Rifleman1776 said:
"best" is an impossible term to define.
Stand around the bench shooters at a Friendship match and ask what they reccomend. Ask around the campfires, or here. You will get many replies.
"A great many ML barrel makers use cheap cold rolled leaded screw stock for barrels."
Again, defining "cheap" is an opinion process.
Douglas barrels had a high lead content. Douglas barrels have probably won more matches and accounted for more game brought down than any other ml barrel out there in modern times. You can't go wrong with them (I know, out of business). Unless it is to satisfy a personal ego, any of the popular barrels on the market will produce very happy results for you.
Douglas went out of the ML business when they had several catastrophic failures from using the same material still used in many ML barrels, cheap leaded screw stock.
And yes these also fail.
Cheap and best are only nebulous if people either do not understand or will
not understand the problem. I find an amazing level or obstinate ignorance in the ML world.
If the letter from LaSalle steel cannot be understood. The statement that no cold rolled steel is suitable is not hard to understand. But people will insist, with their obstinate ignorance that the reverse is true. It matters not at all what the STEEL MAKERS or METALLURGISTS say. After all they don't make barrels :rotf:
A barrel made of SUITABLE material can be proved with an overload and then be assumed to the safe within reason. A barrel made from cold rolled, brittle, steel cannot be proved and then considered safe. It may pass proof without the slightest hint of strain then burst on the first service load, or the 20th to the 5000th. Cold rolled steel is unreliable in this application. They have very poor tolerance for INTERNAL pressure and SHOCK (high speed loading) something that ALL gun barrel must contain when in use. This seems to be well understood the most people who have spent anytime looking into the subject, but its ignored by some as a matter of convenience.
People that make MLs and then sell them need to understand that THEY are liable along with the barrel maker. So a burst barrel with injury could result in the gun maker loosing everything he owns unless he has liability insurance and a well crafted corporation. I know a ML builder who is also a lawyer.
Its impossible to feign ignorance since the information is everywhere and has been expounded on for decades. The barrel maker may be off the hook too if the barrel is modified after its made, like installing a vent liner.
Why is substandard material used? Leaded screw stock cuts easy, it has a machineability rating probably 300% of 4150 AND its much, much easier on tooling probably 300% better tool life. It reams and cuts very smooth so the maker does not have to do anything to a barrel after its cut. IE they don't have to lap the barrels.
I have stated on other sites that the reason 12L14 is so popular is because the people who use it likely cannot successfully cut grooves in harder to machine materials. I am sure this is true is at least some cases.
Green Mountain barrels are exceptionally accurate and made of certified 1137. But many won't use them because they are either too lazy to do it or don't know how to install a breech plug. At least one "barrel maker" routinely does a very sloppy job of breeching I might add. I don't want barrels that are breeched. I prefer to do it myself.
Finally in my experience, and I have been interested in this subject for over 30 years and have heard or read about every conceivable argument, the only people that defend the use of cold rolled steels for gun barrels are the people that make barrels from the stuff and those that believe, for whatever reason, what they say about it.
Dan
