Stanless steel outsurvives nickel -- stays cooler than nickel & won't stain to the degree of nickel. Barrel quality is determined by whether or not a manufacturer offers stainless or nickel. Those that only offer nickel I avoid because those barrels are softer & will contract & expand occasionally to a higher degree.

I can rapid-fire my T/C barrels but not my Traditions barrels. When I rapid-fire my Traditions, I get a bullet stuck 1/2 way down from contraction or I will feel the bullet start down the barrel loosely, then tighten -- then loosen -- then tighten with age. That means the Traditions/CVAs... etc use softer steel & the barrel warps over time... especially shooting in warm/hot weather too rapidly.You get what you pay for in this ML/BP business.