I' m another Black Diamond fan, have one of the XR (extended range) models with the 26 inch barrel. Definitely, I would go for the stainless barrel. I have one and have never had a problem. I also shoot T7 powder, which isn' t corrosive. I hear lots of rust/pitting horror stories, but with stainless and T7, no problems as of yet. If I was to buy my gun over again, the only second thought I would have is whether or not to go with the Omega or teh Black Diamond, but I strongly recommend stainless.