Stainless Steel or blued please discuss

david1976

Well-Known Member
Is a stainless steel barrel worth an extra hundred or so quid over a bog standard blued one and if so why?

Forget looks as they are not important to me as far as guns are concerned I just need one to do a job.

David
 
Is a stainless steel barrel worth an extra hundred or so quid over a bog standard blued one and if so why?

Forget looks as they are not important to me as far as guns are concerned I just need one to do a job.

David

I'd say your question is a bit like asking which is better, apples or oranges?

But... In general terms, aesthetics aside, and all other things being equal stainless has many metallurgical qualities which make it function better. Not least being its superior wear-resistance/lubricity and of course the slightly easier maintainance aspect. It will rust if neglected but it doesn't do it as easily or as damagingly as wet/damp blued steel will tend to...but.. in the end I think, as far as "hunting" is concerned, the differences are too small to measure and it is a question of personal choice and preference in appearance and cleaning and use regimes.
 
The majority of high-grade match barrels are made from Stainless Steel, which is easier to machine because it is slightly softer.
It is also easier to apply a fine, hand-lapped finish to a stainless bore. That said chrome-moly barrels can be just as accurate
when made correctly.
The stainless is harder wearing,slighty easier to maintain as Tamus said, then again any rifle which is properly looked after
should give several years of good service. ( unless through neglect. )
So the choice is really down to you!!

Atb, Buck.
 
I stand to be corrected,but,I am fairly sure that no-one actually makes barrels out of true Stainless steel,it is a mixture............I shall await the incoming
 
I was pondering this before adding a .270 to my cabinet.

I have a stainless barrelled 243 and ended up going for a blued 270, the only reason being was that I found in the "gloaming" or on bright mornings, the stainless barrel really seems to stand out more and give a bit more "glint" off the barrel.

I know it's not a major issue but that was really the only deciding factor for me as a new blued/synth T3 was £674 and the stainless was only the price of a few boxes of ammo more at £780.

I'm sure if they are both looked after then it's really down to personal choice.

I liken it to fishing rods, I prefer a matt finish to my rod blanks as I always see varnished rods glinting in the sun from a good distance away when on the river and it always makes me wonder how much that could put a fish off??

Might sound like I'm talking p1sh but it's just a confidence thing...

rb
 
Is a stainless steel barrel worth an extra hundred or so quid over a bog standard blued one and if so why?

Forget looks as they are not important to me as far as guns are concerned I just need one to do a job.

David
No!!
I bought a rifle for the estate I work on ,it`s stainless,And unless I oil it every time it`s used in the field it rusts. So it has to get the excact same treatment as any blued rifle but you have to pay extra for it.:-|
 
Ordered the new rifle this morning and its arriving on Friday, cant wait!

Tikka T3 Hunter with blued barrel in 6.5x55.

Decided id rather put the extra money for stainless towards a moderator and new reloading dies.
 
My last one was a tikka stainless laminate and I loved it so thought id get another tikka.

Was going to go for a sako but after researching it I dont think they are worth a few hundred pounds extra for what you get.
 
I've always been in the wood/blued camp, I like the traditional look of a nice walnut stock... BUT very recently, after a few visits to the range, I started to find myself drawn to the stainless look.
So much so that I've ordered a Heavy barrelled stainless Howa with laminate thumbhole stock in .223 :D
 
Hi just got a new tikka lite 308, all the prices i got were for a stainless. But when I went to my local gun dealer and had a look at them side by side, I went for the blued. If you go for the stainless it will not look right unless you have a stainless mod and stainless mounts. So my opinion is go and have a look at both blued & stainless side by side and then look at all the things you will be putting on it.
terrier
 
Si
The opposite has happened to me. Any rifle i had just had to be Stainless, must have synthetic stock and a barrel like a scaffolding pole. I now "drool" over a very nice wood and blue traditional style stalking rifle. A friend of mine has an old Rem 700 BDL in 270. The bluing is exquisite for a 70s vintage factory gun. Must be getting old.

Yorkie.
 
I was pondering this before adding a .270 to my cabinet.

I have a stainless barrelled 243 and ended up going for a blued 270, the only reason being was that I found in the "gloaming" or on bright mornings, the stainless barrel really seems to stand out more and give a bit more "glint" off the barrel.

I know it's not a major issue but that was really the only deciding factor for me as a new blued/synth T3 was £674 and the stainless was only the price of a few boxes of ammo more at £780.

I'm sure if they are both looked after then it's really down to personal choice.

I liken it to fishing rods, I prefer a matt finish to my rod blanks as I always see varnished rods glinting in the sun from a good distance away when on the river and it always makes me wonder how much that could put a fish off??

Might sound like I'm talking p1sh but it's just a confidence thing...

rb

This was always my worry as I felt that the stainless barrel was more likely to "flash" and give the stalker away. I agree on the fishing thing, when fishing for spooky trout I use a matt rod, matt line (more important in my view) and a black reel - all to avoid flash that might scare a fish. I've seen fish on the chalkstreams bolt from a shiny line just aerialised over the surface near to them.
 
I stand to be corrected,but,I am fairly sure that no-one actually makes barrels out of true Stainless steel,it is a mixture............I shall await the incoming

All steels come in various grades and strenghts and alloys stainless is no exception ,you choose the type to suit the products end use ..
 
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