Stainless steel barrels

MJ75

Well-Known Member
Can you very knowledgable tell me the pros and cons of having a stainless steel barrel.

Thanks in advance.
Jared
 
MJ75 said:
Can you very knowledgable tell me the pros and cons of having a stainless steel barrel.

Thanks in advance.
Jared

Stainless Steel
Pros:
- Low friction.
- Very durable.
- No regular maintenance.
Cons:
- Difficult to machine and thus more expensive.

Just about covers it.
 
Less likely hood of getting rust spots on the blueing, no matter how much you look after a barrel, which can happen especially if you are using your rifles all the time, even more so in Scottish west coast weather. But DaveG summed it up very well.

Even stainless needs looking after, and cleaning a rifle after a days work, especially if you have been out in the pouring rain is a matter of 5 minutes work. ;)
 
The difference in my mind is the couple of hours the rifle might spend in a slip between hill and home. In the 'old days' I'd often find rust by the time I got home, applies to shotguns even more-so.

As you may have guessed, I'm a stainless convert. Love em, perfect for here in the wet west highlands.
 
I have always used stainless/synthetic for the reasons mentioned above, my rifles get hard use and as much as I love blued steel and walnut to look at, I would just worry about it all the time. Especially when stalking away somewhere and cant clean it as I would like, or stalking in thorny woods.

I wouldnt mind a 'pretty gun' one day, for fine weather stalking, but got to have a ss in the cabinate.

I treat it as a normal rifle, wiped down after every use, because if you dont you will still get some corrosion, just a lot less than a blued gun.

I have heard people say that ss barrels are a bit conspicuous but I have not found that to be the case, I think providing it is a matte finish you are ok.

James.
 
I have all way been a stainless steel man, my rifles are a tool for a job, ;) I have three stalking mates that have been “Blued steel and proper wood men” after years of light hearted banner between us about get a real rifle ect. Two have now brought stainless/synthetic rifles as tools for wet days and the third has admitted that the next one he buys will be a S/S. :D :D :D

If you are a fine weather southern stalker then a blued rifle will be fine but why lumber your self with an inferior product? :evil: If you don’t like the aesthetics of the stainless steel you can have then Du-coated black or any other colour for that matter.

Best rgds

B-b
 
So synthetic Stocks don't bend or warp then ? :rolleyes:

At least one prominent maker had to have a recall on "Mattell" stocks.

I keep a small aerosol of water repellent spray in the truck and give my rifle a quick blast and rud down when I get back, and I never have any trouble. I have a walnut stock on my gun, but I don't make any special allowances for it, if i gets dinged tough luck.

The guns are robust enough as wood and blue have been used for years, now lets talk about the real issue when handling rifles... that oh so delicate 2 grand scope you have perched on the top. Thats the most vulnerable bit. IMHO
Handle a gun so as not to damage that, and the rest wont be a problem
 
Poddle you have made a very valid point there. I have both wood and stainless weapons, but I prefer stainless. However as you so righly say, if you drop any of them the scope is the weak point and is usually the bit that come's off worse.
 
More to the point Sika, just handling the gun so as not to lose zero, should be enough to protect your rifle.

Thanks for agreeing 8)
 
poddle said:
So synthetoc Stocks don't bend or warp then ? :rolleyes:

A proper glassfibre/carbon fibre stock is a far better stocking marital than wood, period. :evil: OK some cheap factory plastic stocks can be quite awful but let’s not compare these with a stock from a top custom manufacturer. I have hear that even a London hand made rifle’s can be spec’d with two stocks one synthetic and one Walnut, one for show and one for use.

I personally can think of 3 big hits my S@B scope has taken while have been stalking including falling 20 feet down a rock face and a direct fall onto the scope from 5 ft and it’s zero has never moved. (the main reason I believe in quality scopes and mounts). My rifle is a tool for a job and I believe stainless steel and synthetics are the best materials for me.

But then I know I stalk harder and in more adverse condition than a lot of stalkers. I expect my equipment to be as tough as me. :D :D :evil:
I have a mate who moaned when I picked his rifle up by the scope "saying it could effect the zero picking up that way" I said well if it does it is a peice of crap and want's outting. :D :D

Best rgds

Thar
 
Whats "stocking marital" Thar?
Sounds erotic to me
Each to their own I say, and guys were knocking the centre out of bulls eyes decades before synthetic stock ever plopped out of their horrible sticky moulds
YUK

;)
 
I have to say Thar dropping an S/B Scope down a cliff and from 5ft onto hard ground you are very lucky it is still ok! thats a fair old way to drop any scope, you are lucky it never bent the tube.

Scopes are fragile objects, and most have aluminium tubes, and I think any scope such as a S/B, Leupold, etc can only take a certain amount of punishment, and as Poddle pointed out it is the weak spot when you drop the rifle, not to be recommended though.

Wood looks nice on a rifle and the only reason I use plastic stocked stainless rifles is because of the amount of stalking and the varied terrain I use them in whilst guiding and taking clients out, not to mention the culling work I have done in Scotland. My 243 is a full wood stock, my 375HH is wood, and I have a 303 MKII NO4 brand new sporterised in light beech wood. I love all of them wouldnt change them for stainless or plastic, and have used all of them for stalking/hunting here and abroad.
 
yeah thats the trouble with those plastic stocks Sika, they are slippery and you keep dropping them down cliffs.
 
Never dropped a rifle down a cliff, climbed down and up a few over the years, always had a belt on the rifle. ;) Butler creek ones are good.

Had an American client stalking with a guide of mine about 5 years ago who fell asleep in the highseat, dropped his new 270 wooden stock rifle out of the seat between his legs. Snapped it straight across the pistol grip, clean in half. The belt helped though; it kept the two halves together :lol: :lol:

If it had been plastic it would have probably been OK. So plastic does help sometimes ;) :lol:
 
I know it may be more practical and workmanlike but I just cannot make the jump across to S/S and plastic fantastic. For the majority of recreational stalking it will never make any differene. My beautiful Sauer 202 gets a very regular soaking on the West coast and to date has never exploded into a heap of rust. Look after any rifle and it will look after you

jamespicsoct06020.jpg


Mark
 
sikamalc said:
Never dropped a rifle down a cliff, climbed down and up a few over the years, always had a belt on the rifle. ;) Butler creek ones are good.

Had an American client stalking with a guide of mine about 5 years ago who fell asleep in the highseat, dropped his new 270 wooden stock rifle out of the seat between his legs. Snapped it straight across the pistol grip, clean in half. The belt helped though; it kept the two halves together :lol: :lol:

If it had been plastic it would have probably been OK. So plastic does help sometimes ;) :lol:


Should have made the stock out of the same stuff as the sling, would have been ok.

A friend of mine did the same thing with a shotgun fell asleep, while waiting for a fox. The gun fell to the floor ten feet below and went off, discharging the weapon straight past his lughole, never got hit by a single pellet. Scared the **** out of him tho, and he vows never to wait for Charlie in a hi chair ever again.
Still gets the **** ripped out of him, over a year later.
Very lucky escape
 
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