So its a cost issue.......If a company offers a ss barreled gun say for $250 then we just need to assume its a low quality?
On another note today at my local BassPro I held for the first time the BassPro exclusive style Impact....Camo stock silver weather shield and T/C scope for $349. From what i have read on here many were wrong, gun better than I thought. Locked up nice with the action, shouldered very nice even though I'm 6'5 with broad shoulders. If that gun would have been SS she would have came home with me today.

On the first part I do believe it is a competive move to stay competitive. On the second part, I personally do not have the correct answer to that. We all assume that a stainless barrel will be a #400 series of stainless, but within that series there are many differnent qualities and I am assuming that quality would effect price. And the big thing is where is the steel made? that really has a huge effect on price.

I have not held a seen a real Impact so I can not comment, but you are right several have dis-credited the Impact.

Even though it is coated and my triumph is a blued coat - and it has served me well - I still would prefer SS for a ML. Heck I even wish I had bought the SS Tikka Light instead of the blued model that I did purchase a few years back.