Parkerizing Barrels....to plug or not plug the bore/chamber

Oldsmobiler

Oldsmobiler

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Just trying to get a little feedback from the guys on the board. I'm having a little disagreement with someone right now that is saying "You do not need to plug the bore or chamber when parkerizing barrels" According to him (no names please) he does this all the time, his rifles shoot fine and the parkerizing acts like a protectant. What I'm saying is that no you are wrong and you are suppose to plug the bore as well as the chamber to prevent the chemicals from damaging the rifling and the chamber (I've talked to numerous experts and they all tell me the same story). We've pretty much ended the conversation at a draw (yes thats how I feel) and I still think you're wrong.

Opinions?

Ante
 
The bore should be plugged! Radocy even says so in their literature!

On some milsurps (MAS36/51 refurbs come to mind) the bore is parked. You have to either JB paste or shoot a few hundred rounds through one to make it shoot worth a damn and copper fouling is a HUGE problem until you get the parked surface smooth again.

Yuck.
 
Parking is done at a fairly low temperature and you can safely plug the bore and it is definately recomended. Parkerising uses an acid to etch the metal, not something you want to do to your smooth bore and chamber.
Hot tank blueing is done at higher temperatures and you cannot safely plug the bore when doing this proceedure. It doesn't affect the bore anyway as it's just a chemical reaction that changes the color of the metal, no etching or build up.
Mabey your buddy was thinking of blueing?
 
Nope not blueing....parkerizing.

Had a Barnett heavy barrel parked by this guy and at the time I was kinda green at what was suppose to be done..that was about a year ago...fast forward to a couple weeks ago where I've been putting together my heavy barrel M14 project. Talked to a few experts and they all agree that you are NOT suppose to parkerize the whole barrel. Met with the guy at his shop and we talked about it for about an hour. He claims that his park solution is a home brew that isn't as agressive as the standard stuff and is perfectly fine to use on the whole barrel. We agreed to disagree and we left it at that. I'm still not happy but there is nothing I can do anymore. I just wanted to ask you guys what your opinion was on this matter because it seemed with every point of argument I had he had a counter.

before: barnett heavy barrel, six grove, handloads only = precision rifle
after: barnett heavy barrel, parkerized throughout, six grove, handloads only = ???????:confused:

I'm not going to mess around with it, its coming off and getting replaced. I'm not in the mood to waste my time and money to see IF this is going to shoot fine.

Ante
 
Oldsmobiler said:
Nope not blueing....parkerizing.

Had a Barnett heavy barrel parked by this guy and at the time I was kinda green at what was suppose to be done..that was about a year ago...fast forward to a couple weeks ago where I've been putting together my heavy barrel M14 project. Talked to a few experts and they all agree that you are NOT suppose to parkerize the whole barrel. Met with the guy at his shop and we talked about it for about an hour. He claims that his park solution is a home brew that isn't as agressive as the standard stuff and is perfectly fine to use on the whole barrel. We agreed to disagree and we left it at that. I'm still not happy but there is nothing I can do anymore. I just wanted to ask you guys what your opinion was on this matter because it seemed with every point of argument I had he had a counter.

before: barnett heavy barrel, six grove, handloads only = precision rifle
after: barnett heavy barrel, parkerized throughout, six grove, handloads only = ???????:confused:

I'm not going to mess around with it, its coming off and getting replaced. I'm not in the mood to waste my time and money to see IF this is going to shoot fine.

Ante
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Yeah, he's out to lunch then......
Go ahead and tell us who it is. Most folks would just assume a shop knows what it's doing and wouldn't even ask if they plug the barrel. I would blow a gasket if they did that to one of my $$ barrels and thy would be replacing it or wearing the ruined barrel for a hat..........
 
before: barnett heavy barrel, six grove, handloads only = precision rifle
after: barnett heavy barrel, parkerized throughout, six grove, handloads only = 1950's milsurp barrel that needs to be replaced prior to using the rifle for shooting a national match
 
Had my C.I.L. M-71 .243(most assuredly not a fine precision barrel) done long ago. Luberite, not parkerizing, but close enough. Same process. Didn't have a cast bullet small enough to tap into the muzzle, so I used plasticene. It doesn't work. The chamber had a case, but the barrel is now luberited. No effect one way or the other.
It's best to put an empty case with a dead primer in the chamber and tap a cast bullet into the muzzle just enough to keep it there, but my experience shows it doesn't matter if the barrel is finished. Mind you, if I was doing a really good barrel, it'd have the case and cast bullet.
Glass bedding didn't help much either, but the Win M70 stock I put on looks nicer than the factory stock with the flat black steel. Proves one thing. A sow's ear is a sow's ear. The rifle shoots accurately enough for deer, but a tack driver it ain't. Even though it has killed a fair number of ground hogs.
 
Anyone that would Park a gun w/o plugging the chamber and bore is an IDIOT -- unfit to wear the mantle of the term Gunsmith.

The hack is responsible for ruining a match barrel -- and he should replace it.

- I would have worded this more strongly but for the language part of our code of conduct.
 
Ask him if he thinks parkerized bullets would work well. If he says no, ask him why he thinks the parkerizing should be on the bore surface instead of the bullet. (If he said yes to parkerized bullets, he is beyond help or reason.)
 
I've seen on the FAL Files where they say that plugging a chromed bore is not nescessary, but that you definately should plug unchromed.
 
My personal opinion is that the bore should have been plugged, I do NOT do parkerizing so do not in any claim to be terribly knowledgeable on that process.
I do hot blueing on CM steels and blackening of stainless , both are high temp operations where plugging is just plain dangerous. Blued or blackenen barrels do not shoot any better or worse after the chemical and heat have done their jobs, but from what I know of Parkerizing there is an acid etching process that precedes the dip in the parkerizing solution, so would have concerns about possible metal alteration.
I think for the final proof to be established 1 way or another , I would finish up the rifle and shoot it. Worst case, you find out that the barrel is in fact pooched, best case you have a decent shooter and will sleep better with this knowledge. If the fellow who did the work is honest about his own home brew it may not in fact even be real parkerizing, so possibly there is no crystaline structure built up . Worth a try.
 
I just don't feel real comfortable trying this thing out. Semi's are a different animal compared to bolt guns. The last thing I need is something going wrong right next to my head and face. The guy said that he would shoot it for me but I declined the offer....I don't want him getting hurt either. Bottom line is that I'm not happy and the barrel is coming off. This guy does not do parkerizing or gunsmithing for a living so I highly doubt that he will do this again in the future. I also don't feel comfortable telling people who this guy is either since I have nothing to gain from this and the guy is a little bit of a whack job. He has already said that "I am not replacing your barrel" So there is no point to drag this thing on anymore. I just wanted to prove that he is wrong, his customer service needs work...a LOT and he needs to grow up. I'll be posting comments from experienced and REAL gunsmiths that I have been talking to about this so he can see the error in his ways.

Ante
 
Hi Oldsmobiler

I do parkerizing at work, and I would agree that the barrel should be pluged,I my experiance I have found that my parkerizing does not take to a polished surface to well, my best results have been on a glass beaded surface. So if I were you I would try the barrel and see how it shoots,I dont think you would have any safety issues

GrensVegter
 
There is a safe way to plug barrels, to keep Park. or hot blue out. If the barrel is just corked at the ends, expansion of trapped air could blow the plugs, and you don't want this to happen, particularly in a hot blue bath at 290 degrees F. A threaded rod is passed through the bore, and a gasket and fitted nut applied at each end. The ends are sealed firmly, and there is little air within the barrel which could expand. Of course, if you are dealing with a gas operated firearm, the gas port must be dealt with.
 
GrensVegter said:
Hi Oldsmobiler

I do parkerizing at work, and I would agree that the barrel should be pluged,I my experiance I have found that my parkerizing does not take to a polished surface to well, my best results have been on a glass beaded surface. So if I were you I would try the barrel and see how it shoots,I dont think you would have any safety issues

GrensVegter
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I agree and from looking at my barrel the rifling isn't too bad...HOWEVER....everything else is as black as the inside of a cow. Sure gonna be fun to clean when finished shooting. I've already replaced the ruined barrel with a stainless Kreiger and have moved on. That slimebag POS still thinks I'm an idiot and he's Mr."Gunsmith". whatever....:mad:

If it were a bolt gun yeah I wouldn't hesitate at all to shoot it. This is a semiauto gas gun and having the moving parts that close to my face kinda has me worried. He even volunteered to shoot it for me but I declined. I didn't want any of this blood on my McMillan stock:D I've got it in the corner of my shop and have someone interested in it right now. I've got lots of money invested in it and am forced to basically give it away:(

Olds
 
park

From the mouth of mr radocy himself, i was told to plug one end of the barrel, fill with distilled water and plug the other end. if by chance the plug pops all you have done is dilute the solution slightly.
cueball
 
Polish-Jack said:
Oldsmobiler, you avatar is the "Ding Dong song" guy, right? Umm, Gunter was his name, I think.
Click to expand...

Not too sure. Found it somewhere and I laughed my ass off. He totally looks like a Euro trash dude. That ### Skullboy put the extra BTW line in there for me :rolleyes:

Olds
 
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