CS>I'm an old sporadic lurker in here....  My work keeps me in
CS>touch with various issues of new materials and applications
CS>dealing with surface finishing, specifically.  I was
CS>recently made aware of zirconia ceramic being used for gun
CS>barrels and on the chance that it's also news to others, I
CS>thought I'd relate as it seems it could re-invent firearms
CS>as we know them.  Here's a non-technical over-view.

CS>The material acts as an insulator (zirconia tube wound with
CS>carbon fibers and composite/resin wrap) even though it's
CS>only .150" thick.  Because the energy isn't transferred as
CS>heat to a steel barrel, the energy is used in propulsion of
CS>the projectile.  Tests are showing an average of 24%
CS>ballistics improvement.  The cartridges are ejected cool
CS>from the expanding gas effect (like canned air cools the
CS>can).  Barrels don't heat up and can be half the weight of
CS>steel version.  It also carries the advantages of general
CS>corrosion and erosion enhancements.  Word is that rifling
CS>can be sharper and more severe for better control and I
CS>would guess that harder bullet guilding would be possible
CS>then, too.

Interesting -- although I've seen things like moly-coated bullets and
carbon-fiber wrapped barrels touted and fade.  I'll wait to see how this
plays out before buying one.
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