inthedark wrote: |
I wonder if a Titanium insert would be any better at resisting erosion better? |
Titanium is a VERY POOR conductor of heat, Titanium is so hard to machine because it gets harder as it gets hotter and will actually alloy "weld" itself to the high speed steel tool tips of milling machines and lathes. Several years ago, there were a few extra lightweight hunting rifles made with solid titanium barrels. Space-age hype over titanium did not guarantee it for contact with blazing nitrocellulose and whizzing bullets. Barrel life was a few hundred shots so they did not sell well.
The problem was heat, several companies, ruger, s&w, that I know of are test trying a Chrome Moly Rifled and chamber insert with a anodized Aluminum outer shell for heat dissipation. They still trying to work out the ratio of steel and aluminum thickness so the throats and barrels would not expand so much as to make the bore to big for the bullets to contact the rifling.
This info was taken from a back issue of "Shooting Industry".