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Cold hammer forged?

13K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  Dudeman 
#1 ·
Just bought a PPS as a BUG for work. I'm now considering a P99 as a range gun. I was wondering if Walther is using hammer forged barrels. Seems likely, as Sig, Glock, and HK all do. Those companies also indicate hammer forging in their product info, but Walther does not.
 
#6 ·
That'd be my guess too

From what I was told (for whatever that is worth!) that's the case for the older P99's. New ones I don't know. I do k ow that my 04' P99c does have a conventional rifled barrel. No polygonal bore here. Not sure what the advantage is w/ poly-rifling? Anyone?
 
#8 ·
We use polygon barrels in our tactical rifles with the exception of the Tac-50. The poly barrrels we use are made by Gary Schnider in Payson, Arizona. First thing yo will find is that the velocity is higher with poly rifling. The bullet doesn't have to plow it's way thru the lands to exit the barrel. It just slips out very easily. Accuracy is no different than a conventional rifles barrel PROVIDING that (in a rifle) the barrel was hand lapped with no tool marks inside. The poly barrel is much easier to clean. It does have a draw back in ultra fast rounds. If a bullet can exceed 3900fps a bullet MAY skip a partial twist if the barrel has lots of wear. Rare, but is has happened. We like button rifled barrels. You can do a poly barrel with a button rifling.

There are draw backs with a hammer forged barrel. When the cristalline structure finally fatigues and fails, a barrel will split just like you slit thru a soda straw. They will just explode with no pressure signs anywhere. Had one in the shop last July. I think Kraigster414 has photos I sent to him Perhaps he can post them. We do not use hammer forged barrels in our rifles. They are ordinance 416 stainless steel.

I think hammer forged barrels in pistols are GREAT but don't want one in a rifle.
 
#23 ·
There are draw backs with a hammer forged barrel. When the cristalline structure finally fatigues and fails, a barrel will split just like you slit thru a soda straw. They will just explode with no pressure signs anywhere. Had one in the shop last July. I think Kraigster414 has photos I sent to him Perhaps he can post them. We do not use hammer forged barrels in our rifles. They are ordinance 416 stainless steel.

I think hammer forged barrels in pistols are GREAT but don't want one in a rifle.
This is very interesting to me. Usually when a company makes a rifle with a hammer-forged barrel, they claim that it is superior to other methods, and also claim that button rifling can weaken and stress a barrel, effectively shortening it's life. I have read that a button rifled barrel is only as good as the tooling that cuts it.

Hammer-forged barrels are said to be stronger and last longer than other types. (I guess one could also say that a hammer forged barrel is only as good as the mandrel that it's formed on.) ;)

Anyway, I'm no expert on the issue and I have only repeated what I've read on the merits of hammer-forged barrels, but I find it fascinating that each is said to be superior to the other.
 
#13 ·
Couldn't agree more, Deputy - I was very seriously considering a P229 instead of my P99c; the decision came down to the Walther being more the right size for my hands, lighter and easier to conceal, and the SIG being solidly $200 more everywhere I looked. I did shoot a P229, and even though it was a rental gun, it seemed well built, functioned flawlessly, and was highly accurate, even in my unskilled hands.

If SIG's prices were a bit lower, I'd have been much more inclined to find a P229 E2 to see if the new grip design fit me better. As it is, knowing that Walther is also a respected, high-quality manufacturer, I just went for the P99c when I found a good price.
 
#17 ·
While "bashing" another company's guns might be bad form, it's perfectly reasonable (and informative) to point out that the general consensus (admittedly a consensus among a bunch of random internet people like ourselves) that Sig's quality took a significant turn for the worse starting about 5 years ago when there was an executive shakeout. Apparently some former Kimber execs took over and changed the business model. This is very analogous to when we talk about post-Umarex PPK's. It's not bashing if you're raising issues that people may not be aware of.
 
#18 ·
Where and how was this alleged "general consensus" reached? Who was polled or was a poll done at all? Was it reached based on a survey of ALL SIG owners or is this just based on posts on a certain forum that has more H&K owners on it than SIG owners?
 
#21 ·
As interesting as this discussion has been today ... and at the risk of a) keeping the conversation on track, and b) pointing out the obvious, we are experiencing a bit of thread drift here, guys, given the nature of the OP's opener. Just saying ...
 
#24 ·
There's nothing wrong with this topic at all. In fact, if someone wants to open it up as a separate thread, so that it isn't pushing at the ends of the OP's line at the start of all this, then it might make for the continuation of an interesting discussion.
 
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