Justice1327
Well-Known Member
I just called H&M. They said the liquid salt bath is the best process because it gets all the metal and even treatment. I think I will send my barrel off to 300 below and then have it nitrated.
Nitride a barrel?
- Thread starter Justice1327
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Ultimately, I think it's not worth the expense, inconvenience, and possibility of receiving a faulty treatment process, having nitride treated a few barrels. It can change headspace, and it eliminates any future rechambering on the hardened nitrided barrel.
I had one nitride barrel firecrack the bore terribly after a couple hundred rounds fired. A wasted Krieger barrel.
I was once a proponent. No more nitrided barrels for me. Just adds another process that can be done improperly, all for little potential benefit.
I had one nitride barrel firecrack the bore terribly after a couple hundred rounds fired. A wasted Krieger barrel.
I was once a proponent. No more nitrided barrels for me. Just adds another process that can be done improperly, all for little potential benefit.
Last edited:
RockyMtnMT
Official LRH Sponsor
Following. We have done several but have not put the round count down to make a judgement. We do shoot a few shots through the barrel before sending it in for nitriding. You don't want any burrs or anything present. Once nitrided they will be there for the long haul.
FYI
I found these previous Posts.
www.longrangehunting.com
Barrel and Action Nitride Coating | Long Range Hunting Forum
www.longrangehunting.com
I found these previous Posts.
Is it possible to damage or affect the accuracy of a barrel by black nitriding it?
milo-2 It's not that I have any disdain for Cerakoting....it's just that I prefer the traditional simple black matte or blued finish. One thing I've read about the Cerakoting process is that it does add thickness and can cause stickiness and binding; another reason to avoid it in my mind. And...
Barrel and Action Nitride Coating | Long Range Hunting Forum
Is it possible to damage or affect the accuracy of a barrel by black nitriding it?
I am in the process of planning a new rifle build and would like to end up with something other than a shiny SS finish. I don't care for the Ceracoat....just want to end up with a nice black matte/satin finish if possible and the Black Nitriding process appears to be that for which I am...
I have had multiple AR barrels that were salt bath nitrided and even from the same manufacturer, some were slow and some were fast. I have compared them to the same manufacturer's stainless barrels and they were all within a few fps with identical loads.
I know it's impossible to dimple a salt bath nitrided barrel, so I can see the rechambering issue.
I just don't recall seeing it done in large volume on bolt rifles. The one occasion was the thread I mentioned about it.
I am still curious about it and waiting to hear the results.
100percent
Well-Known Member
Mine were shot and cleaned a few times by the smith before sending off for treatment.
Ha! No kidding! However, if you like BLACK it beats the hell out of cerakote for finish durability!See that's what I'm looking for. If they shoot slow I'll step up the cartridge size. I want to be able to store a rifle outside in the rain and not have it rust
I have sent way over 100 barrels to be melonited. Barrels I spun for our juniors are all melonited. I've been doing barrels for them since 2016 at a tune of 12 to 20 barrels a year. In fact, I have 10 for them right now almost ready to be sent out.
Over the years I had my competition barrels melomited even before I started chambering my own. The first barrel I sent out must have been in 2009.
Based on our 600 yard testing the junior barrels every year after Camp Perry, we are confident meloniting at least doubled the precision life of the AR15 service rifle competition barrels.
A friend's barrel still shot 198-8 in a match at 600 before I sort of coerced him to pull the barrel before Perry because the barrel had 10471 on it. His #1 gun now has close to 10K and it still shoots. Our goal is to have the barrels shoot at least 50% Xs at 600 and shots on call. The testing after Perry is done on a machine rest.
My personal service rifle shot 61 Xs at 6 across two days of mid range matches, the bolt gun winner had 59 X. Both shooters wereon the same relay. I handed the rifle and ammo to a friend to shoot. Mind you, service rifles have 20 inch barrels, and max scope power at 4.5X. And, shot prone with sling.
I don't know if melonited barrels shoot faster or not. And, I don't know either if meloniting affects precision. My current rifle shoots 80 VLDs safely at around 2850. On the bench I've shot multiple 5 shot groups at 200, not one group went over 0.8 inch. The reason I said, I don't know, I never tested any barrel before and after meloniting. The performance I get from this barrel may not repeat on the next.
BTW, we pay for the batch at an operation using the same equipment as the rest of the operations offering the same service. The place primary meloniting business is in support of the oil drilling services. I had to talk them into doing the barrels for me.
Over the years I had my competition barrels melomited even before I started chambering my own. The first barrel I sent out must have been in 2009.
Based on our 600 yard testing the junior barrels every year after Camp Perry, we are confident meloniting at least doubled the precision life of the AR15 service rifle competition barrels.
A friend's barrel still shot 198-8 in a match at 600 before I sort of coerced him to pull the barrel before Perry because the barrel had 10471 on it. His #1 gun now has close to 10K and it still shoots. Our goal is to have the barrels shoot at least 50% Xs at 600 and shots on call. The testing after Perry is done on a machine rest.
My personal service rifle shot 61 Xs at 6 across two days of mid range matches, the bolt gun winner had 59 X. Both shooters wereon the same relay. I handed the rifle and ammo to a friend to shoot. Mind you, service rifles have 20 inch barrels, and max scope power at 4.5X. And, shot prone with sling.
I don't know if melonited barrels shoot faster or not. And, I don't know either if meloniting affects precision. My current rifle shoots 80 VLDs safely at around 2850. On the bench I've shot multiple 5 shot groups at 200, not one group went over 0.8 inch. The reason I said, I don't know, I never tested any barrel before and after meloniting. The performance I get from this barrel may not repeat on the next.
BTW, we pay for the batch at an operation using the same equipment as the rest of the operations offering the same service. The place primary meloniting business is in support of the oil drilling services. I had to talk them into doing the barrels for me.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2015
- Messages
- 1,769
I only have two, a muzzle loader and a 243AI. Not enough rounds to determine on the muzzle loader, but the 243 barrel was faster(apparently) till the treatment was removed from the throat (around 500 rounds). At that point pressures began to climb and I had to reduce the load to compensate. Velocity increased some due to the increased pressure, but not proportional to the pressure increase due to the throat erosion and fire cracking.
Thanks for responding. I was hoping that you would chime in. I have done one barrel, not a hundred or more.
KH_Outdoors
Well-Known Member
Good thread guys! I've considered having a 375 or 338 cal barrel sent for Nitride to be used in Coastal Alaska.
My 45 cal Smokeless Muzzy from Arrowhead Rifles has an all steel spiral fluted Nitrided barrel on it. Luke recommended that because the intent was to use BH209 as a NM legal gun at the time. From my brief experience it did what it was intended after a couple years and few hundred shots. Zero corrosion from the BH209 to date. My previous Muzzy's, not so much. They all have pitting in the rifling.
So functionality wise, I believe it can only help corrosion resistance. Hence my thoughts about having a barrel Nitrided for use in Coastal Alaska. Mind you that purpose is the literal opposite of precision shooting, competitive shooting, or high volume shooting. So take that for what it's worth.
My 45 cal Smokeless Muzzy from Arrowhead Rifles has an all steel spiral fluted Nitrided barrel on it. Luke recommended that because the intent was to use BH209 as a NM legal gun at the time. From my brief experience it did what it was intended after a couple years and few hundred shots. Zero corrosion from the BH209 to date. My previous Muzzy's, not so much. They all have pitting in the rifling.
So functionality wise, I believe it can only help corrosion resistance. Hence my thoughts about having a barrel Nitrided for use in Coastal Alaska. Mind you that purpose is the literal opposite of precision shooting, competitive shooting, or high volume shooting. So take that for what it's worth.
The corrosion resistance is amazing on melonited materials. When I get the batch for the kids. I leave them in tub of water for a week or so to let the left over meloniting solutions ooze out. No harm done.
Assembled AR15 barrels the barrel extension would definitely loosen. I just retorque the barrel extension to 40 ft-lbs, and with some red locktite. I never had one loosen even at that low torque number. M16 extension, I believe, are torque at over 100 ft-lbs.
Last edited:
I sent my expanding mandrels, sizing die sets as well.
Years ago when I was at Camp Perry, I met a guy over there who works for the meloniting place in Ohio. I handed him my truck gun, and magasines. He gave it back to me before I headed back to TX. That Colt Delta Elite is one slick operating piece when I got it back.
Last edited:
Justice1327
Well-Known Member
How is the Melonite process different than the nitriting?
People use them interchangeably
