Q:

Best material for a condor breech

I have seen a lot of different materials used for making the breech in Airforce rifles. What is the best? Is the any particular reason to use brass and make it heavy? Delrin seems to soft, aluminum maybe too. Stainless machines well and will be tougher and stronger in the oring groove area and it would be temperature stable. Point me in the right direction!

Thanks
Mongoose

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Who makes a good breech? I have machinist abilities from a past life but now on active duty all I have is a good trusted Amish machinist who has the mills and lathes. My projects make him scratch his head. Just like the time I asked him to recrown a 308 barrel. He looked at me and said “I don’t work on guns”. Then I said I have this bar of stainless steel that I need you to dial in the bore and then cut a 30 degree cut for about .020. He laughed, took the barrel, chucked it up and made some tiny chips. To say the least it now shoots like the manufacture wanted it to and better. If I can buy one it may be quicker and I can save a favor for later.

Mongoose,

From the posts on valve performance I’ve concluded that, in most cases, lighter is better. The condor breech transmits the hammer strike to the valve. A heavier breech would tend to slow down the valve opening and valve closing.

There are some other dynamic effects such as hammer bounce that may be less troublesome with a lighter breech. This would be a good discussion…

However, the breech has to be strong enough to contain “firing chamber” pressure. In the worst case, this may be as high as tank pressure or even a bit higher (due to dynamics).

It seems like a low density material like delrin in a thick section is relatively light and strong enough.

-x356b

The breech might rub on the frame here and there every time you cock it and a bit every time you shoot.

Any material with hardness higher than aluminum (frame) will slowly but steadely damage and groove the frame.

Even brass tends to create a fine aluminum mix powder that will start spreading a give a mild abrasion.

Delrin is the best choice in the long term.

But I have seen people doing worse to their guns.

If you are into bling instead of shooting, I would suggest tempered steel with diamond inlays. Pretty, sturdy and surely unique. Might even get you layed.

Cheers

what about making it out derlin BUT sleving it in stainless steel? best both worlds ?

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