To Chrome or not to Chrome

[windplex]

Well what are the benefits of chroming the barrel?

What are the drawbacks of chroming the barrel?

Thank you!

Ps. If this is a really dumb question please take pitty on me this will be my first black rifle.

[CW Mock]

I asked the same question before I got mine, and got two answers that really sold me on chrome lining.

1) The barrel lasts longer 2x or more than regular steel according to some.

2) Ease of cleaning. Chrome lined barrels are easier to clean.

I don't know about barrel life yet, as I just got mine and have only 400 rounds or so through it so far. But the cleaning part is true. It is a LOT easier to clean my chrome lined AR barrel as it is my regular steel Mini-14 barrel with roughly the same amount of rounds through it. That alone has made it worth the little extra I paid for chrome lining.

I say go chrome lined and never look back.

[GixxerSixxer]

Pros:

Bushmaster claims CL can double the life of the barrel.

A CL barrel is easier to clean and less prone to gum up.

Cons:

A slight loss in accuracy. With modern technology if you're only shooting out to 100 yards you likely won't see a difference compared to moly barrel.

Depending on who you get the Upper from CL may be an added cost, some places do it standard though.

[windplex]

I got the impression that to obtain ultimate accuracy people do not chrome.

I saw a show on the history of the AR and its development and that the army development agency had long before determined that chrome lining is manditory (for battle rifles). But kennedy's brain trust said that since amralite designed it without chrome lining they would go that way.

Well armalite also never made a weapon before that prototype. And they said the ar would be self cleaning and so reccomended they be shipped without cleaning kits and kennedy's brain trust (all numbers men -- bean counters) went with armalites' reccomendations.

Later when requests for cleaning kits and new rifles came in the army weapons development group investigated and found that the rifle was fouling to the point of jaming due to lack of chrome and that some men died due to jams unnecessarily. Chrome lined barrels were snuck into production.

I can live with less accuracy (very likely a smaller amount than I can eliminate by my skills any way!)
Thank you all!

[MrMurphy]

Chrome lined CHAMBERS helped with the fouling more than the barrels.

Armalite had designed more than a prototype, they had an entire rifle (The 7.62mm AR-10) which was in production for the Dutch and Sudanese armies. The AR-15 is a shrunken-down AR-10 more or less.

And the major reason for jamming in the early M16 was both bad instructions (Self-cleaning!) which came from the Army, not the manufacturer, and the fact that the fast-burning powder in the 5.56 ammo used during testing, was changed against Stoner's will in production the old type (slow-burning, and thus fouling, in 5.56) powder, because some desk commando said "we always use this and it's cheap".

But yes, get a chrome lined barrel. You will not be able to notice an accuracy loss.

[isuzu]

The first M16s that came out neither had chromed chambers or barrels. The non-chromelined chambers suffered from premature chamber erosion. Eventually, barrels were chromedlined.