I have both a s&w ar 15 with the r-5 melonite barrel also the dpms with chrome barrel. put 50 rounds apiece. took home started cleaning them. not sure but notice that cleaning the dpms was a lot more work than the s&w, in that it took longer to clean. had to really push the cleaning rodthrough the barrel but the melonite seem to took maybe 1/3 the effort. am I right or wrong. also I checked s&w site to see which had the melonite barrels not a one of the ar have it now just the ar 10 is that bad or good for me. does that mean the chrome barrls are better. should I keep it or sell and get the chrome barrel.
cleaning melonite vs chrome
- Thread starter scout777
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That's because the barrel on the dpms is chrome moly vanadium ( the metal the barrel is made out of) not actually chrome lined unless you special ordered a chrome lined barrel. There is nothing wrong with the melonite barrels. If you want a chrome lined barrel just replace the melonite barrel when it finally wears out.
adelbridge
Member
I have a Lilja stainless barrel that doesnt seem to get dirty at all. I can put 40 rounds through it and I dont see soot. I wipe it out with a bore snake and after 150 rounds the snake is still clean. It has more to do with the final finish, if it is mirror smooth inside everything seems to blow out.
I would expect more accuracy out of the smith melonite 5r
I would expect longer life out of a true chrome lined bore and slightly less accurate
I would expect more accuracy out of the smith melonite 5r
I would expect longer life out of a true chrome lined bore and slightly less accurate
Z-Michigan
Member
All the info is out there with a search.
Ease of cleaning relates mostly to smoothness of the bore, not how it's coated. A high quality plain steel barrel will clean easier than a rough bore with a coating or conversion process.
Ease of cleaning relates mostly to smoothness of the bore, not how it's coated. A high quality plain steel barrel will clean easier than a rough bore with a coating or conversion process.
briansmithwins
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From what little I've seen the nitride conversion coatings are very tough. Bore and chamber were smooth and easy to clean after the owner (I borrowed the rifle and cleaned it afterwards) shot corrosive ammo and didn't clean it for six months. In Oregon.
Some of the stainless attachments that were exposed to the gas fouling were corroded, the piston spring was eaten almost in two, but the bore and chamber were fine. I'd guess hard chrome would have peeled and flaked given that treatment.
BSW
Some of the stainless attachments that were exposed to the gas fouling were corroded, the piston spring was eaten almost in two, but the bore and chamber were fine. I'd guess hard chrome would have peeled and flaked given that treatment.
BSW
herkyguy
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I had the option to either buy a chrome or melonite barrel in a S&WMP15. after a bit of research, i went with the melonite. It's a pretty cool process where they harden the existing inner barrel rather than lay the chrome down after the fact. some will argue it provides for a barrel with less imperfections than chrome. it is also tough as nails.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Melonite (or Glock's proprietary Tenifer treatment) is not a coating. I don't know why so many fail to understand this. It must be because so many falsely believe the black finish on a Glock's slide is the Tenifer "finish" but it is not. It is a surface hardening treatment, little different from traditional case hardening. Nothing is done to change the color or to add material to the surface. No dimensions are altered. It is merely surface hardened. Which makes it more impervious to corrosion than any existing plating.
The black finish on a Glock's slide is black oxide applied after-the-fact.
Ok...Melonite treatment. Of course that still does not affect this thread at all.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
It does if it makes someone think that Melonite is a coating. The drawback of hard chrome lining is that it alters the internal dimensions of the bore, because unlike Melonite, it is added material. It also does not disperse evenly. Melonite is simply a hardening treatment and does not alter the internal dimensions of the bore. Therefore, a Melonite treated barrel should typically be more accurate. If we are to discuss anything intelligently, the information we exchange should be factual. 
Can be...more accurate, but I guess that is better taken on a case by case basis.
How about the topic which originally started this? Cleaning? Which should be easier to clean?
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herkyguy
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so does chrome hold onto carbon/lead fouling more so than melonite? I only have a melonite barrel AR, so i have nothing to compare it to regarding cleaning, but does the hardened steel in a melonite-treated barrel cause fouling to break free easier?
Back on track for the OP.....
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Which is why I used words like "should" and "typically", rather than absolutes.
Look, you posted erroneous information and got corrected. Everybody is wrong every now and then. No reason to get bent outta shape about it.
Which is why I used words like "should" and "typically", rather than absolutes.
Look, you posted erroneous information and got corrected. Everybody is wrong every now and then. No reason to get bent outta shape about it.
I am not bent out of shape....I don't mind being given correct information.
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justice06rr
Member
My opinion? The OP is being way too picky with cleaning his AR after only 50rds...
stubbicatt
Member
One of the first things I remarked upon when I cleaned my SIG 556 was how slippery the bore was, even though several hundred rounds had been fired through it. The patch just sort of glided on through. It did seem easier to me to clean than chrome lined bores I have experienced.
RainDodger
Member
As I understand it, part of the reason the melonite barrel may be easier to clean is not due to the melonite itself (although it may be part of it), but the 5R rifling.
The lands do not meet the grooves at 90 degrees - it's a more gradual angle. I think I read that the walls of the lands meet the grooves at 65 degrees or something... which means there is not a 90 angle for lead, copper or other assorted goobers to adhere to. That means it should clean up easier.
In my experience, that is the case. It seems to me that my 5R-rifled melonite barrel cleans up easier than any of my "standard"-rifled barrels.
The lands do not meet the grooves at 90 degrees - it's a more gradual angle. I think I read that the walls of the lands meet the grooves at 65 degrees or something... which means there is not a 90 angle for lead, copper or other assorted goobers to adhere to. That means it should clean up easier.
In my experience, that is the case. It seems to me that my 5R-rifled melonite barrel cleans up easier than any of my "standard"-rifled barrels.
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