[Andrew Wyatt]

they're used up and replaced? do they get tossed in the trash?

[Steve Smith]

Tomato stakes. Match shooters grow lots of tomatoes.

[fatboyclone]

Tomato stakes. Match shooters grow lots of tomatoes

http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/jump.gif

way too funny

[rock jock]

Why couldn't they be reamed out and rebarreled for another, larger caliber with similar chamber pressures?

[Steve Smith]

I reckon they could, but it seems like it would be more work than dealing with a new blank, so what's the point? Besides, I like tomatoes.

[uglygun]

Heck, I bet there would be a market for the things still if somebody were to reprofile the barrel and then rethroat it.


I mean really, a match barrel will begin to loose it's accuracy at X number of rounds but that's a rather relative term governed by the knit picking attention to detail by the match shooter demanding the utmost accuracy.

Taking that barrel off it likely could still serve out a decent life for some with lesser demands. Can't help but wonder. A good lathe monkey could chuck that barrel up and know just how much of the chamber end of the barrel to turn down so that he can re-ream the sucker and still have the gas port lining up properly with the upper receiver.

Take a 24 inch barrel down to a 16 or 18 inch barrel by removing some of the length off the chamber end and then removing some length off the muzzle end.

Hell, if bolt gunners can do it why can't the AR15 nuts?

[Steve Smith]

True, except for gas port pressure issues. Tell ya what, any of you are welcome to my next barrel for $100 (why not, right? ;) ). Shoots lots of xs at 600 yards.

Will be coming off the gun in Sep/Oct.

[uglygun]

:)

That's why I suggested 16s or 18inch tubes. Those are both plentiful and folks know plenty about makin them, going down to those lengths from 20+ inch barrels shouldn't be too bad. Just set the gas port as being the base line and you could go from there with respect to how much barrel you need going either direction.

Port diameter would be the next worry, match barrels possibly having nonstandard ports needing to be opened up more or needing an adjustable gas block or tube.


I bet there are some folks out there who'd like the opportunity. DPMS has the barrel extensions in stock I'm sure, if not Brownell's probably has them.

[Redlg155]

I think old barrels could be brought back to life if you could find someone who would offer chrome plating at a reasonable price, say $30.00.

Chrome lining the chamber and barrel could possibly bring it back to almost new specs.

Good Shooting
Red

[Nero Steptoe]

Red: Wish you'd explain your chrome-plating theory in a little more detail. How does shot-out rifling get improved by chroming it?

[Andrew Wyatt]

see, the reason i ask is because i'm looking for an ar-15 barrel that is safe to fire for not too much money, since i'm building a straight pull rifle that uses an ar-15 bolt.

is a "shot out" match barrel a 3 MOA barrel?

[Redlg155]

Wish you'd explain your chrome-plating theory in a little more detail. How does shot-out rifling get improved by chroming it?

Ahhh..this goes on the presumption that the rifling in itself is not shot out. It just doesn't produce acceptable accuracy for the demanding shooter who expects 100 percent from his barrel. These barrels would probably still produce acceptable accuracy for those who aren't as discriminating. Those few thousandths of an inch wear could possibly be replaced by a chrome plating process.

I would think that a new barrel that is to be chrome plated is cut slightly oversized to make sure the barrel is within spec after the chrome plating process. Therein lies my theory.

Now perhaps we could get a chrome plating expert to jump in here and gimme some help on this! :D

Good Shooting
Red

[Jim Watson]

I am sure that if you were on friendly terms with a target shooter or target rifle gunsmith that you could intercept a used barrel on its way to the garden. It should have at least half its "combat serviceable" as the old Ruvel Surplus ads said, accuracy life left. The question is how to get on good enough terms with somebody who uses up barrels... without taking up target shooting and having your own used barrels to plink with.

If it needs setting back to get a clean throat for your use, better figure on doing the work yourself. Paying somebody to salvage a used barrel doesn't seem like an economical approach.

At one time there were a number of shops doing reboring of used barrels to the next larger caliber. In the 50's when the .308 family was new, the writers rhapsodized about buying a hot new .243, shooting it out, having it rebored to .308 (or even an exotic 6.5 or 7mm wildcat) and then on to .358. I never heard or read of anybody going around more than once, though.

My theory is that there is little reboring being done now - except for exotic pieces to be returned to shooting condition without losing markings or engraving - because the skilled labor costs relatively more to take an individual barrel, do an individual machine setup, and rebore, rerifle, and refit it. In the meantime, the machines are better, and a new barrel to standard specifications costs relatively less. Plus, shooters have higher expectations, less spare time, and more money. A new barrel is a safer bet with faster delivery.

The problem with plating an eroded barrel is that the wear is not smooth or uniform and you can't direct the placement of chromium atoms. Ever seen a borescope of a well used barrel? It is rough and irregular. There is a name for a chrome plated rough surface... a file.

[Steve Smith]

Andrew, a "shot out" barrel to a HP competitor means its throwing fliers at 600 or 1000 yards. There could still be 2-4000 rounds worth of very good shooting at 200 yards.

[bogie]

Reboring? Be serious. If you want accuracy, just suck it up and buy a new barrel. I'm not sure what it'd cost to take your barrel, bore it, rifle it, and then probably rechamber it, but I suspect that a new barrel would be cheaper.

I pay $150/chamber, and I'm happy. Shilen Select Match barrels run about $250-275 or so.