Exploring Stress Relieving Processes: The Power of Atmospheric Thermal Stress Relieving

When it comes to manufacturing high-quality rifle barrels, stress relieving is a crucial step that ensures optimal performance and durability. Residual stresses can accumulate during machining and rifling processes, leading to potential issues like distortion or warping. In this article, we delve into the world of stress relieving processes and shed light on how we go about this process at Faxon Firearms.

Understanding Stress Relieving:

Stress relieving is a general term for methods used to reduce or remove stresses in metal components. There are multiple ways to stress-relieve metal materials, but they all are based on subjecting the material to controlled temperature treatments. This relieves internal stresses, improving dimensional stability, and mitigating the risk of distortion of the material when heated. For rifle barrels, this is important in keeping the barrel consistent even when hot from firing.

Introducing Atmospheric Thermal Stress Relieving:

At our manufacturing facility, we employ an effective stress-relieving process called atmospheric thermal stress relieving. This method involves subjecting the barrel blanks to carefully controlled temperatures within an atmospheric oven. The barrels are heated to a specific temperature below their critical range, and then held at that temperature for a predetermined duration.

Benefits of Atmospheric Thermal Stress Relieving:

1. Residual Stress Reduction: Our in-house atmospheric thermal stress relieving process significantly reduces the residual stresses accumulated during machining, rifling, and heat treatment. This promotes dimensional stability and minimizes the risk of barrel distortion or warping, ensuring consistent performance.
2. Improved Mechanical Properties: Atmospheric thermal stress relieving not only reduces stresses but also contributes to microstructural refinement. It enhances the material's hardness and strength, resulting in a more durable and reliable rifle barrel.
3. Shot-to-Shot Consistency: By effectively mitigating residual stresses, our stress relieving process aids in achieving enhanced shot-to-shot consistency. The dimensional stability and minimized stress contribute to improved accuracy, critical for precision shooting applications. This stress relieving process also allows us to eliminate the “stringing” issue normally associated with light “Pencil” profile barrels.

Stress relieving is an essential step in the manufacturing of rifle barrels, ensuring optimal performance and longevity. Our commitment to quality is exemplified by our in-house atmospheric thermal stress-relieving process. By effectively reducing residual stresses, improving dimensional stability, and enhancing mechanical properties, our stress relieving technique adds value to the rifle barrels we produce.

At Faxon Firearms, we prioritize precision, quality, and customer satisfaction. Our expertise in stress relieving techniques combined with our dedication to manufacturing excellence makes our rifle barrels a top choice for discerning shooters.

Contact our customer service team to learn more about our stress relieving process and how our rifle barrels can elevate your shooting experience. They can be reached via email at customerservice@faxonfirearms.com or via phone at 513-280-8861.