in your opinion, is stainless necessary for anything?

[buckslayer]

does have a stainless gun in a non barrel burning caliber, really help you in any way?  this is not limited to handi rifle discussion, this goes for all guns.  what does it accomplish?  i mean if you get a gun soaked, something somewhere is gonna rust, stainless or not.  the only place i see that stainless has any advantage, is maybe buying you a bit longer in barrel life for super hot cartridges, but does it do anything else?  does it really make life easier to have a stainless gun?  i am asking for opinions, do not question each others answers please, just tell your opinion and leave it at that.

[quickdtoo]

I've never felt the need for a stainless firearm, and I've lived and hunted in Wetstern Washington all my life, I think the only place stainless would be an advantage would be in a salt water environment, they would last longer requiring less care.

Tim

[buckslayer]

what has always tickled me was deer hunters in hot dry places like texas seem to want and need everything stainless, yet duck hunters who drop there guns in saltwater every year are still using regular 'ol steel, and still doing fine.  i just came in from duck hunting, had my shotgun in the canoe, and everytime i switched sides paddling, i would drip saltwater on it.  funny thing, it still shoots and looks fine.  i just figured unless you like the looks of ss, there is no need for it.  maybe with college classes nearly over for the semester, i just have to much time to think...

[brennemanj83]

IMO stainless is not really necessary for anything but looks.don't get me wrong stainless will go a Lil longer without rusting but it will rust over time.after all the true definition of stainless steel is =stains less.a firearm with a blued finish with proper maintenance and care will last a long time.

[krod47nw]

I don't think stainless has any benifit in a handi, since the reciever is just plated steel.  I like stainless revolvers, because they don't show as much holster wear, as there is no bluing to wear away.   Stainless steel will rust too.  It's rust resistance depends on the nickel content.

Kevin

[quickdtoo]

I don't think stainless has any benifit in a handi, since the reciever is just plated steel. 
Kevin

Except for the .444 and 45-70 Ultra Hunters which have stainless frames as well as barrels, no real advantage, but still a plus.......... for more cost!!   

Tim

[Tunaman]

I live in SE Louisiana and I will tell you that Stainless helps down here. The Salt water will play hell on a gun. When I hunt in the marsh south of Venice, I hunt with a Stainless syn Tika for deer and hogs and I shoot a Benelli Shotgun with there cammo dipping that really helps. If I hunt further up river where the water is less salty, I switch over to a Franchi shotgun and In the woods I have no problem at all hunting with a blued rifle. One other thing that I like about Stainless is that it shows less scrapes and dings. I have been known to be rough on guns.

[Rustyinfla]

  Years ago when I was a LEO I was carrying a S&W M66 one night when I was working near saltwater. I took a dunking from a breaker. before I could get home and get everything cleaned I got some spots in the barrel next to the front sight. I always wondered what that gun would have looked like had it been one of my blued guns.

[quickdtoo]

Probably just fine if you had used a good gun oil like BreakFree CLP or Eezox, but so would the stainless gun!!  There are gun oils that people THINK protect real well and have confidence in, but they don't in reality. 

Tim

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

[beerhunter]

The only thing think it helps is black powder guns.( i like to hunt with a fould out barrel on my side cockers and i can let it sit for a week without it rusting out)

[Winter Hawk]

I like the baked on Teflon coatings myself.  I always felt that a stainless steel gun with the Gunkote would be the cat's miaow when I lived in SE Alaska.  That could go in the drink and you wouldn't have to rush off to a creek to hose it off with fresh water. 

There was a dealer in Ketchikan who had a shotgun barrel done with the old Black-T finish, then hung it off the dock downtown, far enough down that the incoming tide would cover it but it would be out of the water at low tide (optimum conditions for rust to form).  After a month the bore was a mass of rust, while the outside was still pristine.  Before he hung it off the dock, he scraped it hard on the curb to scratch it up good.  Not even the scrape marks were rusted.

I know that my Winchester 88 which I had done with the Black-T didn't rust up there, and it put up with some horrendous conditions.  It was done by the WF Birdsong company, and every part, every screw has been coated.  Of course I still keep it oiled with Breakfree CLP, and the outside sports a coat of car wax (the Turtle), just to give a little extra protection....

-Winter Hawk-

[LaOtto222]

I like stainless steel, but I also like blued 4140, Parkerized 4140, and other durable finishes. I do not turn down a gun because it is not stainless steel, but if given a choice, I will pick the stainless over the regular blued steel. Why? The finish is more durable. A scratch or a even a ding can be worked/polished out of stainless. You do not have to worry about the finish rubbing off or being scraped off. A properly done blued gun looks just as good as stainless, maybe better, but if it ever has a problem, the stainless is easier taken care of. I do not have any barrel burning cartridges, so barrel wear is not a real concern to me. I inherited 1 gun from my father - an Ithaca model 37 in 12 gauge. It may not have been taken care of as well as it should have, and was used a lot. He used it for every thing from rabbits to pheasant, deer and waterfowl. It was his one and only shotgun from 1949 to the day he passed away in 1996. He carried it with one hand around the receiver a lot. This area is almost devoid of bluing around the bottom of receiver where it rested in the palm/fingers of his left hand. Had it been stainless, this would not even have been noticeable. Stainless is harder to machine than 4140 and wears tools out quicker. So if it is a cheaper gun, your chances of getting a good barrel in 4140 is better than in stainless.

[bluecow]

i like my stainless hanguns but in a long gun stainless and  plastic stocks just dont trip my trigger

[bishopgrandpa]

I prefer stainless cuz it soothes my ego and makes me feel good. A good wood and stainless barrel makes me feel even better. The "shine" hasn't hurt my hunting and good gun care should be given any weapon regardless of material. There are the purist and they have their opinion. This is mine.

[Cajun66]

I have a Ruger Vaquero in stainless. The price was right and it sure is pretty.

[deadrabbit]

I don't have any real use for one (other than cosmetic) but admit to thinking about getting one for muzzleloading.

I have heard stainless can crack in really cold weather but I don't have any evidence of that, just what Ive read.  Nice topic

[JonD.]

As a machinist, I can tell you that there are two major types of stainless steel--300 series and 400 series.
300 series stainless is completely free of carbon and will not rust. 400 series contains a little carbon and the carbon will cause it to rust. Now that said, there are no rifles made with 300 series stainless because it is very hard to anneal, stress relieve, and it machines horribly. Almost every stainless rifle is made with 400 series stainless and it will rust. Muzzleloaders especially. Take your stainless rifle and stick a magnet to it. If it contains carbon it will stick and this may be very lightly, but it will rust. I've never seen a stainless gun that a magnet wouldn't stick to. The only advantage I can see in a stainless rifle is that it is a lot easier to clean.

[45-70.gov]

i  like  stainless  for  looks  and durability
i  live  on  the ocean
last  i  check  i  sweat  salt water  in  Florida   and  i carry  every  day
so  for a carry gun....i  don't  want  that much  oil  on  me every day

i  like  Hogue's grips    but   i  am  fond  of  my  SS laminated  Handy / XLR / 10-22 ruger
my  smith PC AR-15  is  stainless and  aluminum.....most accurate  of  all
         Tim

[Cajun66]

I carry my stainless Vaquero out in the Gulf of Mexico where it is subjected to salt spray. I just do routine maintenance and oiling and I've seen no rust in 8 years.

[STUMPJMPR]

You still have to oil stainless guns to keep them rust free... If you wipe down a blued gun everytime you use it, it will last forever... From personal experience my stainless guns cleaned up easier after flooding from a hurricane... There was a high concentration of salt in that water... Some blued guns that were left untouched I could not open the action after a week...

[Default]

Well ,

   I have aowned a number of stainless over time .. Muzzleloader is one and i still have it .. more pistols then rifles .. I found a great deal price on a ruger M77 300 mag left hander in stainless with the multi layer laminate and couldnt walk away from it for the price asked ... Only stainless centerfire rifle i have ever owned and I would have been just as happy with it blued .. I have lived in Kalifornia, Florida and the humid Arkansas river valley for many years , Never had rust issues less i was just being lazy ... I think the posters that said "looks" have it nailed ... I think looks and the misconception that many believe it will not rust sell those stainless arms just my 2 cents..

   Default

[Badnews Bob]

Nope don't think its required, But I do think they look nice.

[Sourdough]

Last spring I misplaced a Stainless Ruger M-77.  It got left in a bag under the seat of my boat, and sat out in the weather sll summer.  Last summer was the second wettest on record.  In other words the bag and gun got wet and stayed wet all summer.  When I found it I was sick, it was almost orange all over.  The end of the barrel had on of those little rubber condom like covers to keep out snow and water, because I was using it before the snow was all gone.  I looked through the barrel and it was dry and looked good.  I disassembled it and thought it was ruined.  All the internal parts that was not stainless was covered in rust.  I took them to the wire brush on my grinder and cleaned them up.  They all cleaned up real nice, no pitting or scaling.  The stainless parts I just dumped in a tub of solvent, and let them soak for a day.  I took the stainless parts out and all the orange was gone.  I used WD-40 and cleaned everything up.  Today it looks just like it did last spring.  If it had been blued, it would have been boat anchor material.

[45-70.gov]

i  had  2  rugers  20 or 30  years  ago
both  stainless fishing tackle box  guns

the  22  single-six  had  the bullets  so  corroded  i  had to drive  them  out  with a  hammer
      this  gun  would  not  rust....just  polish   with  600  grit sand paper  every few  years
       little  oil  on  moving  parts  for  ludricant  not  protection
the  357  mag  black  hawk  did get  rust  spots  some times  if  totaly  neglected
       after  exposure  to  salt  water

is  stainless  necessary for  any  thing??

            only  if  your old  and forget ful....lazy....don't  have  a  passionate  desire  to clean  and  oil guns

[coyotejoe]

In long guns I just love the traditional blued steel and walnut. I'm surprised at how many people like the looks of stainless, that being my only objection to it. But I do like brushed stainless handguns. When stainless gets a bit scuffed or holster worn it only requires a few moments with a wire wheel to make it look new again.

[Smoke Wagon]

I perfer blued and walnut, but I believe the choice should be made on your intentions for the gun. I own a stainless savage excellent woods gun easy to clean. I live in Florida and the humity takes it toll on your guns point in fact I have a blued pump shotgun and a stainless Mini-14 both guns ride all day in a car A/C wide open most of the time the shotgun has minor surface rust and has to be cleaned often the Mini just rides never showing any rust. Now if were talking Handguns I think the bake on type finishes are best I carry a Glock and have for 12 years, A/C, rain Hurricanes, etc. never had a problem. In 1995 we had to carry wheel guns I carried a Stainless GP-100 never had any issues. I also have a M&P 45 "blued" stainless it will rust in a hartbeat. Just my .02 based on the last 13 years.

[quickdtoo]

If you're getting rust on any firearm, you need to change gun oil. 

Tim

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/corrosion/corrosion2.html

[buckslayer]

If you're getting rust on any firearm, you need to change gun oil. 

Tim

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/corrosion/corrosion2.html

exactly. i do alot of waterfowling in my canoe, jump shooting.  to keep my gun handy, it has to sit right in front of me, and SALTwater drips all over it from the paddle.  last time i went out, i didnt clean my wet gun for 3 days.  i forgot about it.  when i went to clean it, there was some traces of mud, and one spot the size of a bb of rust.  the metal had been thouroghly treated with breakfree, and it worked great.

[45-70.gov]

corrosion block.....in  a blue  can
not  a gun product  but a marine product
about  $20 big spray can
at  a local paint / hardware store,,,,don't know where  else to get  it

best  thing  i  ever  found  here  on  the ocean
great  lubricant  and protection from rust

[jsoukup]

Handguns=Yes

Long Guns=no

2 summers ago, we had a little work trip to the deer lease. We weren't there more than 30 minutes before we stumbled upon our first rattlesnake. I had shoved my blued Charter Arms 38 snubby in my front pocket and used it to dispatch the snake. I should have used the holster, but I just kept it in my pocket all weekend. Needless to say, I sweated quite a bit. Lot of rust on it when I got home.

Now I've got a Ruger SP101 snubby in stainless, carried it a bit, never seen a hint of rust.