most people say to get stainless if you can. and several people suggested to paint it if you get blued. if you deceid to paint it does it matter if it's stainless or blued to begin with. i'm just curious because i've seen some painted rifles and i really like the look. but would it be pointless to get the stainless and paint it, if that's the case would it be better to get the blued and paint it