Is there any disadvantage to a rifle with a stainless-steel barrel vs. blued barrel? My thought is I’d rather spend a little extra to get a stainless-steel barrel and receiver instead of a regular, blued barrel that seems like it’d be more prone to rusting. It just seems to me that the stainless would be able to withstand abuse and neglect that may occur at some point over the lifetime of a rifle, which should be many, many years.
Have Browning 300 Win Mag Stainless and for the most part take good care of it several years ago found a tiny spot of rust on the side of the barrel ! I was like what the hell ! Turns out stainless can rust ! Buffed it out , good to go .
yes it can and it depends on the grade of SS too if I remember right
Glenn should know I’m thinking
I have a Ruger M77mkII in 300WSM that’s stainless. Only stainless gun I own but it seems less labor intensive to keep looking good. And if anyone is looking for one boy do I have a deal for you. Way too much punishment for me.
I shoot a lot of muzzleloaders. Some are blued, some are stainless. All will rust. The blued guns are the toughest to keep rust-free, even when using BH209 powder which is he least corrosive of the powders used in black powder weapons. The stainless is far more rust resistant, but again, if it isn’t properly cared for it can rust. Even smokeless guns in stainless can rust.
Stainless handles heat better.
yes it can and it depends on the grade of SS too if I remember right
Glenn should know I’m thinking
yea stainless can rust……..it may have been dinged my something not stainless to make it rust. say mild steel.
also depends on the grade/or stainless alloys!!!!!
my creds…….i spent 28 years building SS vessels for the food, pharm and beverage industry.
Stainless handles heat better.
I never thought about that aspect. I mean, while most of my shooting/hunting is done in cooler temps, this makes sense for those who chase prairie dogs during the heat of summer, or hunt in warmer regions.
How do stainless barrels stack up against all-weather or cerakote options? I’m thinking specifically of my Ruger M77/22LR. It seems impervious to everything, provided it isn’t gouged to the metal somehow. I’m also curious about the flat dark earth finish on my Ruger Gen 2. Opinions? Experience anyone?
Stainless will shoot as good as blued. I personally prefer stainless for the obvious reasons.
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