Originally Posted by
82boy
I have done some playing with cryogenic freezing of barrels, and I must say there is something there to it. To anyone that would say that Cryogenic freezing is "snake oil" I would ask them if they have ever heard of Krieger barrels? John Krieger must think there is something to this process, as ALL Krieger barrels are cryogenically frozen before they are machined/drilled. Krieger use to cryogenically freeze the barrels twice, once before machining, and then after, because they believe so much in the process. They stopped double freezing barrels as of extra cost, time, and little added benefit of freezing then a second time. I think John Krieger knows something about barrels, as right now there is a 16 month wait for a barrel blank, and look at equipment list on Benchrest match's, where the highest amount of accuracy on the planet is at, and you will see more Krieger barrels than anything else.
The benefits to a barrel that is cryogenically frozen, is it will machine smoother. (Ask any machinist who has machined both materials.) With this smoother machining you will get less tool push off, and a batter product. The barrel will also gain a couple of points in hardness, as an additional benefit. This would also attribute to less tool wear. As far as other claims, of them being easier to clean, this is a subjective question, I would say in my experience, the brush, and patches push through a bit smoother. I would not say that they collect any less/more material between shots.
On better barrel life, this again is a subjective question, as some barrels just last longer than others and there is no rhyme or reason to it. I have talked to people that have claimed that they have. On velocity , this again is a subjective question, and my experience say no they shoot about the same velocity. On accuracy, again this is subjective. The problem is with these questions is that each barrel has its own personality, and every one will behave differently. To honestly evaluate this process, it would take a large test with at least 50 identical barrels (25 of each ) shot with the same cases, powder, primers, bullets as so forth. Most companies don't have the wants or means to do this.
One thing I can say about cryogenic treatment, that can not be said about the others is, I have never heard of a single case where this detrimentally hurt the barrel. Either people say that they saw an improvement, or they did not, but I have never heard of anyone saying that a barrel shot worse. (I have heard a quite few stories of people having barrels salt bath nitrating/ meloniting, and the barrels being forever ruined.)
Now with that all said, cryogenic works in barrels, but it other areas, I would say it is a waste of time, such as triggers, springs, or actions. These parts just do not see a benefit to the process. I would state that prior to being broached, formed, or made they might see a slight benefit to it. An action only needs to hold the barrel, and the sighting device, in a consistent manner. Accuracy happens in the barrels.
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