Carbon Fiber wrapped barrel?

quinnbrian

quinnbrian

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I've be in the fiberglass "world" for about 20+ years, but never wrapped a barrel....so has anyone done this? Maybe there is a gunsmith/manufacture out there that could help/point me in the right direction. Would like to do this on a new project, I'm working on. Just wait and see , this one is going to knock your socks off!!
Like I said ,not new to the fiberglass, carbon ,epoxy, vinylester , vacuum bagging etc. world. but would like to get some advice from the barrel wrapping pros.
And yes after 20+ year, I'm the pro, but never wrapped a barrel.
Thanks for looking , and look forward to all/any advice.
Cheers
Brian
 
You need to be able to turn the bbl to a small diameter and also they have a tensioning nut on the muzzle as I recall, on some at least. You need to be careful threading for a brake that you stay with large enough diameter. Taking a large amounts of material off a bbl is just asking for it to go wonky in the bore, unsure how they control this. Guessing results for the home tinkerer (even if you are a good frp man) will be iffy.

barrels-before-after.jpg
 
Thanks for all the great input. Dero338 I could see how a carbon wrapped barrel could be a hit or miss as far as accuracy. Most barrels aren't drill straight, so when you put it in the lathe and turn down the outer diameter, there is a good chance that one side will be thicker than the other. And when the barrel heats up, it will banana on you.
Carbon fiber and steel don't have the same expansion rate, there close , but not the same, and on the flip side, the steel doesn't cool down as fast as the carbon fiber.
Shooter1970 the tension nut on the end , " I think" is because there is a difference in the expansion between the metal barrel and the carbon fiber. Would you want to pay $1200.00 plus for a carbon wrapped barrel.....shot it once or twice and have the outside shell start spinning in your hand.....not good for business. :)
The best carbon wrapped barrel, "I think" would be one built on a very thin rifled liner, there for taking must of the metal to fiber expansion thing out of the equation. But again , I'm not a barrel manufacture.
 
I think the biggest part of the job would be producing the barrel and turning it so small and stress relieving, I bet this is the biggest accuracy issue. Wrapping it with carbon or glass should be akin to making composite pipe with a winding technique, this should be off the shelf technology by now. Basicly a lathe with feed and an epoxy bath. Issue would be that very little pressure may warp the barrel, perhaps need a way to inspect and straighten before cure although this may well effect accuracy when it warms up. Lots to research and test!
 
Well, it sounds like a majority of people who have pre-ordered an ATRS Modern Hunter went with a Proof carbon wrapped barrel, so i n a few months we should have lots more firsthand experience with them.
 
You are right and what Proof Research suggest in their literature.
Lawrence barrels is where they get the raw blank from and likely who does the finish rifling.... part of the corporation.

from their 2014 catalog pg 6

"Our CF barrels begin as full profile 416R SS barrel blanks that we manufacture in-house. The blanks are then turned down to a reduced profile everywhere but the shank, muzzle, and gas block journal (where applicable). This reduced profile is then wrapped with CF an secured with a proprietary bonding agent (PBA). We then cure the newly applied CF and PBA. Once hardened, the barrel is finished to its final sleek profile, single-point cut rifled, hand lapped and borescope inspected"

Expensive but interesting.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
You are right and what Proof Research suggest in their literature.
Lawrence barrels is where they get the raw blank from and likely who does the finish rifling.... part of the corporation.

from their 2014 catalog pg 6

"Our CF barrels begin as full profile 416R SS barrel blanks that we manufacture in-house. The blanks are then turned down to a reduced profile everywhere but the shank, muzzle, and gas block journal (where applicable). This reduced profile is then wrapped with CF an secured with a proprietary bonding agent (PBA). We then cure the newly applied CF and PBA. Once hardened, the barrel is finished to its final sleek profile, single-point cut rifled, hand lapped and borescope inspected"

Expensive but interesting.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Are you vacuum bagging any of your cf parts, or using Rtm? Instead of using a full size barrel, would it be better to uses a smaller size, with a known wall thickness and than wrapping, and rifling. Again just asking, always looking for the "how it's made" .
Thanks for all the input!! This is why I started this thread!! There's alot of knowledge in this forum, and it great to be able to draw from it.
It great, not to have to invent the wheel, but it's nice to know what parts and how it's made.
Cheers
Brian
 
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