Steel Vs stainless barrel

[wokkywokky]

I'm looking at 243's and given the endless choice of makes, models, barrels, stocks etc I'm a bit confused on the advantage of stainless Vs steel barrels. Apart from the corrosion aspect what are the advantages of stainless? Would it last longer, does it dissipate heat better, is it lighter or heavier, would the shinnier surface be an issue with glinting in the sun light etc.?

 

[takbok]

Stainless every time for me from now on purely from the corrosion aspect - so much less hassle!

 

[ChesterP]

I'm looking at 243's and given the endless choice of makes, models, barrels, stocks etc I'm a bit confused on the advantage of stainless Vs steel barrels. Apart from the corrosion aspect what are the advantages of stainless? Would it last longer, does it dissipate heat better, is it lighter or heavier, would the shinnier surface be an issue with glinting in the sun light etc.?

Stainless offers one good advantage which is better corrosion resistance...it is not corrosion-proof and still needs looking after but it won't rust as readily as other steels.

The glint isn't an issue...just have it coated. I had one of mine Duracoated very cheaply some years ago and the finish is still as good as new despite a lot of use and abuse.

The whole issue of barrels and steels is quite interesting and it makes for educated reading going through the various steels used today for gun barrels. Many of the stainless steel alloys used tend to be Martenisitic these days, offering a good blend of strength, toughness, and wear resistance.

 

[JTO]

Some years ago, I read that stainless is more resistant to throat erosion, especially with 'hot' loads. Might have been when chasing velocity with light bullets, not sure.

 

[1894]

Chrome moly tends to foul more in my experience.

 

[Whitebeard]

Chrome Moly machines better then stainless so effectively should produce a better barrel then stainless if cut rifled.

Ian.

 

[swarovski]

Stains less
The clue is in the name

 

[Jon Smith]

stainless steel alloys used tend to be Martenisitic these days

Any chance that you know of an austenitic ss ever being used for a rifle barrel?

 

[takbok]

Any chance that you know of an austenitic ss ever being used for a rifle barrel?

I think that most stainless barrels are 416R which is martensitic

 

[Jon Smith]

I think that most stainless barrels are 416R which is martensitic

That was not the question, guy said 'tend to be martensitic' implying some are not, so was asking if there were any examples of a 300 grade stainless being used for a barrel?

 

[hoodwink]

Stainless offers one good advantage which is better corrosion resistance...it is not corrosion-proof and still needs looking after but it won't rust as readily as other steels.

The glint isn't an issue...just have it coated. I had one of mine Duracoated very cheaply some years ago and the finish is still as good as new despite a lot of use and abuse.

The whole issue of barrels and steels is quite interesting and it makes for educated reading going through the various steels used today for gun barrels. Many of the stainless steel alloys used tend to be Martenisitic these days, offering a good blend of strength, toughness, and wear resistance.

I don’t think it is worth while coating a nice new s/s barrel because of glint, they tend to be a dull silver,if you take silver into the countryside it tends to reflect the colours around, and its movement that Deer see.

 

[Whitebeard]

Any chance that you know of an austenitic ss ever being used for a rifle barrel?

416 stainless is chosen for barrel making because it is the best suited alloy which will give the required toughness corrosion resistance and above all heat treat-ability and machineability. Austenitic 300 series which has a substantially higher nickel and molybdenum content posses a different crystelline bond meaning it is more difficult to machine and heat treat, making it more suitable for parts not subject to high pressure.

Ian

 

[paul o']

Stainless coated every time for me

 

[Jon Smith]

416 stainless is chosen for barrel making because it is the best suited alloy which will give the required toughness corrosion resistance and above all heat treat-ability and machineability. Austenitic 300 series which has a substantially higher nickel and molybdenum content posses a different crystelline bond meaning it is more difficult to machine and heat treat, making it more suitable for parts not subject to high pressure.

Ian

Just asking the guy who made the statement 'stainless steel alloys used tend to be Martenisitic these days' to show us a 300 series ss rifle barrel.

 

[ChesterP]

Just asking the guy who made the statement 'stainless steel alloys used tend to be Martenisitic these days' to show us a 300 series ss rifle barrel.

what's your problem? AFAIK, most S/S barrels are Martensitic steel...I don't actually know of any that are not but as I don't know for sure, I left it as "most"....happy now or are you gunning to be the head of the thought police? Why get your knickers in such a twist for what? Forums!

 

[ChesterP]

I don’t think it is worth while coating a nice new s/s barrel because of glint, they tend to be a dull silver,if you take silver into the countryside it tends to reflect the colours around, and its movement that Deer see.

Perhaps, but I had my L-W Duracoated because it wasn't that dull and I just much preferred the idea of a black tube than a silver one. It wasn't a lot of cash to get it done, so worth it for me.

 

[John7176]

I was told stainless is softer, logical and extension suggests faster wear.

be interest in any data Re: relative hardness / softness between the 2

 

[Rory]

I was told stainless is softer, logical and extension suggests faster wear.

be interest in any data Re: relative hardness / softness between the 2

Was this in reference to discussing knife steel? In that case it might be generally true, due to the chrome content in stainless knife steel. CroMoV steels or high carbon steels (1095 for example, or D2 steel) can be treated to be harder without getting brittle.
I've been having a read up on Martensitic and Austenitic stainless - more to go, but interesting as it goes into the crystalline structures of the steels.
Bottom line - it is more complicated than one thinks! I wouldn't think the stainless of barrels is softer than a high carbon steel.

 

[acj375]

416 stainless is chosen for barrel making because it is the best suited alloy which will give the required toughness corrosion resistance and above all heat treat-ability and machineability. Austenitic 300 series which has a substantially higher nickel and molybdenum content posses a different crystelline bond meaning it is more difficult to machine and heat treat, making it more suitable for parts not subject to high pressure.

Ian

Nice answer .

 

[Chasey]

I was told stainless is softer, logical and extension suggests faster wear.

be interest in any data Re: relative hardness / softness between the 2

The term Stainless Steel covers a vast range on steel alloys which are designed for the task at hand. There are many "soft" stainless grades and many extremely "hard" ones