Barrel Steel?

[t.caster]

I know this has been discussed in the past but I can't find my notes.
What steel are the current barrel makers using? My hack saw and files tell me they are not all the same.

[rich pierce]

GM 1137. Ed Rayl something similar. Some of Rice’s light fowler barrels are made of special stuff. The rest are made of leaded steel.

[t.caster]

Thanks, Rich. Coleraine seems to be a harder steel....less lead? and I notice they rust quicker in use, than any other barrels I've used.

[rich pierce]

Thanks, Rich. Coleraine seems to be a harder steel....less lead? and I notice they rust quicker in use, than any other barrels I've used.

Not sure!

[Mattox Forge]

If anyone is using leaded steel, it is probably free machining 12L14. 

Mike

[Bob Roller]

Jim McLemore bought CERTIFIED gun barrel steel from another maker who had contracts for machine gun barrels and rapid firing cannons.That arrangement meant that light weight barrels and not worry about a blow up with black powder and lawyers specializing in blown up guns.I made screws from 12L14 and that was the intended idea for it and several degreed metalurgists thought I was kidding when I told them about muzzle loader barrels being made from 12L14.One of these was a woman who was a competition shooter with rifles said she would not want to be near any rifle barrel made from 12L14. Bill Large used 1144 sold as "Stressproof"and I made lock tumblers from it.Easy to machine and hardens like drill rod in oil.This is not certified for rifle barrels of any kind but is better than leaded screw stock.
Bob Roller

[J Shingler]

Getz, Rice and at one time Colrain all used 12L14. The pressure is not there with black powder. I have no idea about the substitute stuff. I only shoot black powder. Don Getz RIP once told me they did a test. Breached both ends of a 8" 12L14 barrel and drilled an 1/8 hole for a cannon fuse. Filled it with powder lit it and ran like $#*!! It did not rupture and all came out that 1/8 hole. I would rather a barrel stretch and bulge than be brittle and fragment.

[Daryl]

Jim McLemore used 4150.

[Roger B]

Why don't we have multiple reports of ruptured barrel in the historical literature in the forge welded  wrought iron days? We know that 18th & 19th century gunsmiths proved their barrels but i wonder what the rate of failure was.
Roger B.

[Daryl]

I recall reading somewhere, that when being proofed in Britain, the gun maker could hammer down bulges up to 2 or 3 times (IIRC) from Greener's book, and if they passed proof after that, they
were good to go and stamped as passing proof.

[Bob Roller]

Why don't we have multiple reports of ruptured barrel in the historical literature in the forge welded  wrought iron days? We know that 18th & 19th century gunsmiths proved their barrels but i wonder what the rate of failure was.
Roger B.

The people who lived when muzzle loaders were in common use did not put in big loads of powder  and my maternal grandfather was one of these,Clinton M.Taylor 1873-1972 showed me a common way ro use black powder,He laid a ,375 round ball in the palm of one hand and poured powder over it forming a cone.When the ball was covered that was the load.The pouring was from a horn.
Bob Roller

[Hudnut]

The use of 12L14 for barrels has been an ongoing controversy for many years.  Primary objection is that it tends to be brittle, rather than ductile.  If a barrel fails, a bulge or split is preferable to fracture and pieces being scattered.
The good news is that barrel failures are quite rare.
I have used 1137 blanks purchased from a barrel manufacturer.  Felt comfortable using it.