ORIGINAL: cyberbuck
This may be a dumb question but just gotta ask. What are the advantages of a stainless steel barrel over a blued barrel? Might as well throw the nickel in there also. Does one hold better groups than the other? Is it just for show and personal preference? I assume they all will rust if not properly maintained. I notice that the price difference is quite substantial.
No, stainless does NOT shoot better! If anything, it is the other way around! You can put off cleaning a little longer if using a stainless barrel, but as you note, even stainless will rust/corrode from BP fouling if not cleaned properly-nothing will ruin any gun faster than black powder fouling, unless it is corrosive primer salts used with smokeless powders!