Assuming I am working at a firearms manufacturing facility, the materials used for barrel construction will vary depending on many factors. I would begin by figuring out what caliber firearm this will be. Knowing this may limit what materials can and can’t be used for the job. For example, a 22LR might fit down the barrel of a 223 but the material used for the 223 barrels may be considered overkill, costly or even too heavy for a 22LR firearm. Next, I need to know if the barrel will need to be machined to attach the front sight directly to the barrel. Certain alloys and treatments machine well and cut easily but others will take more time and attention to get this done correctly. The tougher metals could also cause my tools and bits to wear faster as well.
It may help me to know how much abuse the barrel will be taking regarding how many rounds it can fire and at what rate they will be fired. It may also help to know what environments it can be used in. If the intended barrel is for the larger caliber precision shooter, you may want a 416R Stainless Steel barrel. This type of barrel works well for the precision shooter and yields great results but if used in temperatures less than 0 degrees Fahrenheit the barrel may fail. A Chromoly Steel barrel on a firearm meant to be a machine gun would be a good idea to drastically increase the barrels life and help it stand up the abuse. Also, Crome lined barrels are most often hammer forged which makes them very durable compared to other methods. I have burnt out a few barrels because they were never intended to be used as full autos. In any case, a real conversation should be had with your client to determine exactly what their best option would be moving forward with barrel construction.
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