A machine gun has a barrel, a receiver assembly comprising a cover, a receiver base and a butt; lock frame comprising an extractor and a gas piston; bolt, return mainspring with guiding bar, gas piston tube, flash absorber, trigger mechanism, gunsight, butt sighting appliances, trigger pull and loading case. A barrel is made of a preform produced of steel. The barrel is coated inside and steel comprises the additional chemical elements.

A machine gun has a barrel, a receiver assembly comprising a cover, a receiver base and a butt; lock frame comprising an extractor and a gas piston; bolt, return mainspring with guiding bar, gas piston tube, flash absorber, trigger mechanism, gunsight, butt sighting appliances, trigger pull and loading case. A barrel is made of a preform produced of steel. The barrel is coated inside and steel comprises the additional chemical elements.

A gun barrel or sleeve for a gun barrel is provided. The invention includes staggered helical arrays of elliptical or oval blind cavities along the length of the gun barrel or sleeve. As a sleeve, the invention may be press-fit or force-fitted over a regular barrel or a barrel of reduced wall thickness. The cavities have radially extending orifices by which an angular width of an interior portion of a cavity is greater than an angular width of the orifice of that cavity, and a longitudinal dimension of the interior portion of that cavity is greater than a longitudinal dimension of the orifice of that cavity. The product may be produced by additive manufacturing, autofrettage, casting, forging or traditional CNC machining.

A machine gun has a barrel, a receiver assembly comprising a cover, a receiver base and a butt; lock frame comprising an extractor and a gas piston; bolt, return mainspring with guiding bar, gas piston tube, flash absorber, trigger mechanism, gunsight, butt sighting appliances, trigger pull and loading case. A barrel is made of a preform produced of steel doped with chromium, molybdenum and vanadium or chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, or chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and nickel. The barrel is coated inside and steel comprises the additional chemical elements.

A machine gun has a barrel, a receiver assembly comprising a cover, a receiver base and a butt; lock frame comprising an extractor and a gas piston; bolt, return mainspring with guiding bar, gas piston tube, flash absorber, trigger mechanism, gunsight, butt sighting appliances, trigger pull and loading case. A barrel is made of a preform produced of steel doped with chromium, molybdenum and vanadium or chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, or chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and nickel. The barrel is coated inside and steel comprises the additional chemical elements.

A method for forming and a carbon fiber barrel sleeve resiliently bonded to steel liner includes providing a rifle barrel having thickened walls and a mandrel blank. Each of the barrel and blank are turned to form a barrel liner and a mandrel, respectively, such that each has a substantially identical contour. The barrel liner is stress relieved to eliminate stresses within the molecular structure of the barrel liner. A plurality of flutes are cut into an exterior surface of the barrel liner; the depth of each flute being at least equal to the depth of the flute. A plurality of layers of carbon fiber fabric are laid up on the mandrel to form a sheath which is cured and bonded to the barrel liner with a continuous bond of high temperature adhesive at tips of the fins. The bonded sheath and barrel liner forming a rifle barrel.

A method for forming and a carbon fiber barrel sleeve resiliently bonded to steel liner includes providing a rifle barrel having thickened walls and a mandrel blank. Each of the barrel and blank are turned to form a barrel liner and a mandrel, respectively, such that each has a substantially identical contour. The barrel liner is stress relieved to eliminate stresses within the molecular structure of the barrel liner. A plurality of flutes are cut into an exterior surface of the barrel liner; the depth of each flute being at least equal to the depth of the flute. A plurality of layers of carbon fiber fabric are laid up on the mandrel to form a sheath which is cured and bonded to the barrel liner with a continuous bond of high temperature adhesive at tips of the fins. The bonded sheath and barrel liner forming a rifle barrel.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for accelerating projectiles at high velocity. A barrel may include one or more heaters configured to heat a bore of the barrel prior to launch of a projectile. The barrel bore may be formed in a tungsten sleeve and may be heated to high temperatures. Heat from the barrel bore may be transferred to expanding propellant behind a projectile as it travels through the barrel bore.

A projectile launching system can include a projectile launcher and a projectile. The projectile launcher can include at least one barrel, a projectile, a firing pin mechanism, an activator, and a power system. The barrel can extend along a longitudinal axis between first and second ends, with an exit port at the second end. The projectile can be positioned in the barrel and include primer, propellant, and a sub-projectile. The firing pin mechanism can be selectively project into the barrel to engage the primer, whereby the propellant is ignited and the projectile is launched out of the barrel. The activator can be engaged with the firing pin mechanism and engageable by a user to control the firing pin mechanism. The power system can rotate the barrel or the projectile as the firing pin mechanism is projecting into the barrel and engaging the primer of the projectile.

Methods of manufacturing metal, metal-matrix, metal-metal-matrix composite weapon barrels offer barrels with improved thermal performance and rigidity with no, minimal or negative weight increase. A barrel may include a barrel core surrounded by a lightweight, thermally conductive sleeve made from metal, metal-matrix composite (MMC) materials, also referred to as metal-matrix material. The barrel core and barrel sleeve may include aligning features to prevent separation and movement of the sleeve along the core. The disclosed methods provide for material combinations and part designs that prevent separation of their parts over the life of the weapon barrel and allow the barrel to perform at high cadence over the whole temperature range the barrel is used.