Question on Barrel Material

jab22 · #1 10-02-2005, 08:11 PM

Is there really any advantage to SS or is this just a marketing ploy? If I get caught out in the wet stuff, I'm going to do a thorough cleaning job on the gun anyway. I recall reading something about SS barrels having less problems with wear, throat erosion, etc. Anything to this?

Fiftydriver · #2 10-02-2005, 09:05 PM

Some say up to a 25% increase in barrel life, from what I have seen with my rifles its more like 10 to 15% but yes there is an advantage in throat life. STill other things such as using a 3 groove rifling system will generally offer more throat life advantage then what you see using stainless over Chrome moly. That said, you combine a three groove with a SS barrel and you get even more advantage.

Kirby Allen(50)

Centre Punch · #3 10-03-2005, 07:49 AM

Red Dog,
It used be generally accepted that chrome moly cut better barrels then stainless, due mainly to the better machining properties of chrome moly, but due the alloying with nickel, stainless is tougher.
These days with the advances in production techniques of steel, i think the difference now is negligible but in my opinion stainless looks much better.

Ian.

"I meant to shoot the pike but the duck got in the way"

Michael Eichele · #4 10-03-2005, 06:12 PM

If you get caught in the wet stuff, ss rust at a much slower rate than cm. It will afford you more time to get back to civilization to get her cleaned up without as much of a chance of damage. Yes even ss rusts. Its not rust proof but it cleans up MUCH better and doesnt rust as fast. It will also afford you slightly better barrel life.

budlight · #5 10-05-2005, 11:39 AM

I had 29 inch CM target gun built years ago. I always kept my guns well oiled. I went to a competition shoot late in the year near Sacramento California just a couple hours from my home.

It was cool foggy drizzly day. I didn't get home till late because of the drive back and dropping off friends. So in the morning I opened my hard case and I just couldn't believe that my blued barrel hard already started to pit rust. I had never even considered the fact of Acid Rain. If your live in an erea where acid rain might come down GET SS! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

jab22 · #6 10-06-2005, 10:51 AM

Thanks for the input guys. Your answers and the fact that the major custom bbl makers use SS for the vast majority of their work tells me there must be something to it.

Hired Gun · #7 10-11-2005, 08:48 PM

Aside from the throat erosion and rust resistance I always thought the barrel manufacturers were driven by orders from gunsmiths. Most gunsmiths don't do blueing and doing so adds more shop time and considerable expense that few consumers are willing to pay for. That's why I always thought stainless was so much more popular than chrome moly.