Stainless vs Blue
 

What are your opinions on the difference? Pros and cons... I have both but it's always a choice when looking to buy new guns. I have heard stainless is better...

Give the choice it is doubtful I'd ever buy another blued rifle to use in the field.
Far more rust and corrosion resistant and ya never have to worry about wearing a spot of "bluing" off from holsters, scabbards, gun cases etc.
These days I only hunt with SS rifles...I have many that are not.

I wouldn't say better because I certainly don't think stainless rifles look better, they aren't more accurate but for me they are more functional.

A lot of stainless guns still have some kind of weather coating on the barrel that can chip off.

Where do guys come up with this stuff?

Personally, if a gun can be had in stainless, I will not buy it in blued. The only blued rifles I have around are either from before I knew better, or aren't available in stainless, or they're AR's.

Regardless of the weather proof qualities, which are worth a lot in certain areas, worthless in others, I prefer the look of stainless, and frankly, it's more durable. I have a bad habit of scratching my magazine plates, stainless guns hide it a lot better than blued. Also, if you do get any nicks on a stainless gun, buff them out, and you're in the clear. Buff a a nick off of a blued gun, and next summer you'll have a rust spot there instead.

My only regret is that all guns aren't available in stainless...

I've got guns that I bought before we could get stainless, they still look fine...

Don't care for stainless, or plastic stocks, they are for folks that don't know how to take care of their equipment.....

Stainless = stains less (some say more accurate ~ don't know if I believe that).

If they are "hunting" guns.............. now mandatory for me !

Don't have enough money to just buy it because it's pretty ~ it's a "tool" for me.

I only own 3 stainless guns, and they are all handguns. Ruger Super Six convertible (22 long and 22 mag) A S&W 657 in 41 mag, and a Ruger SP 101 in 357. All are a dream to clean and care for.

I do have many older guns, all blued. They do take a bit more care and I have to really consider whether to take them out in foul weather. Likely I'm gonna put a weather-proof or weather resistant coating on one shotgun, one longarm 22, one deer rifle and one muzzy in order to save my favored rifles in the lousy weather.

If I could I'd replace everything with stainless, but it's just not feasible.

Here's your answer.

i have worked with a fair deal of 300 and 400 series stainless. it doesnt require "better machine tools", only different cutting inserts. it work hardens quicker and chip/swarf formation doesnt occur as readily compared to chrome moly. dont take this as it being harder to machine, its only different. on a manual machine a good machinist can work just as accurately and nearly as fast with stainless as he could with chrome moly or most other alloys. with cnc machines, there is almost no difference. the cost of tooling up for stainless only requires changing the speed and feed rates of the machines and then using different inserts. thats it. any cost after that is from material, finishing and markup.

i have heard the rumors that its more accurate, i personally dont buy it if all else is equal. chrome moly has a edge in heat resistance and abrasion resistance (against hard materials) but 416 stainless has greater lubricity properties. hardness can be equal if both are tempered to the same rockwell but 4140 can be tempered alot harder without becoming overly brittle unless 416c or 416v stainless is used. if you dont care about the technical stuff then just think about it as buying less or more rust resistance because most of the real world qualities are equal. personally id take stainless any day but im not passing up a properly blued rifle.

Blued fan. A bit more work.