Yugo AKs do not have a chrome lined barrel, Soooooooo?

[EddyT]

I believe chrome lining is great, but somewhat overemphasized. Just look at HK and FN or example. HK91's, MP5's, MR556, and MR762 are not chrome lined. Neither are most FN FAL's.

Look at the gas piston on your Yugo.....I bet it's chromed. I have seen quite a few Yugos with hard chromed gas pistons and un-chromed barrels. If the Yugos thought that un-chromed barrels would be an issue they could easily have chrome lined them. Just my .02.

Soviet where you at?

 

[strider12]

I just thought it summed it up and was accurate... Why does everyone need to be so damn nasty on here lately??? I have been on this forum for awhile now and I don't recall there being this much sorebuttness...

I made an observation about one specific AK (unless you believe all are made exactly the same) and you took it as an invitation to just slam an entire platform.

But since you typed "sorebuttness" it must be true. I mean, ad hominem attacks always end the discussion.

 

[strider12]

I believe chrome lining is great, but somewhat overemphasized. Just look at HK and FN or example. HK91's, MP5's, MR556, and MR762 are not chrome lined. Neither are most FN FAL's.

Look at the gas piston on your Yugo.....I bet it's chromed. I have seen quite a few Yugos with hard chromed gas pistons and un-chromed barrels. If the Yugos thought that un-chromed barrels would be an issue they could easily have chrome lined them. Just my .02.

Soviet where you at?

I have made this point before, it is a good one. And you are right about other "high-end technology" not using chrome. I guess Brussels, Germany etc. are poor countries.

 

[Tony2X]

The knock I hear against Yugo AKs is that they do not have a chrome lined barrel yet all the Yugo surplus ammo is corrosive.

1. Are we to assume that each soldier poured hot water down the barrel after each use and used Ballistol or some corresponding compound liberally?

2. Were the AKs disposible? Shoot one for a couple months and you're issued a new one if you aren't Mr Spic 'n Span.

3. They're all just crap?

They seem to be higher quality than any I've owned and cleaning is about the same.

What says you?

For the average American owner/shooter I don't think a chrome lined barrel in anything is an absolute necessity.
But it's a great option you say?....yeah, if you are a lazy ass that never cleans their weapons.
My.02

 

[Robogunner]

I made an observation about one specific AK (unless you believe all are made exactly the same) and you took it as an invitation to just slam an entire platform.

But since you typed "sorebuttness" it must be true. I mean, ad hominem attacks always end the discussion.

I thought I just answered the question... I am sorry for saying anything and do NOT wish to argue with you... Love the advanced vocabulary... Viva la AK ..

 

[Madrox]

Opinions. You ask for them, you get them. Don't want em, don't ask for em.

I like my AK's chrome lined. Why? I like the idea of added protection and ease of cleaning.

 

[Billrube]

The knock I hear against Yugo AKs is that they do not have a chrome lined barrel yet all the Yugo surplus ammo is corrosive.

1. Are we to assume that each soldier poured hot water down the barrel after each use and used Ballistol or some corresponding compound liberally?

2. Were the AKs disposible? Shoot one for a couple months and you're issued a new one if you aren't Mr Spic 'n Span.

3. They're all just crap?

They seem to be higher quality than any I've owned and cleaning is about the same.

What says you?

1) No most did not clean them well and most were used in combat conditions.
2) No they were not disposable...bad pitted bores caused accuracy to suffer but a bullet that bounces around a worn out barrel will still kill something when it gets there. But thirty rounds of full auto and accuracy does not really matter in a CQB situation. (Most were used during their civil war and many if not most were not professional soldiers)
3) Most all of the issued Yugo AKs could probably have been considered "crap" before they started cutting them to sell them to the U.S.
(The Yugo SKS has been imported in large numbers...most of the heavily used SKSs display pitted bores, rusted and pitted gas valves--probably what the AKs looked like in original condition)

The reason they seem to be "higher quality than any you've ever owned" is because when the parts hit our shores, they were cleaned up, refinished and mated with new U.S non chrome lined barrels and U.S. Receivers. And yes, basic good cleaning can eliminate most issues of using corrosive ammo.
(They never have imported complete Yugo AKs as they are machine guns and illegal to import--so they torch cut the receivers, trashed the nasty barrels and used the left over parts to rebuild them here.)

Shoot 30rds of Yugo corrosive ammo through a yugo AK and put it in the closet for six months without proper cleaning--that will make you appreciate the chrome lined barrel once you start trying to clean it up.

There's some nice Yugo AKs on the market but I personally prefer a chrome lined barrel. I'd rather have a chrome lined WASR than a non-chromed lined Yugo AK.

 

[Xcaliber]

easy to find out the answer, get corrosive ammo and shoot 100 rounds, let your gun sit in your basement for a week, uncleaned. cry & start scrubbing. yugo AKs are heavy due to thicker reciever & trunion. some equate that to quality, I don't know why. NO AK has ever failed due to the reciever or trunion breaking. Yugos tend to be poor fitting and too heavy to lug around. If I was in war & only had to choose an AK type, give me the light, chrome lined AKM all day.

 

[Bypass]

Ever since the military began chrome-lining barrels on standard issue machine guns and rifles there has been debate concerning the benefits and disadvantages of chrome-lined barrels. Many of the benefits of chrome-lining are shrouded in myths and misconceptions. Chrome-lining protects the barrel from corrosion, but this is not the main purpose for lining a barrel. Chrome-lined barrels are also easier to clean, but the military would not invest in a chrome-lined barrel just to save a grunt some time swabbing out the bore.
Years ago, with the introduction of high powered machine guns and semiautomatic rifles capable of sustained high rates of fire, military armorers began to notice significantly increased barrel wear and erosion. Older models of the most powerful machine guns were capable of “shooting out” a barrel in less than 1,000 rounds! Chrome-lining was introduced to increase the barrel life, allowing more rounds to be sent down range in less time without the need to replace the rifle barrel.
Nowadays, almost all military rifles are universally chrome-lined to protect the rifle barrel from excess erosion. AR-15 rifles are particularly prone to erosion when fired rapidly, in part due to the high velocity of the round, and in part due to the high pressures generated by the cartridge. While it’s not uncommon for military rifles to experience high rates of sustained fire, it’s also not difficult to fire a semiautomatic AR-15 at rates exceeding 100 RPM. Under sustained fully automatic gunfire, or rapid semiautomatic fire, an enormous amount of heat is generated. That heat is what can quickly ruin a barrel.
The leade (the unrifled portion of the barrel just forward of the chamber), as well as the first few inches of rifling, is subject to temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and pressures exceeding 50,000 PSI. Under slow fire conditions this area is able to cool a sufficient amount in between strings of fire. Under sustained rapid fire however, there is no time for the heat to dissipate and temperatures soar into the thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. This can quickly cause damage by eating away at the rifling, “burning up the barrel” with the combination of extremely high heat and pressure. Hard chrome-lining the bore protects the leade and rifling with a thin coat of heat and pressure resistant chrome. This greatly extends barrel life in rifles that are fired for prolonged periods in full-auto or rapid fire semiautomatic modes by preventing damage to the leade and rifling.
There are many people who argue that chrome lined barrels are less accurate than an otherwise identical steel barrel. All things being equal, this is true, but for most shooters, the degree to which accuracy is lost by using a chrome-lined barrel is generally unnoticeable. A chrome-lining does diminish the sharpness of the rifling, but the accuracy loss from this is not insurmountable. Consider the Fabrique Nationale SPR rifle (what is essentially a gussied-up chrome lined Winchester Model 70) is capable of shooting a 1/2 MOA group at ranges up to 800 yards away. A sub MOA gun is a fine rifle by nearly anyone’s standards, and most well built chrome-lined AR rifles are capable of 1/2 MOA groups as well.
So, when should you go chrome lined? Most casual shooters will get by just fine with either chrome-lined or non chrome-lined barrels. The fact is, most of us don’t get out to the range often enough, nor engage in rapid fire when we do (most ranges prohibit the practice). Even shooters who occasionally engage in periodic rapid-fire with their AR-15 style rifle may not notice the effects of excess barrel wear for a number of years. A good non chrome-lined barrel can last for over 5,000 rounds before it begins to show a loss of accuracy. If you shoot 1,000 rounds a year, even blasting through a full magazine as fast as you can pull the trigger on ever range trip, it could take 5 years or more before any significant loss of accuracy begins to become apparent.
When deciding whether to get a chrome-lined barrel your budget may be the deciding factor. Non chrome-lined barrels are significantly less expensive than a similar chrome-lined barrel. For a shooter who wants to build a quality AR-15 with less initial investment, non chrome-lined barrels represent a great cost-saving measure, combining the inherent accuracy of a stainless steel or chrome-moly steel barrel with an acceptable barrel life for a hunting or sporting arm. The up front savings can easily outweigh the cost of rebarreling your AR years in the future.
For the serious shooter who needs maximum barrel life as well as accuracy, a chrome-lined barrel represents the best of both worlds. The accuracy lost from a chrome lining amounts to less than 1/4″ at 100 yards, a negligible amount for most AR rifles used in tactical applications. If you do decide to go with a barrel that is not chrome-lined, be aware that you can significantly reduce the barrel life by quickly dumping 3 or 4 magazines through it without stopping to let it cool down.
If you’re building a match rifle that will be used solely for competitions where you’ll be firing slowly and you need a great deal of precision, stick with a chrome-moly or stainless steel match grade non chrome-lined barrel. If you think you’ll ever want to use your AR-15 for tactical applications, or even just rapid-fire plinking, drop the extra cash and get a chrome-lined barrel. Otherwise, be aware that without a chrome-lined barrel your AR-15 should be allowed to cool between magazines in order to avoid damaging the barrel.

 

[sovietak474u]

My Yugo has over 30,000 rounds down the tube. A lot of it being corrosive. Bore still looks great. Don't like non chrome lined? Then don't buy them. Its a simple concept. It does not bother me that its not chrome lined. Seems guns only fall apart in the hands of paranoid internet commandos.