GTA

All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => PCP/CO2/HPA Air Gun Gates "The Darkside" => Topic started by: RAJOD on July 24, 2017, 12:30:32 AM

Title: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: RAJOD on July 24, 2017, 12:30:32 AM
I'm not sure if its due to the stainless steel but I finally cleaned two of my PCPs after like 4 years of use.   

I thought my Daystate would be a total mess having to pull 30 patches through to get one to come out clean.    To my surprise it was not dirty at all, maybe 4 patches and even the first one was not terribly soiled.

Then I did the Brocock, that one has been having some issues with accuracy so I clean it.  Man it took like 30 patches to get them clean, well it never really came out totally clean I just was running low on patches.

The Daystate has a stainless barrel was wondering if that is one of the benefits, they are almost self cleaning.

Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: 39M on July 24, 2017, 12:36:40 AM
Probably more to do with how the bore is finished/polished.

This might be of interest to you
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/How+To+Break+In+a+Rifle+Barrel.html (http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/How+To+Break+In+a+Rifle+Barrel.html)
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: RAJOD on July 24, 2017, 12:46:39 AM
Probably more to do with how the bore is finished/polished.

This might be of interest to you
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/How+To+Break+In+a+Rifle+Barrel.html (http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/How+To+Break+In+a+Rifle+Barrel.html)
Thats for the link!   Good stuff.

The daystate must be super polished then.  8000+ pellets and hardly anything on the patches.    But I never cleaned either gun when I purchased.  So its possible the Brocock was dirty right out of the factory, I know the Hatsan I had was super dirty right out of the box.

Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: KnifeMaker on July 24, 2017, 03:45:47 AM
Where did you get the info that the Daystates were stainless barrels?

For years Daystate has stated that they do NOT blue the barrels, as the blueing process makes for a rougher bore, an as the barrel is covered by a shroud, it is neither needed or desirable.
This is for the barrels in shrouds of course, as the Air Ranger HP for years, had a blued barrel, as it is unshrouded.

If this in new for Daystate, When did it happen, and when did Walther/Lothar start making stainless AG Barrels, as all daystates have match grade W/L barrels.

Oddly enough, Daystate barrels do seem to give a very high degree of accuracy. And a LOT of AG companies advertise Match Grade W/L barrels. It is my guess, and only my guess, that they are lapped barrels, and more than likely done in house.
I do know that W/L will lap for a fee.

And exactly why I hone and polish all my Big bore and .25+ AG Barrels. ;)

Knife
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: RAJOD on July 24, 2017, 04:27:14 AM
Where did you get the info that the Daystates were stainless barrels?

For years Daystate has stated that they do NOT blue the barrels, as the blueing process makes for a rougher bore, an as the barrel is covered by a shroud, it is neither needed or desirable.
This is for the barrels in shrouds of course, as the Air Ranger HP for years, had a blued barrel, as it is unshrouded.

If this in new for Daystate, When did it happen, and when did Walther/Lothar start making stainless AG Barrels, as all daystates have match grade W/L barrels.

Oddly enough, Daystate barrels do seem to give a very high degree of accuracy. And a LOT of AG companies advertise Match Grade W/L barrels. It is my guess, and only my guess, that they are lapped barrels, and more than likely done in house.
I do know that W/L will lap for a fee.

And exactly why I hone and polish all my Big bore and .25+ AG Barrels. ;)

Knife

The regals barrel is silver stainless if  you pull off the shroud.   There were some photos of it on the forum that went dead thanks to photobucket shutting down the free photos or pay 400.00/year.

It looks like stainless visually.

Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: KnifeMaker on July 24, 2017, 05:00:27 PM
So does does barrel steel before blueing. And will polish to a mirrow finish if wanted.

PB steel, being chrome Moly, can be even brighter than stainless barrel steel. (Usually 416 or 417 stainless).

I used 416, before I retired for all my knife guards.

Knife
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: RAJOD on July 24, 2017, 06:22:00 PM
So does does barrel steel before blueing. And will polish to a mirrow finish if wanted.

PB steel, being chrome Moly, can be even brighter than stainless barrel steel. (Usually 416 or 417 stainless).

I used 416, before I retired for all my knife guards.

Knife
Yea not sure knife,  Nitro Crusher took his apart and showed photos.  I think he and others were commenting on the stainless.   But as you said maybe its just highly polished non blued steel which fooled everyone into thinking it was stainless.   But there is something different about that barrel vs my other guns.    I was fully expecting it to be a total mess after not cleaning it for years and years.     Hardly anything came out on the patches, was almost strange.



Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: anti-squirrel on July 25, 2017, 12:27:51 AM
Get a magnet.  That's a quick way to determine if it is non stainless.  Some stainless is weakly magnetic.  If a magnet attaches firmly, probably not stainless
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: ssbn617 on July 25, 2017, 01:00:15 AM
Get a magnet.  That's a quick way to determine if it is non stainless.  Some stainless is weakly magnetic.  If a magnet attaches firmly, probably not stainless
Spoken like a true submariner. How many times in a shipyard did a QA inspector find a fault in welding inspections with a simple magnet.
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: LDP on July 25, 2017, 01:21:27 AM
Its not stainless. Just as Michael said they are just naked barrels that were never blued per Daystates decision. Im sure Daystate either has LW put the extra work into them or they do it in house to give the bore a better finish by lapping.
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: KnifeMaker on July 25, 2017, 02:03:05 AM
And some stainless is VERY magnetic.

Here are a few;

440-C
154-CM
154-CPM
ATS-34
SV-30
SV-60
440-V
 and a host of others.

I read here on the forum, that the higher the grade the SS, the less magnetic it is. Exactly the opposite is true. ;)

The cheap SS like pots and pans are made of are a grade (Usually a 303ss or similar, and are of the lowest grade.  It is basically to Stainless Steel, what cold rolled low carbon steel to the industry. Low grade, non hardenable, (Does not respond to heat treatment), and low manufacturing and  cost. Both for the Steel Maker, and the product manufactures in general. 
Surgical Stainless is very low grade. If you see a knife advertised as surgical stainless, stay away. Far away.
The only thing Surgical Stainless really means is that it does not corrode in an alcove at 212+F.  And that it has no heavy metals in it. (Yes, some stainless has plenty. Such as Lead, and Cobalt).

You never know what your getting with low grade SS.
Gun barrels are on the other hand, typically 416ss or 417 SS. And there is now a super grade of 417ss smelted by Crucible Metals corp.  They are Magnetic by the way. LOL!!! ;)

There is no problem putting any high grade SS on a magnetic table for precision grinding for instance.  However a low grade such as 303 will shoot off the table like a bullet the instant the grinding wheel contacts it. No matter how strong the magnetic table.
Totally different animals. 

Knife
   
Title: Re: Cleaning stainless steel vs steel barrel
Post by: K.O. on July 25, 2017, 03:37:56 AM
I suspect L.W. barrels of being something like 1018 based on  it feeling softer than the crosman barrels  when filing...

they are smoother than (including the Green Mountain .25)crosman barrels which I bet are one of the lower carbon steels...softer steel means smother finish when the button is pulled thru...that is my theory anyways... I do not think it is from lapping...not that Daystate could not... I just do not think the L.W. Blanks are nor  are the surplus A.F. L.W.  barrels I have...

In the end hard to tell but the crosman spark a lot like low/med carbon when grinding...will have to spark test the L.W. cut off to check for manganese...

but...I need some known examples of each  to train my eye  its been a long time since I was shown a few

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_testing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_testing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PWCh6fdXdw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PWCh6fdXdw)