Chromed Bore Cleaning
- Thread starter SuperBusa
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SuperBusa,
No special cleaners needed except for standard bore cleaner like Hoppe's and such. Becuase you have a chromed bore it'll celan up faster than standard barrels.
Durango
No special cleaners needed except for standard bore cleaner like Hoppe's and such. Becuase you have a chromed bore it'll celan up faster than standard barrels.
Durango
Originally Posted By: Durango
SuperBusa,
No special cleaners needed except for standard bore cleaner like Hoppe's and such. Becuase you have a chromed bore it'll celan up faster than standard barrels.
Durango
Yep, a bit easier on cleanup. The flipside is reduced accuracy. That's why you'll rarely (I hate to say "never", but I've yet to see one) see a chrome bore used by anyone serious about competition shooting. There's a noticeable falloff in accuracy. For a day to day "beater" the ease in cleanup might be worth it.
SuperBusa,
No special cleaners needed except for standard bore cleaner like Hoppe's and such. Becuase you have a chromed bore it'll celan up faster than standard barrels.
Durango
Yep, a bit easier on cleanup. The flipside is reduced accuracy. That's why you'll rarely (I hate to say "never", but I've yet to see one) see a chrome bore used by anyone serious about competition shooting. There's a noticeable falloff in accuracy. For a day to day "beater" the ease in cleanup might be worth it.
We've got 2 ARs, with 16" and 20" barrels. Both rifles will do 1.5" groups at 100 yards. Both have hardchromed barrels.
Cleaning is much easier as fouling doesn't stick nearly as well to the hardchrome as it does to steel.
BSW
Cleaning is much easier as fouling doesn't stick nearly as well to the hardchrome as it does to steel.
BSW
Avoid anything that contains alot of ammonia - such as Sweets 7.62 Etc. ( this is good stuff for copper fouling in unplated barrels )
I'm not sure what concentration of ammonia is safe .
Butches bore shine seems to be fine for general cleaning of chrome bores , but may not be a good thing to soak a barrel for days .
Sweets 7.62 is known to cause chrome to peel in some chrome lined barrels .
I'm not sure what concentration of ammonia is safe .
Butches bore shine seems to be fine for general cleaning of chrome bores , but may not be a good thing to soak a barrel for days .
Sweets 7.62 is known to cause chrome to peel in some chrome lined barrels .
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: CITYSLICKER
....Sweets 7.62 Etc. ( this is good stuff for copper fouling in unplated barrels )
Amen. This stuff is great. Didn't know it roached chromed bores though.
Me either, and that's what I usually use since it works so well. Thanks for the heads up on that!
Originally Posted By: CITYSLICKER
....Sweets 7.62 Etc. ( this is good stuff for copper fouling in unplated barrels )
Amen. This stuff is great. Didn't know it roached chromed bores though.
Me either, and that's what I usually use since it works so well. Thanks for the heads up on that!
Originally Posted By: CITYSLICKER
Avoid anything that contains alot of ammonia - such as Sweets 7.62 Etc. ( this is good stuff for copper fouling in unplated barrels )
Sweets 7.62 is known to cause chrome to peel in some chrome lined barrels .
Never heard any of that before. The chrome used in barrel lining is hard chrome, which has no copper plating beneath.
About the only way it should harm the chrome is if the plating job is very poor.
Interesting article about cleaning solvents, corrosion, and barrel material:
http://www.schuemann.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=3zZ4oir3t50=&tabid=67&mid=445
If ammonia is corrosive, you'd better not use it on a gas operated gun as the solution will get up into the gas port with no easy way to get it out. You certainly don't want to leave these powerful solvents in a bore for long.
I've been using foaming bore cleaner to remove copper and it doesn't appear to contain ammonia.
http://ipl.ordertree.com/ipl/688/MSDS-963-Foaming Bore Cleaner Aerosol 07-01-07.pdf
Avoid anything that contains alot of ammonia - such as Sweets 7.62 Etc. ( this is good stuff for copper fouling in unplated barrels )
Sweets 7.62 is known to cause chrome to peel in some chrome lined barrels .
Never heard any of that before. The chrome used in barrel lining is hard chrome, which has no copper plating beneath.
About the only way it should harm the chrome is if the plating job is very poor.
Interesting article about cleaning solvents, corrosion, and barrel material:
http://www.schuemann.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=3zZ4oir3t50=&tabid=67&mid=445
If ammonia is corrosive, you'd better not use it on a gas operated gun as the solution will get up into the gas port with no easy way to get it out. You certainly don't want to leave these powerful solvents in a bore for long.
I've been using foaming bore cleaner to remove copper and it doesn't appear to contain ammonia.
http://ipl.ordertree.com/ipl/688/MSDS-963-Foaming Bore Cleaner Aerosol 07-01-07.pdf
Kestas
Staff member
I've seen hard chrome plating in the lab at high magnifications. I've always seen it as cracked material. It is hard material, but unfortunately it's also brittle. It wouldn't be my first choice for a barrel surface as a gun designer. What are the advantages of hard chrome?
Tempest, with what I know about hard chrome plating, it would be unconscionable to plate chromium directly onto steel. It wouldn't stick very well. I would expect first a thin layer of copper, then nickel, then a healthy deposit of chromium that is ground to the final finish. One of the first problems of improper or home plating is peeling.
Tempest, with what I know about hard chrome plating, it would be unconscionable to plate chromium directly onto steel. It wouldn't stick very well. I would expect first a thin layer of copper, then nickel, then a healthy deposit of chromium that is ground to the final finish. One of the first problems of improper or home plating is peeling.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
What are the advantages of hard chrome?
A few good posts in this thread:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277838
When I bought my AR-15 I didn't even know it had the chromed barrel/chamber until I called the manufacture and gave them the s/n ... their records showed it had the chrome option.
What are the advantages of hard chrome?
A few good posts in this thread:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277838
When I bought my AR-15 I didn't even know it had the chromed barrel/chamber until I called the manufacture and gave them the s/n ... their records showed it had the chrome option.
Hard chrome is applied to barrels and chambers for corrosion resistance. It's not the best for this, but it's hardness stands up to bullets/pressure, is better than bare steel, and is fairly cheap. It's normally only seen on military type guns where corrosion resistance in very poor conditions really matters. Custom guns use it externally for corrosion resistance and wear protection.
I don't know the exact spec. but I've seen reference to .0002" plate thickness as typical.
I've always seen the 3 layer chrome described as "decorative" chrome, like for bumpers and things. Much thinner than most hard chrome applications. Most references I've seen to hard chrome do not have an under layer. I would think that having such soft metals below it would seriously compromise it's load bearing ability?
Guns don't have such high tolerances that they require grinding plating to fit. .0002" won't matter much on all but the most highly fitted guns...$$$$.
This link pretty much mirrors my understanding:
http://yarchive.net/gun/platings.html
Also:
Quote:
Functional chromium, or "hard chrome," metal coating is used for anti-galling and low friction characteristics as well as for corrosion protection. These coatings are usually applied without copper or nickel underlayers in thicknesses from about 0.3 to 2 mil. Hard-chrome metal plating is recommended for use in saline environments to protect ferrous components.
http://www.anatechusa.com/Metal_Coating/default.html
I don't know the exact spec. but I've seen reference to .0002" plate thickness as typical.
I've always seen the 3 layer chrome described as "decorative" chrome, like for bumpers and things. Much thinner than most hard chrome applications. Most references I've seen to hard chrome do not have an under layer. I would think that having such soft metals below it would seriously compromise it's load bearing ability?
Guns don't have such high tolerances that they require grinding plating to fit. .0002" won't matter much on all but the most highly fitted guns...$$$$.
This link pretty much mirrors my understanding:
http://yarchive.net/gun/platings.html
Also:
Quote:
Functional chromium, or "hard chrome," metal coating is used for anti-galling and low friction characteristics as well as for corrosion protection. These coatings are usually applied without copper or nickel underlayers in thicknesses from about 0.3 to 2 mil. Hard-chrome metal plating is recommended for use in saline environments to protect ferrous components.
http://www.anatechusa.com/Metal_Coating/default.html
Kestas, some military machine guns use stellite coatings inside the chambers and bores. I assume it's more durable than chrome, but I don't know much about stellite.
As for cleaning copper from barrels, Wipeout is the best copper remover I've come across. KG-12 Big Bore cleaner is a close second. Neither contains ammonia.
As for cleaning copper from barrels, Wipeout is the best copper remover I've come across. KG-12 Big Bore cleaner is a close second. Neither contains ammonia.
Kestas
Staff member
Stellite is a cobalt-based alloy. It is incredibly corrosion resistant. I imagine it's just as hard as chromium and tougher than chromium, without the cracks. It is (or was) used in medical implants, where the human body is tougher on materials than a salty ocean.
Breakfree CLP....good enough for the military M16's, good enough for my AR15. And you can buy it buy the gallon.
They use some kind of coating for the 25mm chaingun barrels used on ships. Could be the stellite.
Originally Posted By: Hitzy
Breakfree CLP....good enough for the military M16's, good enough for my AR15. And you can buy it buy the gallon.
Right, because the military never makes any bad decisions?
The M16 itself was one of them.
Breakfree CLP....good enough for the military M16's, good enough for my AR15. And you can buy it buy the gallon.
Right, because the military never makes any bad decisions?
The M16 itself was one of them.
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
The M16 itself was one of them.
As opposed to?
The M16 itself was one of them.
The initial problems with the M16 were the choice in propellants in the ammunition. The powedr was not burning cleanly and clogging up the gas system.
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
The initial problems with the M16 were the choice in propellants in the ammunition. The powedr was not burning cleanly and clogging up the gas system.
That's only ONE of the problems. The mechanical design of the gun is just [censored]. The ammo wouldn't have even been an issue on a gun with a gas piston.
The initial problems with the M16 were the choice in propellants in the ammunition. The powedr was not burning cleanly and clogging up the gas system.
That's only ONE of the problems. The mechanical design of the gun is just [censored]. The ammo wouldn't have even been an issue on a gun with a gas piston.
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