Anyone ever had some issues with an Aber barrel? I am building the Tamiya Elefant and picked up an Aber barrel for the Pak 43. I primed it last night and noticed these striations running the length of the barrel. They are subtle but they are there. I stripped it and then spun it in my fingers and sure enough I can feel some slight ridges. I’ve used Aber barrels with no problems in the past. This is a bit frustrating as the whole point for me of a metal barrel is to limit the amount of clean up and to get a nice round barrel.
Anyway I can fix this? Will sand paper touch the aluminum?
I might try some 620 grit sandpaper and slowly spin the barrel through the sand paper for a couple minutes. Masking tape any edges or areas you do not want sanded. a coat of primer should cover anything the 620 grit leaves.
Occasionally, Aber’s machining is sort of a half-assed effort in my experience with their gun barrels. Have had a couple the muzzle brake wouldn’t thread properly unless the threads were chased etc. Have also received a couple of MG34 barrels that were blemished. All of it still useable with extra clean up etc.
On a barrel like the one pictured above if it had ridges, I’d prime it with several coats of Mr Surfacer 1000 or 1500 or something similar and let it cure for a few days.
Then I’d chuck the back of the barrel in a drill or other rotary tool and spin the side of the barrel against a wet 600 grit sanding stick, followed with wet 800 stick or a wet 1000 stick. Moving the sanding sticks along the barrel to help get an even finish.
Agreed. If I have a choice between a metal barrel and a 3D printed barrel, I always choose the metal one. The turned metal barrels are always straight and stay that way. 3D printed ones have drooped on me. I now try to insert a brass tube through the 3D printed barrel to keep it from drooping. Turned metal barrels are also round. If the 3D printed ones are printed on an angle, they are not quite round. Turned metal can have tooling marks. 3D printed ones always have print lines. Both have to be addressed.
I’ve got a Russian 125mm from ET Model and it comes with a metal rod that one slips the 3D sections over. A great idea in my mind. Modern barrels have so much going on that I find Aber barrels PE difficult to work with.
