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M2 Machine gun barrel material

nt1953

Hot Rolled
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Location
Huntsville, Alabama
Does anyone know what the commercial material designation (not the mil spec) and hardness are for M2 machine gun barrels? Are the threads harder than the rest of the barrel?
 
Here's a great write-up. Starting with page 83, there's quite a bit about GM making machine guns. Doesn't give the material spec. but does say that the hardness is 280-310 Brinnell.
Current manufacture gun barrels are usually Chrome-Moly so that they have a little flex to them; too hard and they'd become brittle. The Stellite chamber liner which extends somewhere around one quarter of the way up the bore is by far the hardest part of an M2 barrel.

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/misc/american-machinist-gun-manufacturing-1942.pdf
 








 
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