cryo treatment?

tgrif

tgrif

New member
I have a mini 14 that needs a lot of help in the accuracy department and I have been researching my options and one is to have the barrel cryogenically treated.
has anyone had any experience with this method and what are your thoughts? the cost is only $35.00.
 
this is a quote from cryopro.com:
"ACCURIZING by CRYOPRO
A computer controlled scientific dry process which relieves stress in firearm barrels. Stresses cause a barrel to bend or warp as it heats from repeated firing. This warping causes a stringing, walking or wandering effect in the shot group. After the Deep Cryogenic Tempering process, the barrel will no longer bend or warp. The end result is a firearm barrel with proven, increased performance (both improved accuracy and extended barrel life). "

everything I have read about the process says it helps accuracy especially in the mini 14. this company will do the barrel and action for $35.00 plus shipping and insurance both ways.
Hopefully with this process, a trigger job($57.00), and an accu-strut($120.00), I can get some decent groups out of this mini 14.
 
tgrif- I wouldn't bother with it. Cryogenic treatment has kind of fallen by the wayside as an accuracy enhancement. A few people still do it, not many. It usually takes some serious work to get much accuracy out of the typical mini-14. If I were you, I'd try the strut to stabilize the barrel first. If that seemed to give a real noticeable boost to accuracy, then I'd spend the money on the trigger. Accuracy-wise, the best thing to do with a mini-14 is trade it in on an AR. Not trying to be a smart azz. I like the mini 14 platform, have had one for over thirty years, but if the job calls for accuracy, I break out my AR's.
 
if it will help even a little, it will be worth it in my book. I bought the rifle from a friend for practically nothing so I can afford to sink some cash into it. I figure with the cryo treatment, trigger job, & accu-strut, and maybe bedding, I should get some decent groups.
its just a shame that ruger would put out something like the mini.
 
tgrif....go to lilja barrels website and read dan's FAQ...he explains his ideas....shilen used to post their ideas on their old website...i hav had 10 frozen by -300 below back when it was the fad...and i still will...but not for accuracy claim.
IIWM....check going prices on mini's....i wud sell the mini & take the $212 you plan on investing in it and purchase sumthin thats got potential...but that's just me....read lilja's FAQ.
 
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I have never had one done, seemed like my barrels was really good or really bad, I dont believe it will do anything for a bad barrel but make that bad barrel last longer, I would spend my money on a new barrel or gun. ed
 
If it actually relieves internal stress (and I think it's very possible that it does), it will help that Mini barrel from walking so much as it heats up.
You may want to shoot a 20 round string first and see whether your barrel is showing a stringing problem or if it's just throwing them all over at random.
If I was going to have one done, I'd cut the muzzle back about 1/2" or so first and have it recrowned by somebody that's good at it.
Retorque the gas block and see if that gains you anything (if you haven't already). Try bedding the stock liner and any other "tricks" you can find, then if it's got a stringing problem, try the cryo treatment.
I've heard folks say that it helped, and others that said it didn't.

I'll say one thing, I have a 1984 Mini and the list price for the barrel (in the back of the owner's manual) was $39.95. That may explain part of the problem.
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The NRA did some testing on cryo treating whole barreled actions and the results were meaningless. Half were slightly more accurate after treating, half were slightly less accurate after treating.

I had barrels treated for about 10 years, some both before and after rifling. I do not have any treated now.

Just another of and endless stream of magic barrel treatments that come and go.

Jack
 
I don't do any of the aftermarket cryo treatments.
If a sub zero quench is called out in the heat treatment process (Program) during the barrel manufacture, during the building of the barrel, by the barrel maker, then that is appropriate.
But, I see no sensible reason to do it after the barrel is manufactured, chambered, and threaded to an action.
Until an independent test activity runs a test, validating the claims of the aftermarket cryo treatment companies, I will continue keeping my money for other uses.

Edit to add: "Independent test activity" means the test activity has no vested interest in the outcome of the test.

Martyn
 
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I have to admit, I wasted money on cryo treating several actions/barrels some years ago. The only good thing that came out of the process, was that it removed some of the clay from the bottom of the barrel nut, without me having get out the dental pick.
John
 
sounds like everybody is in favor of cryo treatment
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guess I will keep my money and find something else to work on for accuracy.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
tgrif,

Try everything else first. If after all that, it shoots decent groups but strings as it heats up, the cryo might fix the stringing.

My Mini doesn't shoot well enough to say whether it's stringing or not. It sure doen't look like that's the major cause of the accuracy problems, though.

Good luck.
 
my mini will shoot the 1st 3 rounds into a 1/2" group at 50 yds and after that it looks like a shotgun pattern. no noticable stringing.
I have going to put on the strut, have a trigger job done and bed it and then see what it does.
 
Quote:...my mini will shoot the 1st 3 rounds into a 1/2" group at 50 yds

Well, 95% of the time that's going to work as well as an AR for hunting. If mine was doing that I'd take it out on a stand.

Mine skips the 1/2" group and goes straight to "shotgun" mode.
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I've got a good video of a trigger job, and if you want to send it to someone, I highly recommend this guy:

Mini-14 trigger job
 
Cryo was the only thing left to get a Rem model 7 in 7-08 shooting before walking it around a gunshow and turning it into something else. I did everything from bedding to trigger and numerous reloads and it all came together after the cryo.
 
It's my understanding that cryo treating will increase the Rockwell hardness by 1 to 2 points. Is there any truth to this??
I have an old 93 Mauser that I think the metal is a little soft on and I rarely shoot it. I don't want to take the chances on a complete re heat treatment of the barreled action and thought about doing the cryo instead since I'm looking for very little change in the hardness factor. If we are only talking $35 I can stand to take the chance. kwg
 
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