Lothar Walther barrel reviews?

I think he has chambered 100's of their barrels and simply doesn't like them. I also don't think he is the only one who doesn't like them. But if you want to know the real story, you should probably ask him.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f37/just-finished-lothar-walther-barrel-30668/

Things become more and more strange in this thread. > He simply doesn't like them<, what kind of childish explanation should that represent? And what's the reason for his unlogical and offending statement? Is it because it's a foreign product or in addition a foreign (German) product made of high - quality steel he can't handle? I wouldn't buy anything from him. People who are so little self - reflected shouldn't practise in any kind of (sales) buisness.
 
Things become more and more strange in this thread. > He simply doesn't like them<, what kind of childish explanation should that represent? And what's the reason for his unlogical and offending statement? Is it because it's a foreign product or in addition a foreign (German) product made of high - quality steel he can't handle? I wouldn't buy anything from him. People who are so little self - reflected shouldn't practise in any kind of (sales) buisness.

Did you read Chad's post on why he does not like them linked in the thread!
 
Things become more and more strange in this thread. > He simply doesn't like them<, what kind of childish explanation should that represent? And what's the reason for his unlogical and offending statement? Is it because it's a foreign product or in addition a foreign (German) product made of high - quality steel he can't handle? I wouldn't buy anything from him. People who are so little self - reflected shouldn't practise in any kind of (sales) buisness.

If you read the thread at that link I posted, you will be stepping on your lip for a week. I re-read it and saw I wasn't totally correct when I said he didn't like them. He recommended them for tomato stakes.
 
I agree! To note that the material is harder to machine is OK but to make such a bold statement/recommendation not to use it is another story.



Obviously, other gunsmith/rifle builders are not having the same problem, checkout this thread from another forum >>> Lothar Walther barrels, esp. #14.

I've worked with many forms of stainless steel in the past, plus about every form of 4xxx steel they sell. Add to that much of the air hardening catalog. With the exception of Ferritic and Graphmo, Hestalloy, and Waspalloy, these are about as tough to machine as you normally encounter. I think MAR-10 machines slightly better than 17ph-4 because the chips come off the metal easier, and all the heat seems to end up in the chip. None of these steels like light cuts. The insert you use is the trick, and the metal dosn't like you to push the metal off the surface. It wants you to cut it off. Cutting processes are closely guarded, and even the coolants used are secretive. Now I can't remember billing figures for 17ph-4 or 18-5, but MAR-10 is very expensive steel. Last time I bought two rounds of it (5" x 72") I paid $6500! The advantages of 17ph-4 and 18-5 (have not worked enough with 15-5 to base an opinion) are that it's about 99.9% corrosion resistent. Seems to handle heat better than the typical 410 / 416 / 420 / 440c SS steels. Plus the are far less prone to stress cracking. They do not rust in de ionized water, while the other four will be coated with rust in less than a week.

To machine these steels, the spindle group needs to be over built. They will ruin a set of Bridgeport bearings in less than a week. In a lathe, they are about all the average Okuma can handle (the larger models do much better). A Monarch hydraulic will cut them very well if you keep the chips from stringing. Machine operators hate the stuff, because they are always getting burnt. (you,ve had no fun till a large chip lands in your lap!!!!) They are a real pain to grind, but seem to hone well with diamond stones. Dosn't like to be gun drilled! I never did quite figure out a good grind for the drills, and you need much more coolant pressure that with regular steels. EDM processes are easy with the stuff.

But as negative as I posted about these exotic stainless steels, they are easy when compared to Hestalloy!!!! That stuff is a constant learning curve. The scrap rate is always high.
gary

with the exception of MAR-10 (the samething as 17ph-4 but in pre treat form), the real issue with them is that they are so tough to machine. Probably due to a much higher nickel content. Mar-10 comes it at about 30RC, and don't remember the others being that hard.
 
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You have the Finest Barrel Makers in the World on your Doorstep, do not compromise by getting a LW. The reason they are popular in Europe is they are readily available, unlike American made Barrels.

Getting a Barrel out of the States is not easy, it needs Export Licenses. You have long waiting times and they are Expensive when Import Taxes are added.
I have a LW Bench Programme Barrel on my Borden Actioned 25-06 AI and it is a Dog, my Smith hated machining it too.

If Bartleins were readily available here i doubt LW would sell a Barrel.

Brit.
 
You have the Finest Barrel Makers in the World on your Doorstep, do not compromise by getting a LW. The reason they are popular in Europe is they are readily available, unlike American made Barrels.

Getting a Barrel out of the States is not easy, it needs Export Licenses. You have long waiting times and they are Expensive when Import Taxes are added.
I have a LW Bench Programme Barrel on my Borden Actioned 25-06 AI and it is a Dog, my Smith hated machining it too.

If Bartleins were readily available here i doubt LW would sell a Barrel.

Brit.

there's a guy named Hart over here that makes his barrels out of 17ph-4 (as well as his actions). His barrels and actions seem to win more than their share of the action. There's another little company named Black Star that uses metal like that.

The first time I had a job out of 17ph-4, it was for a dozen gears with an oddball involute. They were about a foot in diameter, and they had a .001" window on everything (involute, spacing, pitch diameter,etc.). I found a cutter that was close and had it reground to a spec provided by Valenite and Ill. Tool. It didn't work as well as we wanted it to, and they had me regrind the tool slightly differently with a different coating. The gears were cut on a Lorenze, and looked like they were gauge quality. Everything was in the .0004" to .0006" area per the Redline. I made each gear with two cuts, a roughing cut that left about six or eight thousandths all the way around, and then programed the shaper for a second cleanup pass. I actually had more trouble cutting the gear blanks than cutting the gear teeth, and that wasn't that much. Just had to change the inserts three or four times to reduce the tool pressure. The hard part was sawing the gear blanks as it ate saw blades like Ampco 22 bronze. Now you think that .001" on a 12" diameter #6 modified pitch gear is a breeze, then try it. I figured that we'd have to run them accross the Magg gear grinder to clean up the involute before we cut the first gear. That's like cutting a rifle chamber to fifty millionths of an inch. Still a piece of cake compared to Hestalloy.
gary
 
Brits barrel is not a dog, it just does not like game bullets, i shot tiny 100yd groups with Brits rifle using 100g Sierra Matchkings and 115g Berger match VLDs, i keep on telling him you cant say its a bad barrel just because it does not like the game bullets you have tried, Brit is aslo aware of what i think about the capabilities of his smith!!

I am a retired master machinist and worked for 17 years for a company involved in the gas turbine industry, they hated spending money on tooling so i learnt an awful lot about cutting exotic steels with HSS tool bits.
We get the same here in the UK from smiths who do not have the skills to machine LW barrels because they do not have any idea of speeds and feeds and also rely on throwaway carbide tooling because they are unable to grind HSS tools.

I have chambered several LW barrels, one in 257 Weatherby, all turned and screwcut with HSS tooling i ground myself, granted it did not turn as easily as some of the US 416 barrels i have done but with the correct peripheral speed, a precisely ground tool and quality cutting oil i achieved excellent results and beautifully cut chambers which needed little final polishing.

Ian.
 
Brits barrel is not a dog, it just does not like game bullets, i shot tiny 100yd groups with Brits rifle using 100g Sierra Matchkings and 115g Berger match VLDs, i keep on telling him you cant say its a bad barrel just because it does not like the game bullets you have tried, Brit is aslo aware of what i think about the capabilities of his smith!!

I am a retired master machinist and worked for 17 years for a company involved in the gas turbine industry, they hated spending money on tooling so i learnt an awful lot about cutting exotic steels with HSS tool bits.
We get the same here in the UK from smiths who do not have the skills to machine LW barrels because they do not have any idea of speeds and feeds and also rely on throwaway carbide tooling because they are unable to grind HSS tools.

I have chambered several LW barrels, one in 257 Weatherby, all turned and screwcut with HSS tooling i ground myself, granted it did not turn as easily as some of the US 416 barrels i have done but with the correct peripheral speed, a precisely ground tool and quality cutting oil i achieved excellent results and beautifully cut chambers which needed little final polishing.

Ian.

WTG mate!
 

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BAT actions and McMillan actions are made from 17-4 Stainless.

I knew there was another besides Hart, but didn't know about BAT.

One thing you learn about 17ph-4 stainless steel is that it seems to produce a very small harmonic signature. Yes there is a learning curve to deal with, but there's all kinds of help out there. Most of it is only a phone call away. When you get into some of the exotic space age alloys, your mostly on your own as nobody's giving up intellectual technology. My first Hestalloy job liked to picked my brain clean! Made a few phone calls and called in some markers. The Kennmetal guys showed up with a sack full of inserts to try, and at least we had a start. Waspalloy was another story! The tool sales guys were allowed to even see the stuff being cut, so couldn't help much. Once again a couple phone calls opened doors.
gary
 
Brits barrel is not a dog, it just does not like game bullets, i shot tiny 100yd groups with Brits rifle using 100g Sierra Matchkings and 115g Berger match VLDs, i keep on telling him you cant say its a bad barrel just because it does not like the game bullets you have tried, Brit is aslo aware of what i think about the capabilities of his smith!!

I am a retired master machinist and worked for 17 years for a company involved in the gas turbine industry, they hated spending money on tooling so i learnt an awful lot about cutting exotic steels with HSS tool bits.
We get the same here in the UK from smiths who do not have the skills to machine LW barrels because they do not have any idea of speeds and feeds and also rely on throwaway carbide tooling because they are unable to grind HSS tools.

I have chambered several LW barrels, one in 257 Weatherby, all turned and screwcut with HSS tooling i ground myself, granted it did not turn as easily as some of the US 416 barrels i have done but with the correct peripheral speed, a precisely ground tool and quality cutting oil i achieved excellent results and beautifully cut chambers which needed little final polishing.

Ian.

have missed your posts! Good to hear from you
gary
 
This is my last post on this thread due to the ****ing match going on. But as far as the LW not shooting hunting bullets well is just not true. The pic of the shots on the steel are 3 consecutive shots using AR-Comp, RWS Brass, F210M, and 168 NBT Hunting bullets at 718yds. The paper target was at 100yds in the prone position with three consecutive shots. It measured .116" So I would say its a matter of loading and not necessarily the barrel. You need to find a bullet it likes. It's a 28" 1:12 twist Lothar on a Savage action. I had my barrel pre-chambered and threaded to fit my Savage from LW. It cost a little extra, but no more than if I would have ordered a blank and payed a smith to do it. Have a good one gentlemen!
 

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