Chrome-lined or non chrome-lined AK barrel?

[Good_Knight]

Pros and cons for each? Thanks.

[ADAM]

AK is battle rifle true ak always has chrome lined barrel,barrel life is longer and its easy to clean.

[ElvenSoul]

If your going to fire COMBLOCK Ammo you want Chrome!

[Cali-Shooter]

The cheapest AK ammo is usually corrosive, like the Yugoslavian FMJ M67 ammo, so chrome lined barrels is a big plus. Saiga rifles, and their converted versions, have them as standard, so use them as a measuring stick on quality of having that feature on an AK.

[tujungatoes]

Chrome barrels are nice in that they are easier to clean, and are (more)rust resistant. If you neglect them enough after shooting corrosive ammo though, they can still rust all to hell. There will be some accuracy loss in a chrome barrel vs. a non chromed one, but since this isn't exactly a benchrest gun I doubt you'll ever notice.

If you're the type that actually cleans your guns after a range trip...then a non chromed bore should be just fine. Your call really, but most here will tell you to go chrome. If you're building your own I'd recommend a virgin romanian barrel from apex or a us barrel from green mountain.

[Richard Erichsen]

Pros and cons for each? Thanks.

For the average shooter that will take the rifle to the range, fire off a few hundred rounds and promptly clean it, not much.

With all things otherwise equal, the unlined barrel will be slightly more accurate due to the variations in bore diameter introduced by the chrome plating.

With less frequent or thorough cleaning, the chrome lined bore and chamber will take more abuse.

While barrel life is often cited for the reason why you MUST get the chrome lined barrel, average barrel life for an unlined but otherwise well cared for barrel is in excess of 6000 rounds. A typical shooter might only fire 1000-1500 rounds per year. A like for like barrel replacement is usually a 30 minute job for a gunsmith or a home builder with the right tools. If you plan to do shooting more than that, the chrome lined or some of the alternative processes that can be performed on the barrel might make sense.

There is a third option, which is being used increasing as a replacement for chrome generically called nitrocarburizing. The process provides corrosion and abrasion resistance inside and outside of the barrel and a lamp black color to the exterior. The bore and chamber are bright and shiny though notably darker than chrome and serves all of the same functions without introducing variations in bore diameter (application of this thermo-chemical process is directly to the base metal, not a coating or plating sitting on top of it). The most common tradename for what is the same set of processes is called "Melonite." Individual variants of the process include "Q" "QP" and "QPQ". We have several threads on the topic, use search if you are interested.

R

[Richard Erichsen]

AK is battle rifle true ak always has chrome lined barrel,barrel life is longer and its easy to clean.

Not all AKs were chrome lined. Yugoslavian AK variants such as the M70 series including the M72 RPK type are not chrome lined. They are also among the more accurate AKs.

Many US made barrels are available in either chrome lined, plain/un-lined and more recently nitrided/nitrocarburized as an option having better qualities than chrome and an attractive finished appearance. Here is an example:

http://www.dsarms.com/AK47-16-Barrel--nitrided-New-US-production---00116AK47/productinfo/00116AK47/

Galils and Valmets and the South African R4 have used nitrided barrels (in lieu of chrome lined) for some time now.

R

[Richard Erichsen]

If your going to fire COMBLOCK Ammo you want Chrome!

Or you can just clean it - it's not battery acid. Yugo surplus is corrosive and Yugo barrels are unlined, despite this many of the $15 "dark bore" barrels only need a good scrubbing and low and beyond, their actual throat and muzzle erosion is nominal, rifling still good and a simple bullet test shows plenty of remaining life left in a great percentage of them. These barrels came off weapons used during the Yugoslavian civil war and were well used and likely rarely cleaned firing the same corrosive ammo we buy as surplus now.

R

[Richard Erichsen]

Chrome barrels are nice in that they are easier to clean, and are (more)rust resistant. If you neglect them enough after shooting corrosive ammo though, they can still rust all to hell. There will be some accuracy loss in a chrome barrel vs. a non chromed one, but since this isn't exactly a benchrest gun I doubt you'll ever notice.

If you're the type that actually cleans your guns after a range trip...then a non chromed bore should be just fine. Your call really, but most here will tell you to go chrome. If you're building your own I'd recommend a virgin romanian barrel from apex or a us barrel from green mountain.

It's also probably a false bit of confidence if you think you don't HAVE to clean the weapon often because the barrel is chromed. The gas block, gas tube and bolt still need a good shower after firing corrosive ammo and if that is not performed, can rust. Even chrome lined barrels can chip, peel and rust if abused enough, I've seen signs of this on gas pistons too.

R

[Chaos47]

Not all AKs were chrome lined. Yugoslavian AK variants such as the M70 series including the M72 RPK type are not chrome lined.

I don't know if its true but the common gun forum rumor is that Yugoslavia has no indigenous source of chromium and that is why they didn't line their barrels.

OP, even the (in the past) much looked down upon (but now highly regarded) WASR-10 has a chrome lined barrel...

[Richard Erichsen]

The cheapest AK ammo is usually corrosive, like the Yugoslavian FMJ M67 ammo, so chrome lined barrels is a big plus. Saiga rifles, and their converted versions, have them as standard, so use them as a measuring stick on quality of having that feature on an AK.

Some of the BEST surplus is Yugo M67, which as mentioned is all corrosive primed, the same stuff folks worry about destroying their barrels just by looking at it (maybe that's a good thing, more for me?).

In my opinion, there is no excuse for neglecting a weapon just because the AK was designed to take abuse and continue functioning. Anywhere the hot gas from a fired cartridge goes there are going to be deposits of unburnt propellents and in the case of corrosive ammo, salt deposits from the primer compound as well. The gas port, gas block, gas tube and piston, even the bolt. Not all muzzle devices are chrome lined on their interiors and can and will rust if not attended to. If you leave these salt deposits in the presence of atmospheric moisture, it is going to rust the component or degrade the chrome lining, if present.

Chrome lining isn't a perennial barrier against salts, as ASTM salt spray tests show (B117) - there is an upper limit and once reached, it will begin to crack, peel and flake.

If you aren't doing a detailed strip and cleanout of the gas system assuming the chrome will obviate the need, not everything in the gas system is chrome lined and eventually it's going to break down, the steel's anti-corrosion "armor" will be pierced.

R

[Mail Clerk]

Good Knight,

A chrome bore is always welcome in anyones battery but isn't necessary in all aspects. My IO Casar's barrel isn't chrome lined and that's ok with me. In civilain life there's no excuse for anyone not to clean there rifles chromed or not. After every shoot I clean my rifles as best as I can. In reality it doesn't tke very long to use a decent bore cleaner. If the days is cloudy I use MP-Pro7 for the bore as it won't smell up the house and make your wife upset! Out side I just use Hopppe's and move on. My general method is solvent up the bore and clean it last on your list.

Mail Clerk

[Scott Connors]

Keep in mind that chrome-lined barrels last longer than non-lined ones, and that changing the barrel on AKs (at least stamped receiver models) is not a simple matter. The barrel is the one part of the AK that should not be skimped upon.

[LBDamned]

The cheapest AK ammo is usually corrosive, like the Yugoslavian FMJ M67 ammo, so chrome lined barrels is a big plus. Saiga rifles, and their converted versions, have them as standard, so use them as a measuring stick on quality of having that feature on an AK.

I have a Serbian (Yugo) variant - Zatava PAP... non chrome lined and all I've ever ran through it is Yugo surplus (lots of it). No corrosion, pitting, rust, etc...

Initially I was concerned and cleaned right away... then I started realizing it's internet paranoia and have waited up to a week (typically following weekend from when I shoot)... never an issue.

Maybe its just this rifle? But it's gtg with no chrome lining and plenty of Yugo ammo.

[Richard Erichsen]

I don't know if its true but the common gun forum rumor is that Yugoslavia has no indigenous source of chromium and that is why they didn't line their barrels.

OP, even the (in the past) much looked down upon (but now highly regarded) WASR-10 has a chrome lined barrel...

The "lack of chromium" theory has been debunked. The Yugoslavians/Serbs certainly chromed things they felt needed chroming. For example, while the barrel bores and chambers weren't chromed, if you look at the gas pistons, they are chromed. If you look really carefully at the original chrome plate, you'll see most of these gas pistons have deep pitting, chips and signs of hard use. It's not that they didn't have chrome, or didn't know how, but given what many of the rifles went through that we have any useable parts in the aftermath would seem to suggest there is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors in the claims that only a chrome lined chamber and bore will do.

R