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metallurgy of gun barrels
- Thread starter dian
- Start date
- Replies 11
- Views 2,757
There is a book written by Storz, 'Rifle & Carbine 98' that gives some insight on barrel metallurgy from the 1898 to 1914 period. It cites 'crucible soft steel' as part of the regulations for military contracts. The book is available in German and English. I don't have any reference material that dates back further.
Some values given from 1914:
Carbon-.60-.75%
Manganese- .67%
Silicon-.45%
Copper-.08%
Sulphur-.03%
Phosphorus-.03%
Tungsten-.03%
Stipulations required stability=85-90 kg/mm, elastic limit=60 kg/mm, and stretching-12%. The first 2 are squared.
Some values given from 1914:
Carbon-.60-.75%
Manganese- .67%
Silicon-.45%
Copper-.08%
Sulphur-.03%
Phosphorus-.03%
Tungsten-.03%
Stipulations required stability=85-90 kg/mm, elastic limit=60 kg/mm, and stretching-12%. The first 2 are squared.
akajun
Stainless
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2011
- Location
- Brusly, LA
For early guns, there are plenty of books on colonial gunmakers
These barrels were made in a variety of ways
For later more modern guns say post civil war, the big change in steel was brought on by the development of smokeless powder and jacketed bullets. I’d suggest hatchers notebook on that
These barrels were made in a variety of ways
For later more modern guns say post civil war, the big change in steel was brought on by the development of smokeless powder and jacketed bullets. I’d suggest hatchers notebook on that
Scottl
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2013
- Location
- Eastern Massachusetts, USA
In early America flintlock barrels were hand forged from strips of iron wrapped around a mandrel and forge welded. The bores were then reamed by hand and then cut rifled using the scratch tooth method. I think many times they were forged of alternating bands or iron and steel. Apparently they were fairly soft because it was common to "freshen" a barrel by lapping with a lead slug and then cutting the rifling deeper. The owner would either use thicker patches or scrape and lap the ball mold to a larger diameter.
Military muskets were AFAIK forged from steel under water powered drop hammers in factories.
Military muskets were AFAIK forged from steel under water powered drop hammers in factories.
johnoder
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2004
- Location
- Houston, TX USA
You sort of need a cut off date. Before Bessemer, there were no large volumes of low carbon steel produced - you were limited to what you could process into STEEL in a crucible - which is where Crucible Steel came from - some larger items were made into "steel" from iron bars in the BLISTER process
Check out K. C. Barraclough's two volume set Steel Making Before Bessemer
I would imagine before the 1860s and Bessemer that tens of thousands of gun barrels were made from wrought iron - which was what was common at the time
Check out K. C. Barraclough's two volume set Steel Making Before Bessemer
I would imagine before the 1860s and Bessemer that tens of thousands of gun barrels were made from wrought iron - which was what was common at the time
thanks.
yes, wrought iron for sure, there was nothing else (only small parts were made from crucible steel, whatever it actually was). surprisingly the "wild west era" functioned on guns hammered out of pig iron to the largest extend? i wonder when the first barrel was drilled.
scott, muskets of e.g. the napoleon wars? what kind of steel was that?
yes, wrought iron for sure, there was nothing else (only small parts were made from crucible steel, whatever it actually was). surprisingly the "wild west era" functioned on guns hammered out of pig iron to the largest extend? i wonder when the first barrel was drilled.
scott, muskets of e.g. the napoleon wars? what kind of steel was that?
1850's after the invention of smokeless powder.
Apparently Remington was "drilling" barrels bit earlier than that but it was different method. Described here:
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...e-barrels-1840s-115595/index2.html#post439751
thats an interesting thread you found. i wonder what remingtons "cast steel" barrels really were, as well as what "steel" colt imported from england.
that was the time of "puddled steel", a very unreliable material and "blister steel". apparently the latter had to be carburised and forged inbetween for up to 20 times, so was it suitable for large scale production? apparently homogenous crucible steel has been made from the end of the 18. century, but i understand it was made from "blister steel". so did they cast hundreds of thousands of barrels from this precious material? guns must have been relatively cheap, because every cowboy had one. or is that only in the moovies?
the book mentioned in that thread ("Fighting Iron" by Art Grogan)is probably a good one also.
that was the time of "puddled steel", a very unreliable material and "blister steel". apparently the latter had to be carburised and forged inbetween for up to 20 times, so was it suitable for large scale production? apparently homogenous crucible steel has been made from the end of the 18. century, but i understand it was made from "blister steel". so did they cast hundreds of thousands of barrels from this precious material? guns must have been relatively cheap, because every cowboy had one. or is that only in the moovies?
the book mentioned in that thread ("Fighting Iron" by Art Grogan)is probably a good one also.
Last edited:
john.k
Diamond
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2012
- Location
- Brisbane Qld Australia
You should know that "Cast steel" is always a reference to the 'crucible process of steel production',begun in England by Benjamin Huntsman.....and for over a century the production method for the best steel available.The last "cast steel" was produced in England in the late 1940s,post WW2.,even though in competition with arc furnace steel at the time.......The very logo "cast steel" on a Sheffield made wood chisel or plane blade is a guarantee of the very best in wood paring edge holding.
john.k
Diamond
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2012
- Location
- Brisbane Qld Australia
Colts first gunmaking enterprise at Paterson NJ,went broke due to claims from buyers for burst revolver cylinders.....so when he got the opportunity to start again in Hartford,he made sure to specify English cast steel from a couple of well known makers ,and made no secret of his preference.In military muskets,the changeover from lap welded iron to steel rods occurred just after the US civil war,and by 1871,steel was in general use for barrels and parts........however makers like Remington stuck with wrought iron,carburised,for many years in the rolling block rifles.
mnl
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2007
- Location
- Maryland near DC
The is a reference in Biringuccio's Pirotechnia of 1540 to boring arquebuses and iron muskets. I see it is now available in paperback for a reasonable price. The quote I saw was just the one line, and it didn't sound like there was more.
https://www.amazon.com/Pirotechnia-Vannoccio-Biringuccio-Sixteenth-Century-Metallurgy/dp/0486261344
They were boring larger scale guns, i.e. cannon, in large vertical boring mills by the early to mid 1700s. An excellent reference is The Art of Gunfounding, unfortunately now it is quite dear.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gunfounding-Casting-Bronze-Century/dp/0948864079
