Melonite and carbon wrap....

[86alaskan]

So, I'm beginning the process of building my one off hands down hunting rifle. I'm going with a 300WM built on a 24" christensen carbon wrapped barrel. As these barrels are sort of pricey, I'd like to get max round count out of it. So, does anyone know or have experience with Melonite treating a carbon wrapped barrel? I feel like it sure would extended the useful life as it would only be practiced and hunted with, no fast fire.

 

[Mikecr]

I want to do the same with custom, and have been asking makers of carbon wrapped barrels.
So far I have not found anyone willing to turn a barrel blank in preps for wrapping, and sell/send it to me so that I could get it chambered, broke in, cleaned up, melonite treated, and sent back for wrapping.

This tells me that they have all the business they want, from customers who are not putting a lot of efforts into results..
I imagine these customers are more focused on field practicality(in a traditional sense) and less likely to find problems with the barrels (accuracy-wise).

 

[Gord0]

Can't have it nitrided after it's been wrapped. You'd have to get the unturned blank they use and have it chambered, do your break-in, send it to get turned down, then to nitriding, then back for carbon wrap.

 

[ehryk]

Get a barrel that is properly lapped at the factory. No break in.

 

[Gord0]

Get a barrel that is properly lapped at the factory. No break in.

Every barrel will have some sort of break-in happen. Doesn't matter how fine a grit lapping compound is used a copper projectile will still burnish the surface. There is also the chamber being cut, mainly the throat which will roll small burrs off from the lands into the grooves.

 

[Mikecr]

I would also want to use a cut rifled barrel, rather than what some offer, where I know the twist will be correct and that turning it down won't kill accuracy potential. And of course I want MY chambers.

But they will not hear single customer requests.
IMO, the only viable business in that comes with providing barrels as OEM to a factory.
So a company like Proof Research will either bankrupt themselves, or take off huge under contract. Either way, we'll soon lose all influence..

 

[Prieto9000]

I did a lot of research before buying my carbon wrapped barrel, and from what I found here and there christensen barrels are not that good. I ended up buying a proof barrel and I´m very happy with it. I had a shootout with someone that owned a christensen built carbon fiber rifle and accuracy was nowhere near my proof barrel. He was shooting a 7mm rem mag and mine is a 6.5 GAP. We were shooting 5 shot groups @100yds and mine were considerably smaller.

As for melonite treatment... This is a dead end for you. It can't be done on carbon wrapped barrels and I don´t believe any of the manufacturers will be able to do it the way you want. It´s just too much trouble to have you as a client and There´s nothing there for them to win other than a Happy client at a very high cost.