Barrel Material

[akapennypincher]

What is 12L14 Steel, Shotgun Grade or Worst?

 

[Mike Brooks]

It is leaded steel, super soft stuff. The three leading, quality muzzleloading barrels makers all use 12L14.
I'm not familiar with the term "Shotgun Grade" is when it comes to steel.
12L14 is probably not recommended for modern smokeless loads.

 

[akapennypincher]

It is leaded steel, super soft stuff. The three leading, quality muzzleloading barrels makers all use 12L14.
I'm not familiar with the term "Shotgun Grade" is when it comes to steel.
12L14 is probably not recommended for modern smokeless loads.

I used the TERM SHOT GUN GRADE as Danny Caywood use that term. Steel of the Kind you find in Modern Shotgun Barrels....... :shocked2:

 

Caywood certainly has his own opinions about things... whether you choose to follow his line of thought is up to you.

I personally think the thousands of barrels Don Getz and company have sold and never had a safety problem with that are made out of 12L14 speak for themselves.

If you ever try to draw file a "Shotgun Grade" barrel, you'll wish you had bought the 12L14 tube!

 

[akapennypincher]

Caywood certainly has his own opinions about things... whether you choose to follow his line of thought is up to you.

I personally think the thousands of barrels Don Getz and company have sold and never had a safety problem with that are made out of 12L14 speak for themselves.

If you ever try to draw file a "Shotgun Grade" barrel, you'll wish you had bought the 12L14 tube!

I only aasked what is 12L14, and you can DRAW FILE SHOT GUN GRADE with a VERY HARD FILE.... FYI :bow:

 

[Zonie]

I too do not know what "Shotgun Grade" steel is but I will say it may be better or worse than 12L14. I suppose it depends on who made the Shotgun. If Shotgun Grade is 1018 or 1020 12L14 is better. If Shotgun Grade is 1040 or higher, or an alloy steel, 12L14 is worse.

12L14 steel, as was mentioned is a "leaded" steel which strengthwise is comparable, or better than 1018 or 1020 carbon steel.
12L14 Ultimate Tensile =78,000 PSI cold drawn.
1020 Ultimate Tensile = 61,000 PSI cold drawn
12L14 Yield = 60,000 PSI cold drawn
1020 Yield = 51,000 PSI cold drawn

It is actually harder than either 1018 or 1020
(12L14 =163 Brinell, 1020 = 121 Brinell cold drawn),
but it machines at speeds up to three times faster than either of them.

The key to it's ease of machining is the presence of lead which serves as a lubricant for the cutting tools.
As I mentioned, at normal gun temperatures, the lead does not reduce the tensile or yield strengths of the material.

Can it be draw filed? Yes, and here again, the presence of lead should allow it to be cut with less tool wear than one of the typical unleaded low carbon steels.
It may be a bit "gummier" than the other steels and that may tend to "load" the file a bit more but I don't have any data on this issue.
I have draw filed a number of barrels which I am sure were made out of 12L14 with good success.

 

[akapennypincher]

Great Infor Mr. Z.... :hatsoff:

 

[Gary]

:bow: Z-man :bow: