Sand casted barrel
Posted by Complete-Slip-7853@reddit | GunnitRust | View on Reddit | 10 comments
If I were to sand cast a barrel out of steel or titanium would it work for .38 special.
Posted by Complete-Slip-7853@reddit | GunnitRust | View on Reddit | 10 comments
If I were to sand cast a barrel out of steel or titanium would it work for .38 special.
Manray3726@reddit
It is very difficult to cast steel at home. I would look into the EDM route if you need a barrel.
kohTheRobot@reddit
*ECM
EDM is harnessing the power of Zeus to lightning bolt the metal away (hundreds of micro sparks a second)
ECM is reverse electrolysis (shoving a metric shit ton of electrons to force the metal to ionize and detach from the stock material)
Manray3726@reddit
And here i thought they were than same thing. Thanks.
theCaitiff@reddit
Titanium casting flat out won't happen. The fact that you're asking means you'll never do it. Titanium casting is one of those industries where if you can do it at all you get billion dollar aerospace and military contracts with lines out the door just to get on your wait list. You are not casting titanium, period.
If by some miracle you were actually able to cast steel at home? Sand casting is a terrible choice for something that needs precision like a barrel, the tolerances are shit, and voids/defects in the casting are often invisible.
If you were able to sand cast a steel tube of some sort with no voids in the right diameter, yeah sure, it would probably hold up to a low pressure round like 38 special.
But it's really just easier to go buy some DOM tubing.
Dense-Bruh-3464@reddit
He could machine the barrel for greater precision, but then, why don't just buy a fucking rod, or tube (of a better material), and machine it instead?
Also I wouldn't want to test a barrel life, when my life is on the line. I'm a dude, I do stupid stuff, but I just wouldn't want to do this, ever.
theCaitiff@reddit
If my life is on the line I'm not reaching for any of my home built guns. Fuck that. Home gunsmithing is for fucking around and trying shit to play with at the range, it isn't for duty pistols.
Dense-Bruh-3464@reddit
That's not what I meant. I wanted to say thay it's dangerous, and could kil me.
theCaitiff@reddit
I'm not arguing in favor of sand casting a barrel, but IF by some black magic he got everything right (which he has no way of proving) it would hold. Problem is of course in the home shop you've got no way of knowing the casting went perfect and you don't have any voids or inclusions etc etc etc. Theoretically it's possible, practically its a gamble and I definitely understand why thats not the kind of high risk low reward gamble you want to make.
Which is why I said he should just go buy some DOM tube.
Dense-Bruh-3464@reddit
I was writing a longer response, and I basically agree with you, but I remembered that historically there were steel, or iron cannons (cheaper than bronze).
Cool stuff, although I wouldn't want to be in the crew operating one of those for the same reasons I wouldn't want to fire a rifle with a cast barrel, lol. Cool stuff, recommend looking into it (but I hope he won't try to make it lol)
Dense-Bruh-3464@reddit
Yeah, you aren't doing that. Even if you have the tools, you're just not. It'll be to weak. Also, come one, titanium? At least try casting something in aluminium first – requires pretty low temps, and can be done at home. Also – don't cast a barrel out of any of those materials, in fact don't cast it at all. Even in the ideal conditions it's just not possible. You can cast frag grenade bodies tho!