life expectancy of non-chrome bore AK barrel ??

[MIL-DOT]

i'm hearing widely varying reports of life expectancy of non-chrome lined barrels, specifically the US manufactured barrels put in the popular yugo AK-47's. any enlightenment much appreciated.......M.

 

[thebaldguy]

I'm not sure there will be a big difference; I think the main reason bores are chrome plated is for corrosion resistance.

 

[nalioth]

Militaries have long specified chrome lined barrels in their arms. For years corrosive ammo was the norm, (and still is, in Russia and some other places) and in some countries, the soldiers were conscripts (untrained), so a good weapons cleaning discipline wasn't instilled in them.

Chrome lining is a detriment to accuracy, also.

If you clean your guns after you shoot them, the barrel will outlast you.

 

[MIL-DOT]

"I'm not sure there will be a big difference; I think the main reason bores are chrome plated is for corrosion resistance."

yeah, that's true, but from what i understand, chrome bores are easier to clean and also have significantly greater lifespan. the question me and a friend are discussing is how many rounds ( roughly) will each barrel last for. we've already been all over the search feature......thanks......

 

[nalioth]

<snip> also have significantly greater lifespan

Yes, that is true, in full automatic mode.

 

[MIL-DOT]

OK,fellers, i appreciate the responses, really i do.but no one has yet answered the question at hand. i know it's here, at least in rough estimates. we're standing by.........(actually i'm going to build me another rum and coke, we just crewed a boat from west palm beach to roatan,honduras. we are beat and it's kick-back time !!! )

 

[nalioth]

OK,fellers, i appreciate the responses, really i do.but no one has yet answered the question at hand.

Sure I did.

If you clean your guns after you shoot them, the barrel will outlast you.

 

[geojap]

The best information that I have is that chrome lined, hammer forged barrels made on SSR and SLR AKs from the 1990s will last in excess of 80,000 rounds. This is what I have read on Gunsnet.net from the folks over there. This is all second hand knowledge, but some of it comes from very knowledgeable people.

I have never read what non-chrome lined AK barrels are good for. I would like to know myself as well. I know that Garand barrels (which use a more high-powered round) are good for 6,000 rounds or so. I would assume that a lower powered 7.62x39 round would be easier on a barrel than 30-06 and one would get more life out of an AK barrel than one would a Garand.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The best information that I have is that chrome lined, hammer forged barrels made on SSR and SLR AKs from the 1990s will last in excess of 80,000 rounds.

Color me skeptical. I think the objective for the SCAR lifespan was 15-20k rounds for the barrel. Unless you define "last" as "continue to fling bullets downrange more or less", I'd be surprised if they were lasting 80k with better than 8MOA accuracy at 300yds.

From my own very limited experience and what I've read, the main issues with loss of accuracy are due to throat erosion from heat. So a chrome-lined barrel that gets full auto all the time might not last half as long as a barrel that is allowed to cool after every three rounds.

Used to the same degree, it looks like the chrome bore takes longer to find its sweet spot; but once there it holds it a bit longer. The end result seems to be that given a set accuracy standard, a chrome-lined bore can outlast an unlined bore for an extra 500-1500 rounds depending on various factors.

 

[jpwilly]

Modern chromemoly bbls will last as long as chrome lined bbls. Chrome lined bbls offer ease of cleaning, protection from corrosion in humid environments and protection from corrosive ammo. Chrome barrels also heat up slower because they reflect heat away from the bore and are advantageous for full autos. Chrome bbls don't foul up as much and offer smoother extraction in a dirty chamber.

A chrome disadvantage is that the plating can be inconsistant leading to thicker areas in the bore. Most match grade bbls are not chrome lined for that reason. In an AK or AR Carbine I'd want a chrome lined bore and chamber. An AK barrel shooting the intermediate cartridge you should easily see 10K rounds + from a bbl.

 

[groda]

The best information that I have is that chrome lined, hammer forged barrels made on SSR and SLR AKs from the 1990s will last in excess of 80,000 rounds.

I personally know someone from Arsenal's (the one in Kazanlyk, Bulgaria) AK shops, and, while I can't remember the exact figure he gave me for their Steyr-made civilian barrels, it was not even in the neighborhood of 80,000.