Gordon; since you are interesed in some of.......................
these things, let me give you something else to think about. When you speak of hard and soft spots, contouring, and muzzle "growth" as a result of that contouring, much of that can, and has, been eliminated as a result of a proper cryogenic process, (yeah, I know, SOS, cryo...again. But wait, hear me out.) performed using the vacuum-insulated machine though, not using some "BOX" and saying to me, "Yup, I cryo'd 'er, Uhyulk".
Now I know, everybody will jump in and say, "....but kevin says, that..." I really don't care too much what anyone else has to say, I'm speaking of the stabilization of material, and that's all. But a guy by the name of Ray Bowman will not "not use" the process, even if a customer tells him he doesn't want it done.
Suppose you wanted to make a really "FAST" barrel, how would you go about making a barrel that was really fast, but you didn't want a cylinder profile? I'm talking about a barrel that would need a heavier charge than what was normally used, that would exhibit higher velocities than normal, yet would not exhibit dangerous pressures out of the norm. I spoke to a 3rd gen. smith (last name starts w/H), and we were speaking about out-of-spec. barrels being a little oversize, just not up-to-snuff, and only used for experience or experimentation. I asked, "Well, how about deliberately making the bore and groove .001 oversize? Its easier to get a bullet to travel faster by obturating and filling an oversize...."CAN'T do it, it won't have any accuracy, we tried that, besides, under competitive conditions the muzzle grows, accuracy is lost. Nope. No good at all, we tried it." I said, "Yes, you may have tried it in the past, but did you ever try it when the material was properly stabilized? You don't know what could be done under those conditions because you've never been given the opportunity." (Long silence, here) "You're right......." (He hasn't gotten back to me, yet.) By the way, in the "fast" context, I'm speaking of centerfires only, the rimfires I wouldn't try that with......yet
Now, speaking of long barrel life, what about taking a piece of raw bar, before it is squared, and properly cryo processing that, then squaring and rifling it, then fitting it. Now, it has been stabilized, so, lets nitride (QPQ salt bath) it for longevity, then cryo it again, to stabilize the stresses, if any, that were imparted when nitriding was done? Granted, this may well be out of the bouinds of "sensible risk" for most, but not for others, maybe quite a few others.
Suppose, in the rimfire context, we tried the cryo approach. Why?? Well, I wonder if it could be made so that, perhaps, tuners weren't necessary, I am NOT saying they will not, or do not work, but maybe they don't have to be made as heavy, or as large, or as long, or take as much TIME TO GET THEM "IN", as it does now. Who knows? I don't, but, the age of experimentation must BE DEAD in Br,( or bR) as far as cryogenics is concerned, anyway, because everyone wants to build tuners and other "things because, "They WORK". Well, no stuff, but other things may work, too, except everyone is convinced that at least proper cryo will not, after all, everyone KNOWS it, "don't wurk."
ALL the meaningful research on this subject is coming from India and China, and the Chinese are jumping on this, big-time, in their aviation industry. We wonder why all the jobs are fleeing this country?? Well, a lot of it IS corporate greed, but there is also the fact that some people out there are working at building a better mousetrap, while others seem to be self-relegating themselves to the status of audience members, watching the world beat a path.........
