Talk to a firearm alloy expert
Alloys at home on the range and in the field
Long-range precision
Materials you can count on
Carpenter Technology has been producing superior firepower since our armor-piercing alloys helped win the Spanish-American war in 1889. Our legacy alloys and novel chemistries continue that tradition, offering manufacturers an exclusive strategic advantage.
Performance alloys
Proven industry standards
High-quality materials built to perform under the most extreme conditions:
Performance alloys
Explore firearm alloys
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A-21® is the first and only truly stainless carburizing steel. Repels rust and delivers industry-leading corrosion resistance and toughness without compromising strength.
GNB200: High-temperature and cold hammer forgeable alloy steel. Best-in-class for premium rifle barrels. Maintains strength and toughness from 1000°F to -40°F.
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A-21®
Advanced martensitic stainless steel for blades and barrels
Legacy alloys trusted by manufacturers year after year:
Carpenter 158: Case hardening chrome-nickel alloy steel with maximum strength
416 family: Martensitic, free-machining stainless
steels with high hardness
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Rapid-fire impact strength.
Hammer forgeable.
GNB200
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WATCH THE WEBINAR
Download the DATASHEET
TALK TO AN EXPERT
performance alloys
proven industry standards
CHAT WITH A WEAPONRY
ALLOY EXPERT
CHAT WITH A WEAPONRY
ALLOY EXPERT
More: 410 Modified, 420, 440C, 4330V, Custom 630,
VAR 9310
Materials engineered for
premium firearms
A-21®
Advanced martensitic stainless steel for blades and barrels
Razor-sharp edges. Tough at any temperature. A-21 stainless carburizing steel was built for applications that require excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, and good toughness, as well as cutlery applications that require excellent edge retention, high hardness, and stainless properties. A-21 is an upgrade in corrosion resistance and toughness at similar strength levels relative to 410 MODIFIED and 416 MOD LOW SULFUR.
GNB200
Remelted steel for best-in-class
high strength rifle barrels
Rapid-fire impact strength. Hammer forgeable. GNB200 is a high strength, low alloy vacuum arc remelted steel with an excellent combination of strength, impact strength at -40°F, and high-temperature temper resistance. With 41V50 as its base, GNB200 has a superior combination of strength, toughness, superior microstructural cleanliness, and controlled microstructure.
Tried-and-true alloy solutions
Proven industry standards
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410 MODIFIED
Stainless steel for revolver cylinders and gun barrels
Can take the heat. 410 MODIFIED is a hardenable martensitic stainless steel suitable for highly stressed parts where corrosion resistance, good strength,
and ductility are needed. This alloy can be used up
to 1200°F (649°C) where resistance to scaling and oxidation is required.
Download the DATASHEET
Download the DATASHEET
American made.
Best in the trade.
CARPENTER 158
Case-hardened steel for rifle bolts
Hard core strength. Carpenter 158 is a chrome-nickel alloy steel engineered for parts subject to heavy shock and wear. Fully treated, Carpenter 158 attains a core strength of approximately 160 ksi (1103 MPa) tensile strength with a yield point of approximately
135 ksi (931 MPa).
Download the DATASHEET
More: 410 Modified, 420, 440C, 4330V, Custom 630,
VAR 9310
Remelted steel for best-in-class
rifle barrels
Advanced martensitic stainless steel for blades and barrels
Razor-sharp edges. Tough at any temperature. A-21 stainless carburizing steel was built for applications that require excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, and good toughness, as well as cutlery applications that require excellent edge retention, high hardness, and stainless properties. A-21 is an upgrade in corrosion resistance and toughness at similar strength levels relative to 410 MODIFIED and 416 MOD LOW SULFUR.
Advanced martensitic stainless steel for blades and barrels
A-21®
Built to last. Carpenter Technology metallurgists invented 416 in 1924. The first free-machining stainless steel, 416 had — and still has — an enormous impact on global manufacturing. The addition of sulfur to this high-chromium, corrosion-resisting steel gives it easy machining properties, and the original formulation of 416 is still being made and used today.
For advanced weaponry, 416 Modified Low Sulfur is specified for rifle barrels and pistol slides, while 416 Forge Quality is ideal for revolver frames.
High-quality
alloys
More: Custom 465®, Aermet® 100, NiMark 250, NiMark 300, Vacumet 1.4418
The alloys you need — lock, stock, and barrel
Fire with confidence
• 410
• 416 Mod Low Sulfur
• 465
• 17-4
Chamber:
More novel chemistries
Custom 465®: Premium melted, martensitic, age-hardenable stainless steel. Designed to have excellent notch tensile strength and fracture toughness in the overaged (H 950) condition.
2
Aermet® 100: Alloy with high hardness and strength combined with exceptional ductility, toughness, and stress corrosion cracking resistance.
NiMark® 250: Low-carbon, nickel-cobalt-molybdenum high-temperature alloy capable of yield strength in excess of 240 ksi.
VACUMET 1.4418: Formulated for applications requiring high mechanical strength with improved corrosion resistance relative to traditional martensitic stainless steels.
NiMark® 300: Similar to NiMark 250, but capable of yield strength in excess of 270 ksi.
416
Stainless steel for revolver, rifle, and pistol components
Built to last. Carpenter Technology metallurgists invented 416 in 1924. The first free-machining stainless steel, 416 had — and still has — an enormous impact on global manufacturing. The addition of sulfur to this high-chromium, corrosion-resisting steel gives it easy machining properties, and the original formulation of 416 is still being made and used today.
For advanced weaponry, 416 Modified Low Sulfur is specified for rifle barrels and pistol slides, while 416 Forge Quality is ideal for revolver frames.
Download the DATASHEET
More legacy alloys
Custom 630 (17-4): Martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel with high strength and hardness, as well as excellent corrosion resistance.
2
420: Hardenable 12% chrome steel with high strength at room and moderately elevated temperatures and mirror-like finishes without chrome plating.
440C: High-carbon chromium steel designed to provide stainless properties with maximum hardness.
4330V: Low alloy steel capable of being heat treated to high strength levels. Particularly useful in applications involving shock loading or stress concentration.
9310: Premium quality chromium-nickel-molybdenum carburizing steel with high hardenability and core hardness, plus superior fatigue strength.
• 416 Mod Low Sulfur
• 410 Mod
Barrel:
• C158
• 410
• 416 Mod
Low Sulfur
• 465
Bolt/Receiver:
• 465
• A-21
• 440C
• 420
Firing Pin:
• A-21
• 9310
• 17-4
GNB200: High-temperature and cold hammer forgeable alloy steel. Best-in-class for premium rifle barrels. Maintains strength and toughness from 1000°F to -40°F
A-21® is the first and only truly stainless carburizing steel. Repels rust and delivers industry-leading corrosion resistance and toughness without compromising strength
High-quality materials built to perform under the most extreme conditions:
More: Custom 465®, Aermet® 100, NiMark 250, NiMark 300, Vacumet 1.4418
Download the DATASHEET
Explore firearm alloys
TALK TO AN EXPERT
High-quality
alloys
American made.
Best in the trade.
Download the A-21 PRESENTATION
Download the firearm presentation
Download the A-421 PRESENTATION