nitrite barrel treatment

[stevem]

I saw a reference to this a few months back at 6mmbr.com and it sounded very interesting. And relatively inexpensive. Has anyone had any experience with this? If one were to try it would it be worth breaking in and evaluating the barrels performance and throat depth first?
Steve

[EFBell]

There are a couple threads on it here. 358Hammer has some getting done. or did have already.

[yorketransport]

Neal (358Hammer) has some experience with the treatment. It's been discussed a little bit on my 338/375 Ruger thread. It's towards the bottom of the page.

http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...c,31041.0.html

Andrew

[stevem]

Thanks for the leads gentlemen. Actually I saw a reference from 358Hammer in the Reloader 17 thread and started to send him a pm then thought maybe a new thread might be more appropriate. I'm about ready to try an aftermarket barrel and the claimed benefits of nitriding sound pretty compelling.
Steve

[McKinneyMike]

Here is a link on 6mmBR forum about the benefits of nitriding a barrel. Read Butch Lambert's post at the bottom of Page 1. I think that I will indeed try it out soon.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/forum...3747219.0.html

[358Hammer]

stevem
I have some barrels coming back to me that if I did not trust the person chambering completely, I would have had the barrels sent way up here to me first, did some shooting and then sent them off.

I currently have a Savage short throat 300WSM that I will be stuck shooting 150 grain bullets because once the hardening prossess is done, the chamber is going to remain just the way it was before the hardening process. At 70R hardness one will need to purchase a carbide reamer or grind the lead area to extend a chamber.

I have several Factory Savage barrels with unknown round count with the treatment. Each was an exceptionally accurate shooter prior to the treatment. Each retained its accuracy after the treatment. One of those barrels I had to change from H4350 to H4831 (338 Win Mag) to get the accuracy node again.
Since Savage doesn't stress relieve barrels I am pretty sure the treatment which is also done at the same temperature as the Nitride treatment, stress relieved an already broke in barrel. Which changed the internals somewhat requiring me to go to a slower burning powder to drop pressures.

The barrels I am currently having the treatment done on are 2 brand new stress (twice)relieved after market barrels and one Savage 300WSM barrel that was stress relieve and then relapped by Benchmark.

I shoot Stainless barrels only because of the corrosive elements here in Alaska. I do not like the shiny stainless finish however.
and typically paint, which takes time and time is money. This treatment turns the barrels and actions to a beautiful $300. looking blue job so knocking down the shiny stainless reflective qualities is no more.
[img width=600 height=450]http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk460/emeraldislandlover/GreatAmerican338.jpg[/img]


[img width=600 height=450]http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk460/emeraldislandlover/Patriot338NewLook.jpg[/img]

[wwbrown]

It sounds like you are having your Savage actions done in addition to your barrels, how are the actions working out? I ask about the actions, because I talked to Joel Kendrick MMI-Trutec's front guy for selling their salt-bath nitriting process for barrels and he said he was sure that Savage actions could be done. I am getting another batch ready to ship to MMI so I meet their $100 minimum as I only one barrel getting done this time.

I had two barrels done this Spring a 6 mmBR and a 338 Edge both were SS Brux barrels installed on Rem 700 clones. I have shot the 6mm BR enough to show that the process did not change the outstanding accuracy that it had before treating, I have not shot the edge after treating to test it. The next barrel I will have treated is a barrel off my F-class rig a Bartlein 6.5 x 47L (6.5L) and I would like to group a savage action and bolt body with the order.

wade

[358Hammer]

Wade

I have but one complaint with the action. Savage actions are not stress relieved so when I got the barreled action back it did not fit my bedding and screw holes the way it did before I sent it. It went back in okay, just was tight where it was not before. Screws were not in the middle of the screw holes in the stock so I had to open the holes up .010 so they did not bind. Had to relieve the action sides a bit so the action did not bind setting it back into the stock. Not sure about the bottom of the action. SHoots great so I am not going to worry about it.

Concern is the people doing this process need to be in the know and not leave things on like trigger groups,etc. If they are not gunsmiths and you work on your own stuff, I would take everything off prior to shipping.

Neal

[McKinneyMike]

Hammer was that a CM action or a SS action?

[358Hammer]

All have been stainless thus far with the exception of one moly 300WSM barrel.

Neal