Barrel shank finishes??

[TactAdv]

Okay, Peter, here's one for you.......

See the attached picture....it's worth a thousand words.

Attachment 65541

Riddle me this then, what is the rationale for either A). finishing it the same as the rest of the barrel tube with the darkened phosphate applied, or B). make a purposeful effort to restrain the finish coloring agent from intruding into the barrel shank area?? I am presuming that still the "uncolored" shank area of the type shown is actually still clear phosphated ("Bonderized") for metallurgical protections, but simply un-colored.

( I certainly get this, for example, in the case of say an MP-43/44/StG44 where late war manufacturing exigencies dictated the widespread use of straight un-colored phosphating, but this trait when seen in Bren gun productions seems more to be isolated to certain distinct manufacturers belief systems, rather than a peculiar need dictated by changes in the various things that mandated dropping such things like in Germany......with or without direct Heereswaffenamt approvals or even knowledge.)

-TomH

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Peter Laidler]

Good question Tom...... When we got new 7.62mm L4 barrels they were generally silver at the thread and shank but new .303 barrels were either silver OR phosphated. If it had any paint build-up on the thread or shank it wouldn't fit into the body or tighten down on the barrel nut. When they went through the phosphating plant the shank and threads were phosphated and then masked so that the paint wouldn't get onto the thread and shank - for obvious reasons.

It was always good practice to polish the shank which we usually did and if you were in the mood, to polish the theads. Personally, I used to leave them phosphated/grey