Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

I was wondering whats the better way to go, blued or stainless, I was told that stainless steal rifles will in fact rust, and that stainless steal is softer, leading to a shorter barrel life, is this true??? wanted to know what you guys thought. I'm hopeing to get a T3 varmint, not sure if I should get stainless or blued though, any thoughts would be great...thanks in advance:)

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

well i cant help you on which one is better, but what i can tell you is that i like the look of the blued one better than the stainless, to me the stainless looks cheaper, now this is just my opinion. i like wood stocks better than the syn. ones.

sorry to be of no help to you

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

Stainless barrels can rust but they are much more resistant to rust than blued steel.As for barrel life,barrels do not wear out but rather they erode in the throat area due to a combination of heat and pressure.Stainless barrels are actually slightly more resistant to throat erosion so they do last slightly longer.As for synthetic stocks,they do not swell or warp when exposed to moisture so they do maintain point of impact better than wood stocked rifles when the humidity changes.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

I myself prefer blued, but that could just be me. I like the looks of a blued barrel more than a stainless.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

Blued is more traditional and looks better but can't stand up to stainless in the durablility department. After a few seasons up here in alaska a blued gun will show signifigant blueing wear and rust scarring. Stainless will last a lot better. Synthetic stocks are also more durable but wood can be made as durable with some spray on bed liner.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

I prefer stainless. It is much more corrosion resistant, but as stated, NOT corrosion PROOF because the really "stainless" steels like that in surgical instruments and tableware are not strong enough for gun barrel use. Gunbarrel quality stainless steel (410 of 416 stainless) is actually tougher than chrome-moly steel (the kind that's commonly blued) and resists throat erosion and barrel wear much better. I also believe (and I could be wrong, so if someone has knowledge to the contrary, I'd really like to know) that stainless steel is easier to drill and rifle precisely and yields a better finished surface than CrMo steel, making it a much better material for "match grade" custom barrels. This is why custom barrel makers like Lilja, Hart and Shilen use stainless almost exclusively.

Mike

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

GorV,

Stainless Steel comes in different grades.Top the line is Surgical Stainless,but not good for gun barrels. Gun barrels are made from alloyed stainless steel that keeps rust to
a minimum,but will get specks if you don't clean them.
Heat will not change the molecule structure of stainless as it will chrome moly steel barrels.
IMHO,also I don't see the fact of Fluting a barrel to make it lighter and weakening it.
To each his own!

As for syn to wood stocks? There are good ones and there cheaper ones.
They are less scuff resistant when you carry them on a 4 wheeler and
I would rather have one than a wood stock when they get splashed in front of a 4 wheel.
All of mine have wood, but that's me! I'm not talking for other people.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

I like the stainless look better.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

What they said. The worst blueing Ive ever seen is on the browning A-Bolt rifles. I was hunting in the rain one day (I mean a downpour of rain) and it rusted pretty bad by the time I got back to the hotel. Easily fixed it with a little rem oil.

Ive never owned a stainless rifle, I'd like to have one but I dont really have a need for one.

RE: Stainless or blued...need some opinions...
 

GORV
REGARDING SYNTHETIC STOCKS VS WOOD... I UNDERSTAND THE UTILITARIAN USE OF SYNTHETIC STOCKS. HOWEVER , I WILL NOT PURCHASE ONE FOR TWO REASONS.
1. I DO A LOT OF STALK HUNTING. IF I ACCIDENTLY BRUSH A TWIG OR BRANCH WITH A SYNTHETIC STOCK, THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE PLASTIC. IF I CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENCE, CAN THE DEER TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
2. I LOVE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF A FINE WOOD STOCK.
REGARDING STAINLESS, FOR THE TYPE OF HUNTING I DO, IF I HAD A STAINLESS RIFLE I'D WRAP IT WITH CAMO TAPE. TOO SHINY FOR ME. AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT SYNTHETIC AND STAINLESS HAVE MANY PLUSES BUT I LIKE MY GOOD, OLD FASHIONED BLUED AND WOOD.