Stainless Barrel Liners

[captianpattson]

Does anyone know of a company/machinist that offers stainless steel barrel liners. They are mostly used to restore older barrels with a bad bore, which were normal steel. I sent emails to the places I know of that manufacture them and so far no luck... Thanks for your help!

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't know who, but somebody has to make the actual rifled bores for the Christiensen and other composite barrels; which I think are stainless. Would they tell you? Probably not.

Why do you particularly need stainless liners?

 

[Dfariswheel]

I know of one or two cases in which for some reason a barrel liner was not available, so a gunsmith just turned down a standard barrel blank to a liner.

As long as it doesn't need to be too thin, I'd imagine any gunsmith with a lathe and the skills to use it could turn down a stainless steel barrel blank.

 

[chack]

I've been looking for a standard steel 7.62 x 39 liner for a shot out/heavily corroded vz 52 with no luck. Where are did you find steel liners?

 

[James K]

The Gun Parts catalog shows those barrels for $60 or so, in "fair to good" bore. So check www.gunpartscorp.com and see if they still have them.

Now, if you can stand it, let me explain why a liner won't work for your gun.

Barrel liners are usually made only for low pressure cartridges, like .22, .32-20, .44-40 and the like. The reason is that a regular liner is relatively thin and is just soldered or glued into a reamed out barrel. The gap between the liner and barrel has to be enough for the solder/glue, so it is rather generous.

That, in turn, means that the liner has to support the pressure by itself. If a high pressure round is fired, the pressure will distort the liner and push it out into any gaps between the liner and the barrel, ruining the liner and destroying accuracy.

As Dfariswheel says, a regular barrel can be turned down, but left strong enough to stand up to the pressure, then the original barrel reamed out and the "liner" installed, but that is a pretty costly process, usually done only when the original barrel has markings of historical interest that the owner wants preserved. But the original barrel has to be thick enough to allow that to be done. Further, it is a job for a real specialist; few gun shops have the necessary equipment to do the job.

Jim

 

[quepasakimosabe]

hmm internesting way of approacing a problem. I learned something today wooooo.

 

[Scorch]

captainpattson-
John Taylor at Taylor Machine will install a liner made of carbon steel or stainless steel for rimfire or centerfire cartridges. 253-445-4073

 

[captianpattson]

I'm in the process of designing a rifle with a carbon fiber wrapped barrel. One of the design specs is that it has to be waterproof. Barrel liners would be ideal for this application. Most carbon steel barrel liners are about $30, purchasing the rifling equipment would be far too expensive. I suppose I can make a prototype out of a carbon steel liner... I'll try calling John Taylor and contacting christiensens.