barrels? I don't doubt that there are any, I don't know of any though. | |||
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For the original question. When compared to steel the tensile strength of most aluminum alloys varies dramatically as temperature changes. Most loose strength as temperature increases and the combination of heat, pressure and abrasion generated by a centerfire rifle cartridge is probably too much for most aluminum alloys that would be economic to use for a gun barrel. | |||
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http://www.lothar-walther.com/396.php | |||
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Jeff and I interpreted the original question as meaning steel liners overlayed with aluminum jackets instead of carbon fiber, not all-aluminum barrels or aluminum liners. S&W has several revolvers manufactured this way. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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That's pretty cool but like I feared, it don't look cheap. Especially when they want you contact a specialist in building rifles with them. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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I'm aware of those and have owned one or two. They actually work pretty well. But I don't know of any barrel that is solely constructed of or uses aluminum as a liner where the contact surface with the bullet is aluminum. At least thats how I understood MRAMSAY10's question. That LW barrel is pretty cool. | |||
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Whistle Pig Barrel Co. makes aluminum Ruger 10/22 steel lined barrels, if you have ever gone to RFC, the Banner Rifle on the left is sporting such barrel (formerly my rifle, then sold). Might be an application for the 10/22 conceived "Charger" pistol.....r in s. | |||
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They don't do it because of the vicious cycle you would get int. Go to the range, sight in the gun, go to your gunsmith to have the worn out barrel replaced and start the process over. | |||
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Falcon made Hi-Standard barrels in Alum with Steel liners. | |||
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I have two original Charter Arms AR7s (22LR) that have steel lined aluminum body barrels. The later version made by Henry has a steel liner in a plastic body on the one I have seen. I also recall there were some other very low pressure cartridges this configuration was used for but the actual application escapes me at the moment | |||
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Along with the above mentioned problems you also run into Bluing, painting, or anodizing issues. You can't blue aluminum so that's out. Paint sucks but maybe on a low end gun you could get away with it. But Anodizing is the best for the aluminum but the steel would not survive the trip through the bath. So now you have a ultra light barrel that has dissimilar metals that expand at different rates and don't have the same tensile or yield strengths that need a coloring coating of some sort to protect them from the elements.?????? Just turn a light weight contour stainless barrel and be done. www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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Good points. Thats why I asked. THanks guys | |||
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process known as "auto frettage", IIRC | |||
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I have a Sako Quad with a Superior Tactical Solutions 22mag barrel that is aluminum with steel liner. I like it, but they aren't cheap. Really though, I don't think that aluminum contributes anything benificial to the barrel other than looking cool and lite weight for its size. Carbon fiber at least is stronger than the steel it wraps and disburses the heat more efficiently if I'm remembering correctly. | |||
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Incorrect on carbon fiber heat conductivity. Carbon fiber actually acts like insulation. compared to steel. Very poor conductor of heat. But in the correct application it is far stronger and considerably lighter then steel. FYI most of the previous posts are concerned with center fire cartridges not rim fire. The lack of pressure and heat in a rim fire allow a lot of latitude in barrel design. www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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that depends, not all carbon wraps are the same. | |||
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here's 1.. http://www.collectorsfirearms....ils.php?itemID=18060 go big or go home ........ DSC-- Life Member NRA--Life member DRSS--9.3x74 r Chapuis | |||
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Tin Can was wondering about the amount/length of string/fiber on such barrels and several years ago when Remington introduced their carbon fiber wrapped Mod.700 I read that there was a million miles of such thread!! Seems impossible, but also the same test revealed that the dispersal of heat was much better than std. steel barrels. Can't remember the exact data, but after several rounds of one vs normal barrel, the difference in measured temperature was significant. The rifles did not stay on the market for very long. | |||
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I have 5 all aluminum pistols. Paintball guns!! Kstott is right on the carbon fiber vwrap. Butch | |||
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If you read the page that was posted ABS claims that heat is only conducted inline with the fibers of the wrap. And the heat will not jump from one fiber to the next. They said it was just like how fiber optics transmits light along it's axis. But yet the claim higher coefficient of thermal conductivity (their words not mine) and yet wrap the barrels just as composite pipe is made. I'll wait till Doc chimes in as I don't know enough about composites to say for sure if I'm right or wrong But I feel that Carbon fiber is still a great insulator and by default not a good conductor www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
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I can't see that there'd be any benefit. Aluminium is slightly less stiff than steel per unit weight, so any saving in the weight of the barrel would come at the cost of a loss of stiffness - though there'd be some offsetting in second moment of area due to the lower SG I guess. Carbon fibre in contrast is several times stiffer per unit weight, so you can reduce barrel weight significantly compared to a simple steel barrel without loss of stiffness or, for the same weight as a given steel barrel have a carbon-wrapped one which is far stiffer. | |||
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