Ritter Stark barrels

[jbhotrod]

Does anyone know how they produce their barrels? Per the site "The rifling is processed in a CNC-controlled electrochemical machine. This avoids the transmission of thermal effects and mechanical stress to the material. Furthermore, this process allows us to produce barrels with unique uniformity and within tolerance zones that were not possible in a serial production before." Are they saying they use a wire EDM process for rifling? How would this compare to a top tier cut rifled barrel?

 

[gotcha]

Are they saying they use a wire EDM process for rifling? How would this compare to a top tier cut rifled barrel?

NOT wire EDM. ....... How it compares to top tier barrels remains to be seen. 1st used by Smith&Wesson to make revolver bbl.'s........ Inventor Alexander Vishnitsky, Patent owned by Cation corp. Let your fingers do the walking and Google: electro chemical barrel rifling process. ....... Tons of info there ............... I wasn't familiar with the process either but I'm not top of the food chain in these matters. Tests at FBI labs showed the vertical walls of the rifling weren't as uniform nor sharp as button rifle and other common rifling methods like Cut rifled. Perhaps this negative has been addressed and remedied since early testing back in the 1980's and 1990's. So the question of holding .0002" tolerance within barrels would be my 1st red flag. Just which part of the rifling dimension are they talking about??? FWIW, Dale

 

[snert]

NOT wire EDM. ....... How it compares to top tier barrels remains to be seen. 1st used by Smith&Wesson to make revolver bbl.'s........ Inventor Alander Vishnitsky, Patent owned by Cation corp. Let your fingers do the walking and Google: electro chemical barrel rifling process. ....... Tons of info there ............... I wasn't familiar with the process either but I'm not top of the food chain in these matters. Tests at FBI labs showed the vertical walls of the rifling weren't as uniform nor sharp as button rifle and other common rifling methods like Cut rifled. Perhaps this negative has been addressed and remedied since early testing back in the 1980's and 1990's. So the question of holding .0002" tolerance within barrels would be my 1st red flag. Just which part of the rifling dimension are they talking about??? FWIW, Dale

Intelligent reply...good question

 

[Kurz]

Here are a couple of images of the cathode and a section of a finished barrel.







The machined gun tube rifle




The electrochemical cathode body

Here is the document presented by the U.S. Army Weapons Command in 1972 with a description of the testing of ECM for rifle barrels:

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/751863.pdf

Regards.

 

[butchlambert]

At this time I think they are about the quality of a hammer forged barrel. Good to see folks experimenting.
You might see this report was written in 1972. Not really feasible as a replacement for our hunting and comp. rifles for some reason.

 

[swd]

All they need to do is release a couple dozen barrels to our best short and LR bench rest shooters to test. Until then it's cut or buttoned barrels...

 

[Kurz]

The Chinese produced an interesting report back in the '90's with regard to the ECM production of rifle barrels. This link is to a report which the Iranians released. It's well written with great drawings and some photographs:

http://www.sid.ir/en/vewssid/j_pdf/8542008b407.pdf

Somewhere in the uncatalogued mass of memory, I seem to remember a discussion with some military folks about ECM being used in a facility producing large caliber rifled barrels for machine guns along with 20mm, 30mm and larger. I thought this facility was in Arizona, somewhere in the southern section, but I can't validate this by a simple search. It may take some time and phone calls...