Clay Barrel

[Atlantis]

I was wondering if this would make a good barrel, take a wooden dowel the same size as your ammo and pack clay all around it, then heat the clay to harden it and then remove the dowel. There has to be a way to remove the dowel or is there a better material to use? Would a steel rod work better, I have access to a lathe so I can turn it to size. The clay barrel would need to be sleeved in some pipe to keep it from breaking. If my idea is plausible, airsoft barrels could be made very cheaply.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[PVC Arsenal 17]

Seems like an awful lot of work that probably wouldn't produce a great barrel.

6mm brass and brakeline are cheap enough. I'd stick to them.

[pyromanic13]

clay shrinks link an 1/8 or a third, when fired... I own a kiln and a clay studio in my house..

[Fnord]

Why clay? Personally I would just make a clay rod and drill it, but you could probably just shop around at hardware stores and scrap yards and find what you're looking for.
Oh, and Isn't clay too brittle?

Edit: You could also just use a steel rod and cast aluminum around it. If you have access to a kiln I would suggest that instead.

[Atlantis]

I thought about drilling a barrel but the only 6mm drill bit I have is too flimsy to make a straight hole.

[willarddaniels]

I would think that the ammo would wear away/ break up the clay since the barrel would probably not be free of inclusions and therefore prone to further breakage under stress.