Originally Posted by
okie
I have no idea. I get the impression folks around here don't like melonite, but I don't know why. I think it's fine for pistol barrels, at least. No one can deny it's been great for Glock. However, since pistol barrels last virtually forever it's more about corrosion prevention than it is about preserving barrel life.
One thing I will say, though, is that nitride finishes of today aren't generally what they used to be. Some are still pretty good, but the environmental regs have made the good stuff too expensive and bothersome to do. If you talk to people in that business, they'll tell you that they work at lower temps now, and with a different ratio of chemicals, all to reduce the amount of cyanide in the waste material from what I understand. I tend to believe them, too, because if you talk to machine shops like ADCO that do a lot of cutting on finished barrels they'll tell you most nitride can now be cut through with no problem.
So I don't know. The original high temp formula may have rivaled chrome in some ways, but I think what they're predominantly using now is probably just a corrosion preventative than anything else. Even though it's not what it used to be, it's still probably the best finish you can get to keep a gun from rusting, at least in terms of surface treatment that doesn't add any material to the dimensions of the part. For pistols and pistol caliber carbines I would rather have it than stainless I think.
I don't and I'll tell you why. I will state up front that I'd take a nitride/Melonite treated barrel over a non-treated (or lined) barrel anytime. No doubt about it. HK MR556 barrels are a good example; I would (and have when I had one) send it off to be nitrided.
That said, nitride is a cheap-ass alternative manufacturers are now using because they're too tight to pay for chrome lining (God forbid it cut into their profits), yet market it as "just as good or better". It isn't, despite what some fan-boys on here will say (who likely own nitrided barrels).
Your point about environmental regs is valid: I read where Glock's Tennifer process, perhaps the pinnacle of a nitriding process (and one I'd consider next for a rifle barrel if chroming wasn't available) is basically verboten nowadays because of that environmental crap.
11C2P '83-'87
Airborne Infantry
F**k China!
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