Methods and apparatuses are described herein for producing a rifling in a barrel of a gun. The barrel defines an axis in a longitudinal direction and comprises an inner wall that defines a bore extending in the longitudinal direction. A tool includes a tool head having an outer contour that corresponds to a shape of the rifling to be produced. The tool head consists of an electrically conductive material. The outer contour of the tool head and the inner wall of the barrel define a gap. An electrolyte solution is pumped through the gap while the tool is guided through the bore, and a pulsed electrical voltage is applied to the barrel and the tool. The barrel is the anode and the tool head is the cathode. The tool is moved through the bore and rotated about the longitudinal axis while the pulsed voltage is applied to produce the riflings.

A process of eliminating friction and increasing structural hardness and durability and increasing longevity in the fabrication of metallic structures including at least one mechanical machining device with at least one cutting device, at least one element of material stock, and a reactionary lubricant, the process having the steps of placing the material stock on the working surface of a mechanical machining device, initiating the machining device wherein a cutting device will spin and be used to shape a firearm component, adding the reactionary lubricant to both the spinning drill bit engaged in shaping the firearm component and the firearm component's surface, and by an in situ chemical formation process the firearm component will obtain a layer of graphene formed through the friction, heat, and pressure bearing on spinning drill bit and firearm component surface, reducing the asperities in the material of the firearm component as the component is machined.

In order to provide an economical method for producing a weapon barrel, in which a considerable plasticisation of the barrel inner wall and thus of the twist profile is avoided when armour-piercing ammunition is shot, in particular in the case of an intense firing sequence, it is proposed not to introduce the twist profile of the weapon barrel into a barrel blank, the material of which has its end strength already as a result of hardening and tempering, but has a lower strength level (approximately 800-1000 MPa). Only once the twist profile has been formed by extrusion or hammering is the steel hardened and tempered to a predefined strength value >1000 MPa, and is the barrel blank that is provided with the twist profile mechanically processed further.

In order to provide an economical method for producing a weapon barrel, in which a considerable plasticisation of the barrel inner wall and thus of the twist profile is avoided when armour-piercing ammunition is shot, in particular in the case of an intense firing sequence, it is proposed not to introduce the twist profile of the weapon barrel into a barrel blank, the material of which has its end strength already as a result of hardening and tempering, but has a lower strength level (approximately 800-1000 MPa). Only once the twist profile has been formed by extrusion or hammering is the steel hardened and tempered to a predefined strength value >1000 MPa, and is the barrel blank that is provided with the twist profile mechanically processed further.

A guide system for use in electro-processing a bore of a gun barrel includes a non-conductive external bore guide and a non-conductive internal bore guide. The external bore guide is an adapter that is configured to removably engage the outside of the gun barrel and includes a conduit formed therein. The conduit is disposed such that it is axially aligned with a bore of the gun barrel when the external bore guide is engaged with the gun barrel. The internal bore guide is elongated and includes an axial recess that is sized to seat an electro-processing electrode (an anode). A method for uniformly plating the bore includes moving an anode through the gun barrel at one or more rate(s) of travel to uniformly plate the bore is also disclosed. The plating is sufficiently uniform to conform to military specifications. The systems, methods, support structures, etc. described herein are particularly well-suited to plating small-bore gun barrels.

A guide system for use in electro-processing a bore of a gun barrel includes a non-conductive external bore guide and a non-conductive internal bore guide. The external bore guide is an adapter that is configured to removably engage the outside of the gun barrel and includes a conduit formed therein. The conduit is disposed such that it is axially aligned with a bore of the gun barrel when the external bore guide is engaged with the gun barrel. The internal bore guide is elongated and includes an axial recess that is sized to seat an electro-processing electrode (an anode). A method for uniformly plating the bore includes moving an anode through the gun barrel at one or more rate(s) of travel to uniformly plate the bore is also disclosed. The plating is sufficiently uniform to conform to military specifications. The systems, methods, support structures, etc. described herein are particularly well-suited to plating small-bore gun barrels.

A method of forming a gun barrel is disclosed that includes cold gas-dynamic spraying one or more coatings onto a mandrel. The method may also include heat treating the coating layer(s), contouring the outer coating layer, applying a ceramic top coating to the contoured outer coating layer of the gun barrel, and/or sealing the gun barrel with a liquid metal sealer. The method may also include removing the mandrel.

A guide system for use in electro-processing a bore of a gun barrel includes a non-conductive external bore guide and a non-conductive internal bore guide. The external bore guide is an adapter that is configured to removably engage the outside of the gun barrel and includes a conduit formed therein. The conduit is disposed such that it is axially aligned with a bore of the gun barrel when the external bore guide is engaged with the gun barrel. The internal bore guide is elongated and includes an axial recess that is sized to seat an electro-processing electrode (an anode). A method for uniformly plating the bore includes moving an anode through the gun barrel at one or more rate(s) of travel to uniformly plate the bore is also disclosed. The plating is sufficiently uniform to conform to military specifications. The systems, methods, support structures, etc. described herein are particularly well-suited to plating small-bore gun barrels.

A guide system for use in electro-processing a bore of a gun barrel includes a non-conductive external bore guide and a non-conductive internal bore guide. The external bore guide is an adapter that is configured to removably engage the outside of the gun barrel and includes a conduit formed therein. The conduit is disposed such that it is axially aligned with a bore of the gun barrel when the external bore guide is engaged with the gun barrel. The internal bore guide is elongated and includes an axial recess that is sized to seat an electro-processing electrode (an anode). A method for uniformly plating the bore includes moving an anode through the gun barrel at one or more rate(s) of travel to uniformly plate the bore is also disclosed. The plating is sufficiently uniform to conform to military specifications. The systems, methods, support structures, etc. described herein are particularly well-suited to plating small-bore gun barrels.

A process of eliminating friction and increasing structural hardness and durability and increasing longevity in the fabrication of metallic structures including at least one mechanical machining device with at least one cutting device, at least one element of material stock, and a reactionary lubricant, the process having the steps of placing the material stock on the working surface of a mechanical machining device, initiating the machining device wherein a cutting device will spin and be used to shape a firearm component, adding the reactionary lubricant to both the spinning drill bit engaged in shaping the firearm component and the firearm component's surface, and by an in situ chemical formation process the firearm component will obtain a layer of graphene formed through the friction, heat, and pressure bearing on spinning drill bit and firearm component surface, reducing the asperities in the material of the firearm component as the component is machined.