Benchmark goes Nitride. Carrying new match bullet

[memilanuk]

Is there a limit to how many rounds down a tube before having it treated? Say for instance I have a barrel that probably has 2500rds through it, shoots *really* nice, probably one of the best shooting barrels I've had to be honest - and it only seems to get better with more rounds through it. Problem is the throat has moved a bit and if it moves much more, well it'll be too much. Yes, I could have it set back first but its one of those things where its shooting so well I *really* don't want to screw with it - but if I could 'preserve' it at this point and get another several thousand rounds of it that would be pretty awesome ;D

[358Hammer]

Lets see- You already have fire crack and and the worst way. You indicate you have moved or it has moved the throat. SO one introduces the fire cracking to 1200 degrees for an hour. I am only guessing but I suspect you just finished the barrel off.

I do know someone who lapped a badly fire cracked barrel and had it Nitrided. It worked very well as a tent stake.

Neal

[memilanuk]

Hmmm... guess I'll have to bore scope it and see how it looks. Normally I don't see a lot of fire cracking in a .308 Win that early in life... if I had to guess I'd say some/a lot of the 'throat movement' may be the recontouring of the throat from the somewhat steeper throat angle that factory tubes usually have to something more like what the bullet is shaped like.

If it was set back an inch, do you think it might work then?

Obviously I *really* like the way this barrel shoots ;)

[358Hammer]

Just checked with a friend of a friend last night> Someone that beat me to Nitriding a 6.5 WSM has 900 rounds down the pipe without an issue yet. That is well past the life expectancy of the 6.5WSM prior to Nitriding. Accuracy is still right where it was and no sign of wear.

These guys are scoping the throat often and to date there isn't any sign that their barrels have been shot.

Note: In speaking with Chris at Benchmark- they are charging what they charge because they are cleaning the barrels before Nitride and lapping them clean after the Nitride to make sure the barrels are exactly the same quaality as an untreated Benchmark barrel. They are also re-installing that barrel if they have the action it came off of. SO that $100. isn't just for the Nitriding. My 300 RUM barrel did not ship to me prior to Nitride. The smith had to remove the brand new blueing from inside and outside the barrel before it could be sent off. When I got my barrel back NO one cleaned anything after Nitride. There was still salt residue and bath remanents and take my word for it, I have never cleaned a worse bore, ever.

Information

Neal

[358Hammer]

Followup on Nitride:

A flaw caused by natural procession or neglect?

Last week I sent my 6.5 barrel back to Benchmark though they did not do the Nitriding. I was having a major problem getting the spent cases from the chamber.

They have had a number of Nitrided barrels that when bore scoped looked like frost inside when they came back from Nitriding.. My barrel had the frost and after 250 rounds it looked extremely frosted. Benchmark is handlapping the bores and chambers as previously stated because for whatever reason some of the barrels have that frosting affect so they are smoothing the inside of the barrels so we as the consumer will not have that extraction problem.

We are guessing it is the salt/chemical deposit that can not be cleaned by normal means like I did wwhen I got the barrel back. Plus I haven't a bore scope so I could not see that the chamber needed smoothing from the Frost.
None of my other barrels has shown this but none of the other barrels are a 6.5 WSM.

Just updated information



Neal

[yorketransport]

Thanks for the info Neal. I'm interested to hear how this works out.

Andrew

[WYcoyote]

I hope with all the extra lapping after the nitride they are not removing the coating we paid for. I trust Benchmark will do us right.
Chris called me on Mon and let me know my 6.5-.284 Norma nitrided barrel is on the way.

[ESSCEE]

Does anyone have a good link for benchmark or am I missing something? a google search really only brings up this thread.

Thanks
Scott

[358Hammer]

Benchmark does not have a website. " I am too busy now". is a quote from the boys at Benchmark. They wish to stay the size they are and have the time to make a super quality barrel .

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2008/02/benchmark-expands-centerfire-barrel-line/

Hand lapping after Nitride is intended to make sure those salts and anything else have been removed from the surface only. It is the way it should have been done to my barrel and was not because I went through a new guy and he did not know about the surface salt issue any more than I did. Nitride being incredibly hard I am pretty sure it can not be removed when lapping .
THE LAPPING IS DONE IN A DIFFERENT MANNER than the initual lapping.

I am not going to worry about it as I am sending two more barrels out to have it done. The purpose of this informational is simply to say that not all companies do as great of job at looking out for our best interests. And if someone else down the line has a problem extracting like I did the information is out there and it isn't a barrel quality issue. It is a good process and this is one out of nine barrels that got through because I do not have a bore scope to see it. AT the cost of a scope I won't be having one either.

Neal

[WYcoyote]

I just called Benchmark today and my 6.5-284 Norma Savage pre-fit barrel was done and they were just about to package and ship it, I hit them up about nitriding it, $100. and one week.
Perfect timing, thanks Neal.


Got my barrel from Benchmark and they charged me $150 for the nitride, called to check, aparently I was mistaken with the $100 amount.
So $150 it cost me for nitriding at Benchmark.