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Ammo For Chrome Barrels - Is There A Difference?

3K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  gdmoody 
#1 ·
While I was on-line ammo shopping, I also read the comment sections. I ran across two comments, at two sites, about some of the 'cons' involved. The comments said that some of the .223 ammo will damage chrome liners. My liner is made up of "" 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel barrels which are chrome lined for long wear and ease of maintenance "".

Although the ammo was cheaper, I passed on it due to not knowing if the remarks were accurate or not, and not wanting to take a chance. No, I don't remember what the brands were, all I do remember was remarks about them being 'dirty' to shoot.

Anybody know?
 
#2 ·
No. Various brands are "dirtier", the worst I've ever ran through mine was the rebranded "Colt" zinc cased Silver Bear, it was similar to firing blanks way back when. Chrome lined barrels offer a bit easier cleanup, some resistance to corrosive ammo which you should never even see in .223, and a slight loss in accuracy according to the industry and various "experts". They were probably talking about steel cased ammo, which tons of people steer away from which is fine by me, more for me to stash away...
 
#3 · (Edited)
I wish there was more accurate/documented information inregards to chrome lined barrels.
Like everyone else, I have seen some absolutely incredible accuracy coming a chrome lined barrel. And some that weren't worth the time to install on a receiver.
I have seen a few old sks rifles that had a lot corrosion on the receiver and other metal parts , yet the chrome lined barrel appeared perfectly fine.
The one thing I can say is that some chrome lined barrels are darn near impossible to recut the chamber with a standard chamber reamer. Yes they can be cut with a carbide reamer , but those things are just way to expencive.

Years ago a customer brought into my shop a Sile black powder rifle that had been used and left uncleaned for several years. After a good cleaning , the barrel was checked with the use of a "bore scope" There was no noticeable corrosion. This was a chrome lined barrel.
 
#4 ·
I wish there was more accurate/documented information inregards to chrome lined barrels.
Like everyone else, I have seen some absolutely incredible accuracy coming a chrome lined barrel. And some that weren't worth the time to install on a receiver.
I have seen a few old sks rifles that had a lot corrosion on the receiver and other metal parts , yet the chrome lined barrel appeared perfectly fine.
The one thing I can say is that some chrome lined barrels are darn near impossible to recut the chamber with a standard chamber reamer. Yes they can be cut with a carbide reamer , but those things are just way to expencive.
I bought a taylor-made from Windham. The thought of building my own arose, but after reading many posts, here and abroad, it didn't take long to change my mind. Lots of folks say it's easy, but so is heart surgery after the first few.

I know how this will sound to a few, but I'm considering '' taking a class ". By that I mean calling around to LGS's, finding a Smith who will take the BCG apart in front of me, and put it back together. Then watch me do it and correct me where necessary. I could be wrong, but I don't think it will be difficult to find someone. I'm gonna offer them a C-note to let me come in on a slow day. A sale by any other name, is still a sale.

I've watched 9 gillion videos. Nothing like doing it with the parts in my hand, IMO.
 
#8 ·
Raven818:

If you want to learn an AR then the American Gun Institute (AGI) videos are where you should be looking. They offer a maintenance video which includes the theory of operation which helps to understand the how and why of assembly/disassembly. Along with that there is a detailed assembly/disassembly section. They also offer a "How to build a AR". In both cases the videos are done by educated master gunsmiths with decades of experience. These videos combined will not cost you even the "C" note you might offer a gunsmith of dubious education and experience.

I'll add that of the many guns I own my gas impingement operated AR has to be one of the simplest gun to work on and maintain. Once you understand how it works, assembly/disassembly is easy and simple.

On Chrome lined barrels, they are that way to protect the bore in humid environments, like jungle warfare. Their usage in most of the USA is questionable. The reason that the chrome moly barrels without chrome lining shoot more accurately is the limit on the process that creates the lining. It varies in thickness for the length of the barrel and that disrupts the bullet enough to affect the accuracy. Now, the difference might be undetectable in a tactical gun but a bench rest gun will be less accurate. I see no use for me of a chrome lined barrel. My AR has a Lothar-Walther chrome-moly heavy varmint target barrel. But my uses might be different than yours. Will the bullet be hurt in a chrome barrel? I think not. Should you use steel cased cartridges? They are that way because they are cheaper to make. Will they hurt the gun? I really don't know but I'd not use them just to be sure.

LDBennett
 
#13 ·
Raven818:

If you want to learn an AR then the American Gun Institute (AGI) videos are where you should be looking. They offer a maintenance video which includes the theory of operation which helps to understand the how and why of assembly/disassembly. Along with that there is a detailed assembly/disassembly section.
LDBennett
I bookmarked this particular one...
American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) Disassembly and Reassembly Course Video "AR-15 Rifles" DVD

For this reason:

The Disassembly and Reassembly course series is designed for those who wish to learn how to completely disassemble and successfully reassemble their firearm without going into the intricate details provided in the Armorer's Course.

I have no desire to build one, maybe a few years ago. It's only 17 bucks, and will show me how to do what I want to do, and nothing I can't use. And....it's a DVD. I can..Start/Stop/Slow-Mo, etc.. :)
 
#9 ·
The problem isn't so much with the steel cases, but with the projectiles that Wolf and Tulammo use. They're bimetallic, basically a steel core with a copper plating over it and will accelerate wear on the barrel a bit. I keep a bunch on hand for the possibility that I may at some time shoot where I won't be able to recover my brass. Having a few "extra" AR barrels on hand is never a bad idea as well.
 
#10 ·
A few years ago I belonged to a gun club with an attached range on BLM land. I shot there about once a month as it was not close to home. A new regime of officers got religion and closed the range to steel cored ammo. It was then that I realized that a great percentage of surplus and/or cheap ammo is steel cored. It was never mentioned in the packaging but was detected with a magnet. My son-in-law does not reload and was my shooting partner. All in world he had for ammo (he had many many cans of various calibers) was surplus and steel cored. We had been shooting there for a good 5+ years with no problem using this ammo and the new regime would have none of it. They claimed it a fire danger even though the only range fire that had been seen was from a 50BMG round, probably incendiary (??). I made them refund my membership and never went back. I hate rules for the sake of rules without reason.

But I have seen a very large fire develop from a steel cored bullet hitting a rock. I saw the fire start (started not by me but someone else) and develop into a fire using two bus loads of fire fighters and air drops, all in less than 30 minutes. So maybe there should be a concern (??).

LDBennett
 
#11 ·
I know we discussed the steel ammo issue here several times. All I can say is after firing between 3-4000 rounds of it, I have not seen a drop off in accuracy or detected any problems with any of my barrels. I have one AR that doesnt like them and has a hard time cycling them so I only shoot brass thru them. Overall, I think the steel rounds are fine for plinking and they have never caused any extractor issues either. I keep around 5000 223-5.56 rounds in stock and several thousand are steel cased. I say shoot what you choose but I doubt your hurting your chrome lining either way. Someone else might know better than me...
 
#12 ·
Raven

I suggest getting some of the series of books on the AR 15 written by Patrick Sweeny

He has published more and a couple of them just on the AR 15
they are large big books with close up photos

I gave one to a friend of mine as a gift after he bought his first AR15
 
#14 ·
That's the one I suggested but there is also one on building your own AR from parts. AGI videos are totally excellent. The "instructors" are all trained gunsmiths with working experience usually in the decades. Those given by Bob Dunlap are especially good as he taught and ran the gunsmithing program in a prestigious gunsmithing school within a local junior college in Northern California while owning and running a commercial gunsmithing operation with more than five gunsmiths that worked for him. Most were out of his school after completion of the program. He current is in semi-retirement and has a two man gunmithing operation in the Northwest USA. His worker and partner is also one of the instructors on the DVD's, and a graduate of the gunsmithing school well over a decade ago (??).

The point is the AGI videos are serious teaching aids, not fluff how too videos. When you finish the DVD and understand everything on it you are more than well enough prepared to maintain any AR platform gun. They offer these videos for many different guns. I have a collection of them for my guns and I have yet to be disappointed in any of the videos.

LDBennett
 
#16 ·
The purpose of the chrome lined bore its to help protect it from the corrosive salts that are from using primers that use fulminate of mercuric. ...which was/is common in military or milsurp ammo. It is simply a more reliable priming agent, but also much more toxic and caustic.

Chrome lined bores are common in military guns because on the battlefield you often don't have time to regularly clean the gun. ...so the chrome lining helps prolong the maintenance times.

The only thing that will really harm that chrome is a harder metal scraping on it. ....which, no bullet jacketing made today will do.

Note, some powders will also turn to a corrosive residue(blackpowder for one) - but the biggest issue in smokeless cartridges is the primer.
 
#17 ·
There have been chrome lined barrels for well over 50 years or more. They were invented for use by the military in high humidity environments like jungles. Yes, they protect against corrosive primers but in the case of the AR (M-16 derived) there was no corrosive primed ammo in America when they were introduced (Mid 1960's for the jungles of Vietnam). The US Military was the hold out and eliminated it in the 1950's. I don't know about ammo you might get from abroad (mainly former Soviet countries) but USA made ammo for the AR platform has never been corrosively primed. The last cartridges commercial loaded with black powder were made about 100 years ago. Yes, today there are specialty companies that still load black powder for some silhouette and Cowboy competition using guns of old but few if any AR type guns are used for those contests.

Chrome lining in an AR for use in the continental USA (except maybe parts of the lower South) gains you nothing and has the potential of reduced accuracy. Could you detect that in a tactical situation? Probably not, but you probably could in a Varmint AR at long ranges. If corrosion is your worry a better choice is stainless steel which can be machined to the same accuracy as a chromemoly steel barrel. If you plan to do any jungle hunting with an AR then the chrome lined barrel might be a good choice. :) :)

LDBennett
 
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