chrome lining, why is it so important?

In a semi auto Chrome lined chambers aid in extraction . On a DI AR that blows the burnt powder gas directly into the upper a chrome lined chamber is a real pluss. ;) IMHO any DI AR without chrome/Nitride lined chamber and barrel can not be as relieable after 200 rounds without cleaning . FYI my Armalite AR10T with a 20 inch barrel is NO more Accurate then my CMMG 18 inch WASP Lined barrel. The Armalite AR10T has a Walther LW50 SS barrel and is not as easy to clean as the Wasp/Nitride barrel. The diffrance in accuracy from a chrome lined to non chrome lined barrel is so small it is also not worth talking about provideing the chrome lined barrel is properly lapped as Armalite doe's . If I remember corectly FN used to chrome line the barrels in thier SPR A1 rifles ,and we all know how accurate they are . ;)
 
Using modern ammo, it just is not important to have a chrome lined barrel.
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Maybe if your a couple times a year shooter... but honestly that statement couldn't be further from the truth, specially when talking about a DI rifle.

As stated above, it is about barrel life... and more reliability between cleanings.

If chrome lining wasn't needed for newer ammo, the military wouldn't have Colt and FNH chroming the new barrels to save money. Also FNH wouldn't be double chrome lining the support weapons they build either.

It depends on your personal needs. Honestly 90% of my customers buying AR's these days are around 18-21 and want one because they saw one in Call of Duty. They are gonna pop off a few hundred rounds a year to impress their friends and have some fun.. which is fine... but they won't need chrome lined, and can get away without it.

I shoot hundreds, sometimes thousands of rounds a week. For work and recreation. I don't clean them often, why? Because I spent the money on mil-spec'd parts that can handle the wear tear and neglect. About every 1000-1500 rounds I will pull the BCG out and give it a quick spray with Gun Scubber, wait till it dries, then coat it in EEZOX, and start shooting again.

Not all rifles are made equal, and I saw that first hand when a buddy blew up a cheap AR with one of those new bump fire stocks because his upper was Major Brand X (don't want to start a brand battle) and wasn't rated for full auto fire. Hes lucky he was wearing eye protection, and that he didn't have his hand near the mag-well as some people like to hold an AR. We took him to the hospital, and all turned out well, not for the gun however.

Chrome lining is not that expensive really when all things considered. Even the Bushmaster Carbon-15 comes with a chromed barrel.
 
+1 To Chuckles

ARs and AKs are designed for ease of cleaning by people that are not freaks about maintaining their weapons. You can teach someone that has never handled a rifle how to clean an AK in about 15 minutes. ARs take 30 minutes. Chrome bores make it easy to do it right. Chrome lined AR BCGs and gas Keys help to make it easy to clean correctly.
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I agree Chuckles:D
 
With all the talk about military guns chromed , my Benelli auto shotgun and my Beretta O/U are chromed .
 
say whuh?
I have had my AR for almost 3 years and put about 800 rounds through it
I've had my AK about 2 years and put about 900 through it
I've had a 9mm AR for a a year next month that's seen about 400 rounds through it. I would think that would be about the average
your 8K rounds(if you bought cheap-ish bulk) would have cost around $1200 a year...I dont know a whole lot of people that can afford to shoot that much. even if it was wolf 7.62x39, you are looking at $600 a year ammo prices which is beyond your average shooter. the only people I could imagine shooting more than you would be a person who shoots professionally.
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Hi...glad to meet you....my name is Stu. :D

Sounds like you are in the Navy. Been there, done that, wouldn't have missed it for anything. Use to work part time in a gun shop, when I was an E-6, so I could feed my shooting habit. Where there is a will, there is a way. Good luck and thanks for your service!
 
Arizona,
Thanks a lot. it's always great to have people, especially veterans thank me for my service, though to tell the truth doesn't seem like much compaired to most when we start swapping war stories. right now I'm just a frocked E-5 on sea duty so both money and shore time are in short supply.
I've read that chrome lining can flake off / peel off.
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if it's not done correctly or operated outside of it's normal parameters anything will wear out. cerakote is a good quality gun finish and is a plus for people with a gun that cant be blued or parkerized but if it isn't done correctly(IE not prepped properly or not baked hot/long enough) it offers no advantage over cheaper coatings. I'm no expert on chrome but I would venture a guess that there are certain considerations that have to be met while chrome is applied such as prepping the barrel surface, getting it just the right temperature, and keeping the environment stable and controlled throughout the chroming process.
 
Shooting... and nice beer... are my only hobbies. I am 25 and not married and no kids either. I have a modest car... modest furniture... and a modest flat screen TV, and I pack my own lunches. Other than that my money goes to shooting and firearms.
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Well that explains a lot! Keep living the dream as long as you can. I remember when I was 25 and living that dream too. Now stop making me rethink every decision i made over the last thirty years.

I was sold on chrome lined barrels in the eighties when I bought a shotgun with them. it cleaned up without effort. Quite impressive at the time. My current AR has one and the results are the same.
 
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