Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles is chrome a good coating for the bolt and barrel on an AR?

im looking into buying an AR-15 and dont know if its worth spending the extra money.

I think it is more for looks than it actually helps, but this is just my opinion

For me it helps with clean up. You can see dirt, carbon, and grime much easier.

Chrome lining makes cleanup much easier in the bolt carrier especially. Chrome lining the barrel makes it corrosion resistant if done right it won't affect accuracy that bad.

I like SS barrels for precision and chrome lined barrels for hard use guns. All of my carriers are chrome lined on the inside.

Chrome is good for corrosion resistance and barrel life, and it is slick which aids extraction and cleaning. And generally companies which make non line chrome moly barrels for ARs cut corners in other even more substantive ways, like using cheap materials.

Decide what you want to use the rifle for then decide if you want a chrome lined barrel or not. Chrome helps durability but it also hurts accuracy. A chrome barrel is no indication of the rest of the rifles quality.

Correct TC. When is the last time you heard of a sniper rifle or any other top notch bench gun being chrome lined?

IMO, if the gun is made to top standards, you don't shoot corrisive ammo, and don't crawl thru the swamps of S.E. ASIA, I see no need for chrome anything. I know my RRA LAR-15 or LAR-8 have no chrome anywhere and the bores are so smooth that they refuse to collect copper fouling.

I like chrome lined barrels, they seem to work fine for me.

For the guy that want's to shoot 15 ft. groups with XM193 chrome would is a fine choice. :^)

Like I said, it just depends on what the owner plans to do with the rifle. For the carbine school cammando chrome is probably a better choice. The accuracy minded shooter will probably do better without it.

Terry

I guess you missed this one:

http://www.fnhusa.com/le/products/firearms/model.asp?fid=FNF006&mid=FNM0024

Half-moa and no BS 20K rd barrel life.

I've got a chrome-lined Bushmaster pencil barrel that'll do 1.5moa with 55gr Mt Gold FMJ's, which, is about the limit of that ammo. Still testing and expect a tad better. I should add that the barrel's crown used to be FUBAR but after that was remedied it started shooting. Point being, maybe chrome has nothing to do with how a particular barrel shoots.

Armalite chrome-lined barrels have a good accuracy rep, because they make good barrels and THEN chrome them.

As for bolts, no GI bolt can be chrome-plated, as it causes "hydrogen embrittlement" whatever that is.

I am not aware of a precise chrome plating place, BUT in theory it should be possible.

Thats the problem, most folks don't want to spend the money for what it would cost to do precision coating, but if you did, then there would really be no reason a chromed barrel wouldn't be as accurate as a good non coated one.

Chrome lining hurts accuracy. (fixed it)

Of course there is an exception to every rule, you can find chrome lined barrels that shoot good but, more
often than not chrome lined barrels aren't as accurate as non chrome
lined. That's been my experience and that of many others. If you want to believe otherwise that's ok with me.


As I stated above. It depends on what I plan to do with the rifle as a
deciding factor as to if I want chrome lining or not. If accuracy is a
high priority then I look for a barrel without it. I own both types.

Nobody said a chromed bore makes a rifle shoot better, it just lasts a lot longer. The FN's prove that chromed bores can shoot no-schit half moa, and my little bushie barrel proves that minute of coyote may only take five minutes with a Manson crowning tool. Before that was demonstrated to me I'd have probably come up with some bullschit answer about chromed bores not shooting.

Some very inaccurate chrome lined barrel rifles:

HK PSG1 semi auto moa or less sniper rifle

Sig 551 semi auto 5,56x45 semi auto moa or less sniper rifle
Same in new version in 7,62x51

Haenel bolt action 7,62x51 and 300Wm less than moa sniper rifle

some FN models already named

non accurate Steyr AUG (even with their [bleep] trigger)

plus that real schitt of Russian Dragunov, maybe not a match gun but can do great job when used with match ammo and modern scope on a good rest.

Ok not all treatments are chrome only but very close too. So there are some good rifles with chrome lined barrel, particulary when you look at their tactical destination.

Dom

So you have a chrome lined barrel that shoots 1 1/2" groups and you've read about one that's claimed to shoot a 1/2" group so you're convienced that chrome lined barrels are every bit as accurate as non-chrome lined. That's cool.

I'll repeat my advice again so we stay on track, "Decide what you want to use the rifle for then decide if you want a chrome lined barrel or not. Chrome helps durability but it also hurts accuracy. A chrome barrel is no indication of the rest of the rifles quality."

Terry

Terry I bitched to Noveske that their Chrome Recce Barrel would not shoot but 1.5 best for 3 at 100 yards with handloads. They replaced it, the new barrel shoots about half that. Its again a chrome lined barrel. They bore scoped the new barrel before they installed it on my upper. They are not cheap but they stand behind their product. Give them a call and ask them what they think their chromed barrels should do at 100 with decent handloads.

I might add, I would rather have a 1.5 MOA chrome lined barrel that works every time than a 1/4 MOA chrome moly barrel with a rusted chamber and a case stuck in the chamber. Stainless is another matter, and MAYBE the melonite but I am not convinced of it yet. The people that push the melonite, kryptonite whatever its called really put a full court press on to sell you. I don't trust people that tell me things that I did not ask them about, reminds me of the story of the fox that got his tail cut off.

All these wonderful AR's out there and half of them don't go bang all the time.

So are you saying Noveske chrome lined barrels are every bit as accurate on average as thier stainless models? Even after it took two to get one with acceptable accuracy? It's not the barrel, it's the chrome lining that robs the accuracy.

I agree with rost495 that "if" you get precise chrome plating you could get a very accurate barrel but my experience with them tells me it's more of an exception than a rule. Another thing that has yet to be mentioned is eventually the chrome burns away in the throat area. I've read more than a few accounts of this ruining the accuracy of a chrome lined barrel when the bullet has to transition from bare steel to chrome. I have a shot out chrome lined barrel now that I suspect this may be the problem.

I have a melonite barrel on order and I'm sort of excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's better, but I am saying I'm looking forward to trying it out. This may very well be they way of the future or it might just be something that was a good idea but didn't work. I really like the idea that's it's in the metal and not on top like chrome lining. I have enough cheap, corrosive ammo on hand to wear the barrel out so I'll give a good test when I get it.

NOW, since reading comprehension seems to be down a little today. I never said that some chrome lined barrels don't shoot. What I am saying is you'll stand a much better chance of getting a more accurate barrel by buying one without the chrome lining. A very good alternative to chrome lining is stainless steal.

Terry

TC, you really have reading comprehension issues Bro. I'll state for the record that chrome lining MIGHT potentially degrade accuracy. I never said that it enhanced accuracy and I never said they are always as accurate. What I am saying is any degradation of a barrel's accuracy is very slight and a non-issue for most of us. A bad crown will have MUCH more effect on a rifle's accuracy than any chrome plating. And the FN-SPR's 0.5moa claim is no BS. I've personally witnessed it. It'll shoot Gold Medal into little cloverleafs until you get tired of pulling the trigger, if the shooter is capable.