Freezing barrels
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Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
Freezing and proper cryo treatment are two entirely different things. A home or even commercial freezer will do nothing metallurgically. The least one could do is use acetone mixed with dry ice and get it down just below -100°F, but proper cryo treatment is done in a LN bath about 3x as cold. Think of it as a continuation of the quench from heat treatment and allows further transformation of martensite and reducing latent stress. Not all steels benefit from it. But, all shops offering it benefit from it....
To the best of my knowledge, Cryo is used after heat treatment of certain steels to eliminate last traces of Austenite. Why then submit to this treatment a SS steel wjo is not heat treated and already martensitic?.
R.G.C
I have had three barrels done by 300º Below - one sporter, one factory target and one custom that I had rebored/rifled. All three showed SOME improvement. The sporter became more consistant (but group size was reduced only slightly), the factory target (Ruger .308 hammer forged) showed significant improvement but never became a 'tack driver' (this in my pre-reloading days). The custom (Bartlein) started out as a .243. When I burned it out I had it rebored/rifled to .308/11" twist. It shot well until it heated up and then it fell apart (about 8-10 rounds). I cryo'd it and it improved somewhat but not enough to shoot a match. Over several years I would drag it out and shoot it some more and slowly but surely it improved. It is now my Palma barrel and is very consistent regardless of temp. In short, it heat treated itself through shooting and cooling.
In the end I determined that cryo treatment does not hurt and offers SOME benefit but if I need an accurate barrel I have one made. That said, there are a couple of barrel makers who cryo every barrel to ease machining.
In the end I determined that cryo treatment does not hurt and offers SOME benefit but if I need an accurate barrel I have one made. That said, there are a couple of barrel makers who cryo every barrel to ease machining.
I have had a dozen HV short range barrels cryoed at 300 below in Ill. I've noticed at least 2 benefits from it, they clean up easier and after firing 3500 rounds thru each of the few that have reached that round count, the rifling is just as square and sharp in the lead area of the throat as the day that I had it chambered. As far as accuracy goes, there is no way I can say it helps or it doesn't. From all the research that I have done, it seems that most stainless steels receive very little benefits from getting cryoed.
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
I believe that you will find that 300 below is not true cryo.I have had many many done. I've had the undrilled and unrifled blanks cryo'ed, cryo'ed after rifling, and cryo'ed after chambering. The only thing that I could tell was they machined easier. I've had them done after chambering and shooting about 50 rounds. I could tell nothing.
I don't think any of the serious shooters do it any longer.
I don't think any of the serious shooters do it any longer.
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
If you Buy a Obermeyer His Barrels have been done for years . Kreiger does his Barrels also .Kreiger has His own Equipment .
Boots sends His out .
I also used 300 in Utah .
Boots sends His out .
I also used 300 in Utah .
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
Very Possible I am Old and time pass us by. Thanks . I will talk with Him on Monday . I will reply.
Kings X
Gold $$ Contributor
I have mine cryo stress relieved at 300 Below. They may be the original company to stress relieve barrels via the mutli stage process of deep cryo freezing and slow step returning to room tempature. I think barrels go thru the process three times using different "holding tempatures.
Cold bore shots you can count on.
If F class matches with two sighters - that is important.
You should contact 300 Below and get their brochure detailing the stress relieving process.
Cold bore shots you can count on.
If F class matches with two sighters - that is important.
You should contact 300 Below and get their brochure detailing the stress relieving process.
Kevin Taylor
Gold $$ Contributor
I have access to liquid nitrogen and soak all my barrels in it. Machining is a Hugh difference, and they all shoot better than I can.
L.Sherm
Silver $$ Contributor
Butch I know of one!
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
We still cryo the steel our barrels are made from in the beginning steps of manufacturing. We no longer offer a second cryo as an option (haven't for close to 20 years).
Thank You, I think ? I am right and not that old yet !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Krieger Barrels, Inc.
2024 Mayfield Road
Richfield, WI 53076
Ph
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
You may want to do a little research. It changes austensite to martensite in metal. Study that and also tell us about true cryo. Lots of misinformation out there.
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