chrome lined vs. chrome molly

[JOLLYROGER]

I know this has been gone over before but just looking for some opinions..
chrome lined vs. chrome molly and pros and cons of each...
Is chrome molly realy that different.....

[Argonaut]

I don't know what has been said before but Chrome lined is more corrosion resistant.....Chrome Molly is a good alloy but will corrode. The Chrome is added more for strength than corrosion resistance.

[Exposed]

From what I hear. Chrome-lined lasts longer and can withstand more "rapid fire". But chromolly is more accurate because the barrel HAS to be smoother and made with more precision. I say, unless your shooting your rifle on full auto 24/7 it doesn't really matter. The chromolly "being more accurate" is also a "whatever" to me, mean, how much more accurate can it really be? I do prefer a chrome lined barrel, but I don't think there is such a big difference in them IMO. (And yes, I have shot both).

[Fjold]

What type of gun?

Chrome lined will wear better but can have inconsistent plating thicknesses that can affect accuracy. Chrome lining sometimes also chips at the machined edges of the bore and chambers which may also affect accuracy.

[Trendkill]

If your talking Mil-spec type AR barrels....they are all Chrome Moly.

There is 4140...which is not mil-spec....and 4150 which is. They can either be chrome lined or not. Chrome lining adds extra corrosion and wear resistance to the bore and chamber. Chrome lining is per Mil-spec...and a barrel that is NOT chromelined fails to be Milspec.

[5150bronco]

I don't know what has been said before but Chrome lined is more corrosion resistant.....Chrome Molly is a good alloy but will corrode. The Chrome is added more for strength than corrosion resistance.

true, but you have to have some elements or something get under c. moly......from what i understand. I believe it is not as resistant under tough physical conditions, but that varies.

[Argonaut]

Chrome molly barrels are solid material, not plated like Chrome lined ones are. There is no way to get under Chrome molly...............Chrome lined barrels are best used when you are shooting corrosive ammunition.

[Fjold]

Chrome-moly is a group of alloys of steel, there is no plating of any kind. What you have is a solid steel barrel.

Chrome plating is done over the steel barrel.

[2600fromAtari]

Something no one here has touched on yet is cleaning. It is so much quicker for me to clean the barrel of a chrome lined gun versus one that's not, CM or stainless steel.

[Koolpsych]

Something no one here has touched on yet is cleaning. It is so much quicker for me to clean the barrel of a chrome lined gun versus one that's not, CM or stainless steel.

Chrome lined barrels are much easier to clean. I have a chrome moly barrel no lining and after cleaning a chrome lined barrel I can tell you the chrome lined barrels are easier to clean. Unless you are building a precision build I wouldn't worry too much about chrome lined barrels not being as accurate.

If I had to do it over again, for the small price (usually about $45 more or so), I'd get a chrome lined barrel.

[-hanko]

I know this has been gone over before but just looking for some opinions...

[NeoWeird]

"Chrome-Moly" is a group of steels (iron based) that have had percentages of Chromium and Molybdenum added to alter it's characteristics - specifically wear and tensile strength. Most people are familiar with this process when used in stainless steels where the Chromium content is about 10 times higher as Chromium has good corrosion resistance in comparrison to alloy steels like 4140 and 4150. 4140 and 4150 are both alloy steels containing the SAME content as each other - 4150 simply has .1% more carbon than 4140. Carbon is benifiticial to heat treating and hardening processes as the carbon crystaline structures are the key aspect of the steel hardening. Stainless steels can still rust as they are still iron based and rust is oxidation of the iron in the steel; however they usually need to be 'abused' beyond normal uses (such as exposure to salts, chlorine, etc). Stainless steels also have undesireable characteristics to steel in high wear situations such as their relative softness, their tendency to roll edges, deform, and gall. Chromium can not rust by itself as iron is not present in it's elemental form, which again, is a key component of the iron oxide forming. The problem with chrome plating is that the chromium is plated to the surface with an elexctrical current. That means that if your solution is not perfectly homogeneous, your surface finish differs slightly in areas, any impurity is present on the surface, etc the electrical conductivity will varry and the platting will not only be uneven but may not adhere to the surface well enough and will, as mentioned earlier, flake off. And now I'm getting way off course...

So for Cliff notes:

Chrome-Moly steel is used because it's strong and not too hard. Chrome plating creates a corrosion free layer on the inside of the barrel at the loss of consistency, and accuracy for that matter since accuracy is directly related to consistency. For the sake of barrels, 4140 and 4150 won't make much difference at all. Most stainless barrels offer the accuracy of the non-plated barrels with a much larger degree of corrosion protection but at the loss of being a little softer so they will wear out faster.