Electro Chemical Machined rifling

[Impulsive]

I have a Smith & Wesson revolver that I believe the rifling in it was cut with this prosess.

 

[rakkikoira]

Tagging in.

 

[Bob Wright]

It's interesting that they mention value, I wouldn't expect a barrel made that way to be cheap. Every caliber and every twist needs a different electrode and I think they are somewhat consumable. I know the machines are expensive and I believe the process is slow...

On the 5" gun for NAVSEA in 1979 the above report showed .75" per minute speed. That leads me to believe it's way faster than single point cut rifling and elimination of hand lapping.
Especially when the rifle barrels we use are 20 times smaller in material removal in cubic inches.
This company in England is doing cut, button and ECM. They certainly see value in this or they wouldn't be making massive $ investments in it.
I would think it would have to be better than what we are used to, just to recoup the investment.
-No burrs
-No reamer marks
-Fully radiused edges
-Less than 16 RMS surface finish
-Practically no barrel break in needed
-No lapping
-Progressively choked contour to the muzzle.
We can only dream until they put them on the market at some price we are willing to pay.
I hope they are on to something.

 

[hunter0528]

Following.

 

[D-mon]

Ritter and stark have done it:
The R&S rifling process is propriety and secret and is done using ECM without introducing any stresses on the barrel and is extremely versatile as to what rifling and rate of twist can be incorporated into any barrel. Runout on the barrel is kept to within 0.02mm from chamber to muzzle. This equates to less than .0008″, to put it in US units of measure.

RITTER & STARK – STATE OF THE ART RIFLE BUILDING

We visit a new rifle builder to see just how far technology can go when building a precision rifle.

snipercentral.com

 

[cajun]

Ritter and stark have done it:
The R&S rifling process is propriety and secret and is done using ECM without introducing any stresses on the barrel and is extremely versatile as to what rifling and rate of twist can be incorporated into any barrel. Runout on the barrel is kept to within 0.02mm from chamber to muzzle. This equates to less than .0008″, to put it in US units of measure.

RITTER & STARK – STATE OF THE ART RIFLE BUILDING

We visit a new rifle builder to see just how far technology can go when building a precision rifle.

snipercentral.com

Yes and they are out of business. Makes you wonder.

 

[sable tireur]

It's the technology and production practices which makes the rifle interesting. The price was certainly a little off-putting.

The articles on why they are out of business are interesting from the standpoint that it was supposedly the financing through Russia which led to ultimate collapse of the company.

Fortunately there are still a couple of semi-auto .338 Lapua rifles available, although Barrett is still not a shoe in for U.S. sales from the new owners...

 

[Blackwater Red]

Tagging in. I'm interested.

 

[Ol' Red]

This is very interesting. I know what I will be doing tonight. Reading everything that I can find on the net about this.

 

[Bob Wright]

This is very interesting. I know what I will be doing tonight. Reading everything that I can find on the net about this.

We used "Anocut" machines making turbine and compressor disks. Especially on super alloys but, the cobalt and other nasty stuff in the sludge was expensive to ship it out.
416 barrel steel has chrome and nickel, 4130 steel is moly, chrome and trace amounts of chemicals for good machinability, manganese I believe.

 

[quigley257]

S&W have been doing their barrels like this since 93 I believe. Interesting process with very beneficial results. I'm surprised more precision barrel makers haven't adopted the ECM rifling.

 

[Impulsive]

S&W have been doing their barrels like this since 93 I believe. Interesting process with very beneficial results. I'm surprised more precision barrel makers haven't adopted the ECM rifling.

Since 931? Explain please.

 

[quigley257]

Since 931? Explain please.

1993

 

[esorensen]

I used to work at an ECM shop back in college. All of those parts back then were sheet metal. Very precise tolerances For sure. That said, you'd have to have to bore already drilled, then find a way to get the rifling impression printed inside the bore, then use the photochemical etching process. Doable for sure, just don't know how viable financially it would be.