The Cryogenic Process

Every gun barrel that is manufactured today is machined and bored, which causes stress in the metal at the microstructure level. While a firearm may still operate well according to baseline standards, your firearm won’t reach its full potential in terms of accuracy, durability, and reliability until it goes through the cryogenic treatment. We are offering you TrueMax Iced Barrels  which are put through a cryogenic process.

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Whether you consider yourself a casual shooter or competition shooter, as well as law-enforcement or military, your weapon will benefit from this process.

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The benefits of a cryogenically treated barrel include:

• Increased shooting accuracy

• Reduced weapon downtime for firearms

• Easier cleaning and maintenance

• 50% tighter shot group

• Increased barrel life

• Increased wear resistance

• Reduced friction and heat

• Increased velocity of about 50-60 feet per second

• Creates a more uniform and smoother gun surface

• Better shooting scores

• Less stringing

• Rapid heat dissipation

Scientifically, the process will create:

Greater durability: Cryogenic treatment helps to promote the transformation of retained austenite present in heat-treated steels into harder martensite steel. This results in fewer imperfections and weaknesses in the steel's grain structure. 

Improved wear resistance: Cryogenic hardening increases the precipitation of eta-carbides. These are fine carbides that act as binders to support the martensite matrix, helping to resist wear and corrosion resistance. 

Stress relief: All metals have residual stress that is created when it solidifies from its liquid phase into a solid phase. These stresses can result in weak areas that are prone to failure. Cryogenic treatment can reduce these weaknesses by creating a more uniform grain structure. 

The process of cryogenically treating a metal part involves very slowly cooling the metal using gaseous liquid nitrogen. The slow cooling process from ambient to cryogenic temperatures is important in avoiding thermal stress. 

 

The process involves the barrel being held at a temperature of around −310 F. (−190 C.) for 20 to 24 hours before heat tempering takes the temperature up to around +300 F. (+149 C.). This heat tempering stage is critical in reducing any brittleness that may be caused due to the formation of martensite during the cryogenic treatment process. Cryogenic treatment changes the entire structure of a metal, not just surface so the benefits are not lost as a result of further processing, such as grinding. 

Firearms and guns, rifles and shotguns all respond well to deep cryogenic processing and cryogenic tempering. Guns such as sniper rifles and tactical rifles shoot with as much as 50% greater accuracy, and 200% longer life. Shotguns have reduced pattern shift from shot-heating by as much as 11″ after deep cryogenic processing. Barrels shoot straighter, last longer, and are easier to clean. 

 

During the Cryogenic Tempering Process the barrel goes through a phase change that transforms the crystal lattice structure from body-centered cubic to face-centered cubic. The face-centered cubic structure has less space available for interstitial defects and results in a stronger, more durable material.