Wear and Tear on Chrome Bores
The following pictures were provided by the same shooter who is a longtime reader of WRSA. He has no affiliation with any of the products mentioned below.
Beretta ARX 100 Bore. 1000 rds of mixed 5.56 and .223 copper jacket factory ammo up to 75 grain. Shooters Choice MC#7 bore solvent was used for the first few hundred rds, but M-Pro 7 has been used since then. There was very little wear and the chrome was intact.
Beretta ARX 100 Barrel. Country of origin unknown, but marked MP.
Steyr Aug A3 M1 Bore. 500 rds of mixed 5.56 and .223 copper jacket factory ammo up to 75 grain. No steel case ammunition was ever used. The barrel was marked “Made in USA” and the rifle was purchased new in late 2014. M-Pro 7 was used for cleaning. The chrome was intact when new, intact at 300 rds, and peeling by 500 rds. It must be noted this was a replacement barrel after the original did the same thing by the 500 rd mark, i.e, this was the second new AUG barrel to flake out. The shooter contacted Steyr USA about the chrome lining and was informed that FN USA was the contractor for Steyr’s barrels. Steyr was willing to replace the barrel again under warranty, but the shooter opted to trade the rifle.
FN Scar16s Bore. 300 rds of mixed 5.56 and .223 copper jacket factory ammo up to 75 grain bullets. The photo doesn’t do the bore justice –the dark marks were a mixture of poor lighting and reflections inside the bore. M-Pro 7 has been used for cleaning. There was no noticeable wear and the chrome was intact. 200 more rds will be fired this Summer and another snapshot taken.
FN Scar16s Barrel Proof Mark. This barrel may have been made in Europe.
Arsenal SLR 106 FR Bore. Somewhere between 500 to 750 rds of mixed 5.56 and .223 factory ammunition up to 75 grain. This has included some steel jacket Silver Bear and Wolf. Shooters Choice bore solvent was used for cleaning. The picture of the chrome peeling was taken at the end of the round count. The receiver and barrel were made in Bulgaria. Arsenal USA has not been contacted yet, but servicing/exchanging a barrel on a discontinued rifle constructed with rivets may be unlikely.
Arsenal SLR 95 Bore. Somewhere between 500 to 750 rds of 7.62×39 which included copper and steel jacket factory ammunition (USA, Russia, Europe, and some late import China). Majority was copper jacket and no corrosive ammo was ever used. Shooters Choice bore solvent was used for cleaning. This rifle may have been a pre-2004 import from Bulgaria since it has a permanently attached muzzle brake and no bayonet lug. There was very little wear and the chrome was intact.
Model 1 Sales 16″ CAR upper used on a semi-auto AR15. From 750 to 1000 rds of mixed 5.56 and .223 factory ammunition and some hand-loads up to 75 grain. Some steel jacket Silver Bear and Wolf were used, but less than 100 rds total. Shooters Choice bore solvent was used. No noticeable wear and chrome was intact.
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2015/06/18/chrome-bore-experience/
Interesting…. thanks