Odd materials/metals used to make guns?

[Drgong]

We all know there are Steel guns
and there is these long lasting polymer guns...
And of course there is the Zinc/Alum Alloy guns...

But what other pastics and metals have been used to make firearms over the years?

 

[highorder]

how about "Brastil?"

http://www.pbase.com/mrclark/image/73439213


This one is in the Springfield Armory Museum in Massachusetts.

 

[crushbup]

The Mythbusters did a show about a wooden cannon (it had a spectacular KB, though)

Other than bare iron, likely used in the early days of firearms manufacture, I can't really think of anything.

 

[Dope]

Does anyone make any carbon fiber guns or gun parts yet? You can get barrels can't you?

Dope

 

[Wolfman_556]

Does anyone make any carbon fiber guns or gun parts yet? You can get barrels can't you?

Bushmaster Carbon-15 model.

I seem to recall back in the early 60s, either Armalite or Colt made an AR15/M16 with a composite barrel of some sort, which didn't go over well.

 

[EHCRain10]

Remington 105CTi has carbon fiber in it

 

[nicholst55]

That would have been the original Armalite AR-10; it had, IIRC, a titanium barrel which was very thin - too thin, as it turned out.

There are currently carbon fiber parts, titanium and Scandium parts, and copper-beryllium parts. And doubtless others that I've overlooked.

 

[crushbup]

I completely forgot about the lightweight "exotic" metals like scandium, thanks nicholst55!

 

[highorder]

done forget the Brass Henry rifle.

 

[Monkeybear]

The Remington Nylon Rifle was made from Nylon.

 

[oneshooter]

Bronze and brass cannons were standard for years.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[TehK1w1]

I'm just waiting for Extreme shock to come out with a gun made of Nytrilium.

 

[HB]

Winchester had a shotgun whose barrel was a thin steel tube wrapped with thousands of feet of fiberglass wire. The shotgun was very light, but funny looking. I heard they lost favor quickly becuase if the fiberglass was nicked, the barrel would unravel and possible KB

HB

 

[Crow1108]

A company called Christensen or Christiansen or some variation of the name (from Utah IIRC...saw it at a gunshow awhile back), made a bolt-action rifle with a composite barrel. Pretty light weight.

There were a few cannons a long time ago that were made from brass.

 

[marktx]

That would have been the original Armalite AR-10; it had, IIRC, a titanium barrel which was very thin - too thin, as it turned out.

There is a picture of the subsequent burst barrel in Small Arms of the World by Edward Ezell.

Titanium would make a great barrel material except for the fact that it tends to gall (stick/smear more or less) with other metals so you gotta line it with steel.

 

[SDC]

I've seen prison-manufactured guns made from epoxy with aluminium tubes as barrels and flashlight circuitry as the "trigger"; I also saw one made from a can of soda pop, a bag of potato chips, 2 AA batteries, a package of matches, a tuft of steel wool, and a scrap of copper wire.

 

[plexreticle]

I also saw one made from a can of soda pop, a bag of potato chips, 2 AA batteries, a package of matches, a tuft of steel wool, and a scrap of copper wire.

Wow, that puts Mcgiver to shame.

 

[Jim Watson]

Some machine guns have a Stellite (mostly cobalt) liner in the chamber and first several inches of barrel for longer service life firing long bursts.

There has been some work done with ceramic gun barrels or liners.

 

[PercyShelley]

WhistlePig makes a steel-lined aluminum barrel for the 10/22:

http://www.wpgbc.com/specs.htm

 

[Avenger]

I once owned a knock-off of a baby Browning that I am convinced was manufactured of concentrated "FAIL".

 

[TAB]

thick walled PVC will make a great black powder gun, for 1 shot and 1 shot only.

 

[belus]

I've never heard of it made, but I really want a gun made of equiaxed investment cast nickel-aluminum. The metal would reflect light unevenly and look like the turbine blade in the middle:

 

[jjbduke2004]

There's been some talk of the Army manufacturing mortar tubes out of an Inconel alloy to save weight. There have been some attempts at using composites as well.

 

[Jim Watson]

Inconel save weight? How? Inconels are high nickel alloys, little if any lower density than steel.

 

[highorder]

Inconel save weight? How? Inconels are high nickel alloys, little if any lower density than steel.

My thoughts as well.

Perhaps the gain in tensile strength over steel allows for thinner tubes, but I would think that some of the 300 series stainless steels would be a cheaper, better choice. How high could the pressure be in a mortar tube?