By Marin Perez
Police1 Junior Editor
Everyone has that favorite firearm. You’ve had it for years, it feels exactly right in your hands and it hasn’t let you down so far.
Yet over time, the intense heat, friction and pressure of multiple shootings have caused the barrel of that weapon to degrade. It may not be visible from the outside, but you have noticed changes in the accuracy and velocity.
If your favorite firearm is your service weapon, this degradation poses a major officer-safety issue.
But Otis Technology Inc.’s LifeLiner gun bore liner may be the solution to rejuvenate your favorite firearm, as well as protect your new ones.
“LifeLiner utilizes a nano-ceramic composite to heal the barrel, making it faster, smoother and more durable,” says Doreen Garrett, president of Otis Technology.
Every gun – even brand new ones – will have microscopic irregularities in its barrel that can affect the firearm’s accuracy and velocity. These imperfections get worse after multiple firings. LifeLiner can correct this by fusing to the inside of the barrel’s bore on an atomic level, Garrett said.
Essentially, it lines the barrel with a coating that protects the metal from the bullet. The $80 product can recondition as well as protect against wear for all barrel bore surfaces.
This can measurably increase barrel muzzle velocity, accuracy and endurance. According to Garrett, used-barrel velocity can increase as much as 33 percent, and accuracy can increase by as much as 80 percent.
“If it’s properly applied, LifeLiner will extend the life of the barrel almost indefinitely,” Garrett says.
The LifeLiner application process involves red, yellow and green aerosolized gels — each color has a different amount of nano-ceramics. You apply the gel to the barrel, cover 10 rounds with it, and fire. The friction and heat of the firing allows the nano-compound to fuse with the barrel surface.
“It’s also kind of fun to let off a few rounds while applying,” adds Garrett.
One application should strengthen the barrel and improve accuracy for 15,000 to 20,000 rounds, and one order can coat either six pistols or three rifles.
Additionally, the bore liner won’t interfere with forensics, an important attribute when applied to a service weapon.
Of course, almost every officer has probably seen gun oils that claim amazing things and fall woefully short. These officers may be a bit gun-shy about a new product, especially one involving nanotechnology.
“It’s not just another snake oil that promises the world and won’t deliver,” Garrett says. “We are putting the ‘Otis’ name on it, so we were very careful and diligent to make sure it does what we say it does. In fact, we may have overtested it because we are very mindful of how important our customers’ firearms are to them.”
For the past three years, Otis Technology has worked closely with universities that specialize on nanotechnology and nano-ceramics. The company licensed the technology and began testing LifeLiner with the FBI and military.
“Imagine how much money the government could save if it didn’t have to replace the M16s as often,” Garrett said.
Garrett said the testing brought back rave reviews, and the item began selling commercially at Shot Show [getting year].
Not many departments have jumped on board yet, Garrett said. This could be because of a hesitation about a new technology, especially one that cannot be seen with the human eye.
So Garrett is using that hesitation to inform and educate users about the benefits and safety of nano-ceramics.
“We are very impressed and excited about LifeLiner, and we’re looking forward to the future,” she said.