Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats salt bath nitride plus UBC ?

We have discussed this damned Ruger77 mkII in 260 a couple times. I never could make it shoot, so I handed it off to a proven smith who builds rifles to shoot out to 2000 yds.

After trying all of his accurizing tricks, including a new Timney trigger, she was still shooting into 3 plus moa.

A new Kreiger 24 inch with a slightly heavier than original custom contour is on the way and it will be nitrided. It will be loaded with 200 new pieces of Lapua brass and 120 gr Scenar l bullets.

Question is, should I go ahead and coat it with UBC as well.

I run moly in every rifle I own, but intend to skip the moly in this bore.

Sounds like you are building a gun for shooting distance. Why skip the moly on it then? UBC helps a bit with cleaning but offers nothing as far as ES/SD. I think I'd reconsider and add the UBC just because.

Your bbl might be so slick the brass will get sucked out the muzzle with the bullet however...

I'd shoot it first before either. I believe you're supposed to break in the barrel before nitriding anyway. UBC is touted as a way to get rough barrels to stop fouling but from my experience good barrels like Krieger, Bartlein, Brux, etc. foul very little once they're broken in.

You pay a lot of money to get a premium barrel like a Krieger, I'd be very hesitant to start trying to "improve" it from the get go.

Not exactly. It decreases fouling buildup and cleaning times on nearly any barrel. Even premium barrels have increased service intervals between necessary cleanings with DBC applied.

Crow Hunter, the only break in needed on a quality lapped barrel is the throat. Chambering leaves a little "fluff" in the throat area. Put some 0000 steel wool on a bronze brush and run it it the throat for about 10 seconds. Your barrel is now broken in. After this I send them for Melonite QPQ. Never tried UBC as I have no fouling problems.

Yes, it's the throat that's getting broken in. However, the last thing that I'm going to do with a $600 (including chambering) barrel is run steel wool into it. My last three Bartleins each quit copper fouling after seven or eight shots and now don't copper foul at all. It's hardly a burden to shoot a few shots to break in the throat.

I'm not discounting nitriding or DBC, I haven't used either. I'm just saying that a prudent man would shoot it first then decide how to proceed from there. He might decide that he's happy with what he has and stop there. You can always nitride or DBC later if you decide. However, if I had a newly barreled rifle that gave me tiny groups and little to no copper fouling I can guarantee that I wouldn't be doing any aftermarket treatments on it, I'd stop right there.

I'll guarantee 000 steel wool on a bronze brush will not hurt your barrel. They are not made of plastic. I understand your trepidation if you have not done it or do not own a bore scope. I have done it on my BR barrels for many years also.
Just a suggestion, but just do as you choose, but I will continue to do it on my $325-$350 Kreiger, Bartlein, or other barrel.

All reports I have read are saying double or better accurate round count with a Nitrided barrel. I am not shooting bench rest. 1/2 moa is going to thrill me to death.

Nowhere can I find any suggestions that melonite/nitriding will be detrimental to accuracy.

My 'smith says he is getting ready to send in a batch of barrels to be treated. His batch rate is $35 each.

Mine will be treated before it is shot, due to logistics.

+1 Idaho Shooter