New [big 7] barrel arrived yesterday, but I have some concerns.

[Max Heat]

After more than 1/4 year wait (for those not born with the virtue of patience, the waiting IS the hardest part), my new McGowen barrel has finally arrived. It is 1.2"straight-cyl stainless rem-nut style in 7RUM, with 9" twist and 32" length. When I first laid eyes on it and saw how much of a "shiner" it was, I immediately realized that, cosmetically speaking, I screwed up by forgetting to order the blasted finish. Now it won't match my action, and there is no way that I'm going to be comfortable using such an eye-catcher out in the field. I'll wrap it [along with the equally-bright nut] with camo tape for now, and see how it looks without the rest of the rifle being camoed out. But doesn't a blasted barrel have the advantage of being able to cool itself more quickly, due to the larger surface area imprinted into it by the blasting precess? ◙♪◙♪

Another concern is that, looking down the barrel, the rifling lands "appear" to be less substantial (thinner and not as tall) than what I normally see. Is this possible? And if so, wouldn't that promote quicker burn-out? With the over-boar-ed-ness of 7RUM, along with the hot loads that I usually run, burn-out is already a significant concern that I have.

 

[clambdin]

Find a smith and have it bead blasted..you might find someone local to do this for you...don't worry about the rifleing go see how it shoots proof is in the pudding !

 

[Max Heat]

I definitely don't plan on "sending it out" anywhere to get it blasted, because that would probably triple the cost, due to shipping charges. I read somewhere about scotch-brightening an SS (shiny stainless) barrel in order to dullen out the shine, but I'd be worried that it might not look very good afterwards. But at least it IS shootable with it's shiny finish, and seeing how well it shoots is something I can't wait to do. The action wrench, which I ordered from midway 3 months ago along with a 7RUM go-gauge, IS supposed to get here today (I already have the barrel-nut wrench). I had to split up the order because the go-gauge is STILL on backorder. So at this point, I'm forced to make due with a sized fresh cartridge to headspace the barrel off of.

This WILL be my first time barrel-swapping on a 700 action. Should I use any sort of thread treatment, such as green or blue loctite, or maybe even some anti-sieze compund, on it?

 

[Garycrow]

Anti seize, no Loctite.

Since it's a savage style nut barrel just take it to a gunsmith and have him bead blast it before you put it on the action. There should be a number of smiths within driving distance that will do it cheap. If you can't find one then a decent automotive machine shop should have a bead blaster.

 

[JeffVN]

+1 a copper based anit-seize for the threads.

I had a polished barrel that made me nuts on a 7 Dakota. I had forgotten to tell the smith who chambered the barrel to either bead blast it or to paint it black to match the action on the rifle. I didn't want to send it out, and planned to paint it black. In any event, I needed to prep the barrel in order to paint it. I took some OOOO steel wool and spent about 15 minutes knocking the shine off of the barrel from stem to stern. It is not as pretty as bead blasting, but it certainly isn't a polished barrel at this point. Ultimately I left it as is - not as dull as bead blasting, but looks just fine for my purposes.

Jeffvn

 

[Max Heat]

So I should NOT use the aluminum (or is it zinc) based anti-seize that I have? OK - didn't know that.

I used to have some "cop-a-slip", but I can't seem to find it now. Looks like I'll have to re-up on some.

I really don't want any type of coating on it, such as paint. The 4-ought steel wool would be something to try if the scotchbrite treatment failed to achieve satisfactory results. But I'm thinking the ONLY hope for satisfactory results using either of those treatments would be to turn the barrel at such a speed as to form a 90 degree overlap "crosshatch" while applying the abraisive material.

Since it is the dead of winter now, it will be several months before I have the opportunity to actually field the barrel. So for right now, I'll run it shiny. Also, my curiosity on how the rifle would look with only the barrel camo-wrapped, is starting to eat at me. From a sniper's perspective (not that I am one), it would seem to make sense, since that is typically the only part that would protrude out of the "hide". And it would surely give the rifle a distinctive appearance, hopefully setting it apart from any other rifle out there.

If none of the options listed above end up looking "right", bead-blasting will result in a case-closed situation! I'll try to get some pics up soon.

 

[jmden]

Just get it bead blasted locally. Shouldn't cost too much and will get you want you really want instead of messing around with a bunch of alternatives.

 

[geargrinder]

Just get it bead blasted locally. Shouldn't cost too much and will get you want you really want instead of messing around with a bunch of alternatives.

+1

This.

 

[Truc]

Zinc based anit-sieze is what I use on my Benchrest barrels and have never had a problem removing one even after 5000 rds.

 

[AZShooter]

It is going to sound weird but you could take a small DA sander like my 5" black and decker and dull the barrel's shine. I did this with a huge bartlein barrel. You could try it on an old barrel to see if you like it. Even an old orbital will make a pattern on the steel. I used 220 grit but I wonder if a non woven style hook and loop pad (see link) would also work.

WP75195 Hook And Loop Sanding Disc - Grainger Industrial Supply

sander: Black & Decker Tools | 5" Random Orbit Sander RO100 1

The barrel mentioned:

 

[Sully2]

UN-flavored milk of magnesia. Great anti seize medicine and its used on jet engines

 

[Max Heat]

UN-flavored milk of magnesia. Great anti seize medicine and its used on jet engines

SERIOUSLY??? That IS a MIND-BLOWER! Obviously the stuff must be manganese based.


Hey az, that rifle does look REALLY nice. And the barrel even appears to sport a darker-than-bead-blasted look/finish. It IS stainless, right? How much shine does it put out when the sun IS hitting it?

It's another "alternative" that I may try, just to see if I like it. Likewise, my first treatment being cloth camo wrap, will be purely out of curiosity. If I end up liking it, it might end up staying that way - we'll have to play it by ear - or more correctly, by EYE, and see where things go from there. I can't just go right to getting it blasted NOW, without knowing how the various treatments discussed here would have worked out!

Alright, there is 1 tiny little detail that is still bothering me though. May we call it the CROWNED JEWEL?

No idea what I am talking about? Maybe it is a poor attempt at humor, but I AM talking about the 11° crown at the muzzle end [which is full 1.2" profile], and sparkles like a jewel, in the eyes of any live entity in front of it, if the sun is also in front of it. It's like the glint from the scope's objective (front) lens advertizing your position. But it is actually worse, because the highly "concaved" crown broadcasts the sparkle to a much wider area. Unlike scope glint, which is usually only visible for an instant, when the angle to the sun and target is exactly equal and opposite (or very close), relative to the rifle's angle, the sparkle from the muzzle's crown remains visible until the barrels' angle relative to the target, is changed significantly, thereby eliminating the possibility of a shot.

The only solution to the above mentioned problem that I am able to come up with at this time would be to treat the muzzle end of the barrel with some kind of non-reflective finish, such as flat black paint.
But I don't think that would hold up very well, being that is where all of the blast pressure and heat is concentrated. Can anyone come up with any bright ideas for a good, lasting way to counter this phenomenon?

 

[AZShooter]

Yes the barrel in the picture is a SS. It diffuses the sun with its patina. I did it so I could switch barrels and if any vise marks showed up I could easily remove them without going to someone with a sandblaster.

I doubt that tiny surface at the crown is going to alarm critters on a regular basis. I would think the sun angle would be such that most of the time there would be no flash.

Now if you are sneaking near the Mexican border and don't want the spotters for the drug runners to see you that is a different story.

How about gently placing a golf T into the bore and hitting it with some flat black?

If you have any refinishing facilities you could get it powder coated. I did that once with a Ruger 10-22 SS barrel and while they were at it they did the receiver. The crown has minor discoloration after several hundred rounds but only close to the opening.