Barrel Material: Stainless Steel vs. Chrome-Moly Steel

[Tim D]

Ordering a new barrel in 308 for my F tr rifle which material is better.
Thanks
Tim

 

[Stan Taylor]

Personally I can't see much difference in either 1 you definitely got a coat chromoly with bluing or something I think they both shoot just as good the throat might live a little longer and stainless

 

[wkdickinson]

FWIW - Boots Obermeyer told me once, that the accuracy of a chrome-moly barrel starts degrading with the first shot and continues steadily, but slowly until it is no longer acceptable. Where a SS barrel, shoots at a consistent level, until it doesn't anymore and that can happen in the middle of a match.

 

[butchlambert]

Listen to Stan. I've used both and found no difference. Mine didn't degrade as Mr Dickinson said.

 

[Edd]

Ordering a new barrel in 308 for my F tr rifle which material is better.
Thanks
Tim

Chrome Moly is better.

 

[jelenko]

If you use the chromoly barrels in competition, you might not have to coat them - they just don't last long enough.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I so know that both chrome-moly and stainless steel barrels are as hard as a rock.
Just did as center punch mark for alignment on both and found out for sure!!

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I love chrome moly, but harder to deal with due to needing a coating to deter rust. However, I have clear coated a CM barrel before and it looked just like a stainless barrel if that’s the look you’re going for.

 

[DaveTooley]

Everyone has an opinion. I got this from Frank Green.
Two ammo manufactures. For pressure and velocity barrels one uses SS and the other CM. Same caliber, same process as dictated by SAAMI. Both pulled their barrels out of service at almost the same round count.
I'll stick with SS for its corrosion resistance. A CM barrel starts to rust as soon as it cools. Put it up dirty and you have pits.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I do know that a CM barrel WILL show hand prints if not oiled up REAL GOOD. By the barrel, you stick it back in the case, go back later and there's a big rusty hand print on the blued surface. Stainless Steel, just doesn't show anything BUT, they have been shown to rust so a good oil treatment is also a must.

 

[DaveTooley]

Once I sent a SS barrel to be Cryo'd. Mistakenly I sent it dirty. When I got it back it had pits where powder fouling laid. The post cryo heat cycle greatly accelerated the oxidation process. By this time I had forgotten all my college chemistry. Lesson learned.