Melonite barrel vs Chrome Lined Barrel

[A1Kaid]

Alright I'm looking into these two barrels. So far from what I've read melonite barrel sounds superior to the "Mil-spec" chrome lines barrel which commonly comes on the Colt M4.


I want to discuss and learn the Pros and Cons and do a comparison between these two respective barrels.



Melonite

- Dissipates heat faster
- Better for sustained fire
- Stronger and thicker barrel (wear resistant)
- Superior longevity
- Coefficient of Friction is Reduced (from what I have read)


Chrome Lined

- Lighter
- "Mil-spec"
- Cheaper
- Not sure what other advantages it has





Does anyone know for a fact which barrel can improve accuracy? I have read some people saying melonite barrel is better for accuracy than chrome-lined barrel. If that's true anyone know exactly why?

 

[A1Kaid]

Bump, anyone have info regarding accuracy comparison between the two?

 

[Butchcassidy]

I only know about chrome lined barrel. It is only useful if you are firing corrosive cheap eastern block ammo. That is why most of full auto ak's have chrome lined barrels. They tend to less accurate. Thats what my gun smith told me.

 

[A1Kaid]

I only know about chrome lined barrel. It is only useful if you are firing corrosive cheap eastern block ammo. That is why most of full auto ak's have chrome lined barrels. They tend to less accurate. Thats what my gun smith told me.

I've also read on the internet forums that chrome lined barrel is less accurate than melonite barrels it's just that I can't find a detailed explanation as to why or if that is really true, as you know information on the internet isn't always correct.

CLB is also used in many M4's and other Mil-Spec weapons. I think the quality of the CLB is ultimately determined by who manufactured it Colt, Bushmaster Sig Sauer, FN, are trusted manufacturers. With AK's there are so many variants and manufacturers quality control can be an issue, AK's are mostly batch tested as well.

 

[Butchcassidy]

I've also read on the internet forums that chrome lined barrel is less accurate than melonite barrels it's just that I can't find a detailed explanation as to why or if that is really true, as you know information on the internet isn't always correct.

CLB is also used in many M4's and other Mil-Spec weapons. I think the quality of the CLB is ultimately determined by who manufactured it Colt, Bushmaster Sig Sauer, FN, are trusted manufacturers. With AK's there are so many variants and manufacturers quality control can be an issue, AK's are mostly batch tested as well.

What i gathered was that aks and m4 were not meant to be accurate. During WW2 the soviets found that most of the fighting occurred at distances less than 200 meters. So when they designed aks they sacrificed accuracy for higher rate of fire. CLB were easier to clean, could shoot cheaper ammo, so they went with it. But i dont know why CLB's are less accurate.
Bushmasters make good ar platform barrels.
Steyr barrels are good for ak's.
If u r planning on getting an ak go for the preban kind. I have found them to be way better than the WASR's and the other post ban parts kit variety. Norinco's, kassnar and preban yugos are very well made (comes from personal experience of having owned half a dozen ak's)

 

[A1Kaid]

I've also read on the internet forums that chrome lined barrel is less accurate than melonite barrels it's just that I can't find a detailed explanation as to why or if that is really true, as you know information on the internet isn't always correct.

What i gathered was that aks and m4 were not meant to be accurate. During WW2 the soviets found that most of the fighting occurred at distances less than 200 meters. So when they designed aks they sacrificed accuracy for higher rate of fire. CLB were easier to clean, could shoot cheaper ammo, so they went with it. But i dont know why CLB's are less accurate.
Bushmasters make good ar platform barrels.
Steyr barrels are good for ak's.
If u r planning on getting an ak go for the preban kind. I have found them to be way better than the WASR's and the other post ban parts kit variety. Norinco's, kassnar and preban yugos are very well made (comes from personal experience of having owned half a dozen ak's)

Ak-47 was made after WWII, and the war you are confusing it with was the Vietnam war where the Vietcong and north Vietnam used the Ak-47 against the US troops which used the very first M-16 made by Armalite. The M-16 was more accurate as it had better mechanics will yielded less recoil, it also fires the 5.56 lighter round, Ak-47 had more recoil, shot a larger round, but at 200 meters was inaccurate, but in reality most fighting in Vietnam took place less than 200 meters.

 

[Butchcassidy]

Ak-47 was made after WWII, and the war you are confusing it with was the Vietnam war where the Vietcong and north Vietnam used the Ak-47 against the US troops which used the very first M-16 made by Armalite. The M-16 was more accurate as it had better mechanics will yielded less recoil, it also fires the 5.56 lighter round, Ak-47 had more recoil, shot a larger round, but at 200 meters was inaccurate, but in reality most fighting in Vietnam took place less than 200 meters.

Sorry confused M4 for M16's. You are right, aks were made after WW2 but the lessons learnt in the war were kept in mind during the designing. Read it in one of kalashnikov's interviews. Initially all had milled recievers but later they realized that stamped recievers were cheaper to make without affecting the accuracy by much.
5.56 is a better round no doubt, maybe thats what prompted them to change the caliber in the later variants.

 

[MilSpec]

Alright I'm looking into these two barrels. So far from what I've read melonite barrel sounds superior to the "Mil-spec" chrome lines barrel which commonly comes on the Colt M4.

Does anyone know for a fact which barrel can improve accuracy? I have read some people saying melonite barrel is better for accuracy than chrome-lined barrel. If that's true anyone know exactly why?

Not necesarily, your accuracy depends on twist rate of rifling, type of rifling, Barrel flex, Machining precision... So the keyword you might want to look for is Match Grade, and there are plenty of CHROME LINED match grade barrels, Hbar comes to mind, some stainless steel Type 416R match grade barrels with hand polished feed ramps cost an arm and leg because of their super sub MoA accuracy.

Few other things to look out for if you are trying precision shooting are investing in a two stage trigger group, good scope and finally some good match grade ammo.