Chrome Moly Vs Stainless Steel Barrel Accuracy

Faxon is often asked which barrel material we d recommend for a given application.

Chrome moly vs stainless steel barrel accuracy.

First let s have a discussion about the chemical elements of each material and how their properties effect barrel life accuracy and cost. Steel is alloyed with other metals like nickel and chrome as well as other non metals such as carbon sulfur and silicon. The barrel length can sometimes make up for this but chrome lined barrels are battle barrels meant to take abuse of sand and all kinds of materials except moisture. All of mine are blued chrome moly vs 1 stainless up to this point and just wondered accuracy wise i don t shoot groups on paper i prefer steel or clays i can t tell a difference and it seems both require about the same amount of maintenance.

That said chrome moly barrels can be just as accurate when made correctly and there is evidence a chrome moly barrel will hold its. Over 90 of high grade match barrels are made from stainless steel. Typically the answer to the question all depends on what you as the shooter are going for in your intended build and its application faxon only uses 4150 or 416 r steels in its barrels. The fella at brux told me that the chrome moly was every bit as accurate and the only real difference he knew of was that a stainless barrel craps out all at once when its usable life is over with and that a chrome barrel will gradually go away and not all at once.

It is also easier to apply a fine hand lapped finish to a stainless bore. Stainless is easier to machine because it is slightly softer. The highest grade of each series of steels carbon and stainless respectively. Chrome lined barrels are rigid and most of the time not as accurate as good stainless barrel.