Electrochemical Machining (ECM) is a process poised to transform the way we think about and manufacture rifle barrels. In this video, I have an in-depth discussion with Carbon Six and McGowen Precision Barrels to learn more about the technology and what it means for gunsmiths.
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About Carbon Six/McGowen
Ron Duplessis, owner of sister brands Carbon Six and McGowen Precision Barrels joined me via video call to kick off the discussion.
McGowen has long been a button-rifle company, but also produces a small number of single-point cut-rifled barrels.
From McGowen Precision Barrels:
Formed in 2007, McGowen Precision Barrels builds on a proud tradition of custom barrel manufacturing. McGowen Precision Barrels was started with the purchase of Harry McGowen’s “mothballed” machinery. The manufacturing process has been updated to 21st Century techniques. Using state of the art equipment, and finely honed manufacturing techniques, McGowen Precision Barrels aims to make the highest quality barrels on the market. The manufacturing process continues to undergo changes and improvements in the pursuit of perfection. The McGowen Precision Barrels name is making an impact in the industry, not only in hunting rifles, but are now becoming a favorite of long range competition shooters.
McGowen has recently added an ECM rifler which will produce barrels under the new PrecisionCut brand.
All carbon-wrapped barrels are under the Carbon Six brand, aimed at providing lightweight, precision solutions. Carbon Six will eventually transition to 100% ECM barrels.
From Carbon Six:
Carbon Six Rifle Barrels offers a whole host of benefits over traditional metal barrels. First, it is important to understand what a carbon fiber rifle barrel is and is not. At its core, a Carbon Six barrel is a stainless steel, precision barrel. The barrel is not made of only carbon fiber, but instead utilizes a proprietary contoured McGowen blank that is profiled to our exacting specifications. We then use a series of manufacturing processes to apply a carbon fiber outer wrapping. There is a lot of fluff and misconceptions out in the marketplace about what the true benefits are. We avoid making outlandish claims, but what we do make is highly accurate, precision barrels with a 1/2 MOA Guarantee that we stand behind. All of the barrels made at Carbon Six are made-to-order and hand crafted in the USA. We offer your choice of length, twist rate, chambering, threading and more.
Rifle Builds with Carbon Six/McGowen
I’ve chambered a number of Carbon Six and McGowen barrels for various rifle builds and have been incredibly happy with the results. I was most impressed with my 6GT build featuring a Pristine short action with .308 bolt face and 6mm 1:7.5 Carbon Six barrel.
My first three-shot group at 100 yards during sight-in measured 0.320”!
Carbon Six/McGowen has also been using 6.5mm as a test bed for their new ECM barrels. I’ve had the opportunity to chamber several of them and they shoot right away (0.246” sight-in group)! We also utilized an ECM barrel for our short 6.5 Creedmoor build, achieving over 3,000 fps velocities from an 18” barrel.
Ron added that there are plans to make ECM barrels all the way down to 22 LR and up to 50 BMG. He shared that our experiences with ECM mirror their results. They guarantee 0.5 MOA but have consistently observed 0.25 MOA groups.
What is ECM—Electrochemical Machining?
ECM is a non-contact process that uses an electric current and an electrolyte to dissolve metal, ideal for machining complex shapes in hard, conductive materials without mechanical stress or tool wear.
Ron Duplessis shared that ECM is as accurate if not more accurate than wire EDM, but FAR faster with an extremely predictable result. (Ron said he can ECM treat eight barrels in under 10 minutes!) I saw wire EDM cutting raceways at BAT Machine and it was incredibly impressive.
I asked Ron to give a basic rundown of the ECM process. He starts with a barrel that has been drilled and reamed and shared that the quality of the barrel comes largely from how these are done.
Ron likened the entire ECM process to the process of cleaning a gun. Consider what mounting a spent bullet (with twist rate) on the end of a cleaning rod (70% of typical diameter) would look like and electrify the rod.
This is a VERY simplified account of the description he gave. I cannot recommend enough that you listen to the full video and take in all of the information straight from the source!
For shooters, ECM presents an opportunity for shooters to obtain even closer duplicates of previous barrels than ever before, that will perform with the same loads given the same freebore and headspace.
Ron said it also reduces the break-in period to five to 10 shots and eliminates hours spent on the bench fine-tuning a load. This is also beneficial for custom rifle builders to be able to supply their customers with ready-to-go loads they know will perform in every barrel with the same specifications.
Conclusion
I’ve truly enjoyed being able to be a part of the process and to have some of the first looks at ECM technology and capabilities. Be sure to keep an eye out for Carbon Six/McGowen’s new Precision Cut ECM barrels!
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Thanks,
Gavin Gear
