All weather rifle?

[Ftothfadd]

Dear Members,

I am seeking your opinion on the ultimate all weather rifle. Something you would not hesitate to use in the mangrove swamps of Bangladesh or on the Alaskan coast and would not have to worry too much about corrosion.
i am very particular about my guns and I would like to have the ultimate all weather rifle built. What components would use? What kind of surface treatments would you select?
please fire away.
thank you!

 

[808caliber]

Dear Members,

I am seeking your opinion on the ultimate all weather rifle. Something you would not hesitate to use in the mangrove swamps of Bangladesh or on the Alaskan coast and would not have to worry too much about corrosion.
i am very particular about my guns and I would like to have the ultimate all weather rifle built. What components would use? What kind of surface treatments would you select?
please fire away.
thank you!

Been struggling with that due to our humidity as well, even my mausingfield i neglected for a bit now has some surface rust and possible micro pitting. Spoke to Chad at LRI. He basically jus said to dunk it in oil and then send it off for cerakote when ready.

For me thats gonna be my route from now on, all external metsl will be cerakoted immediately. Unless its like a benchrest gun or a gun i want that shiny metsl look lol.

 

[Hespco]

My personal experience over years of hunting cold wet conditions. Stainless with a synthetic stock. Stainless protects the bore also. Not just the surface like some coatings. I see the rifle as a tool first .

 

[Deleted member 103481]

I'm not personally to concerned about it with rifles, but if I was I would probably do an all stainless action and barrel and have The entire thing DLC coated. Then I would have it glued into a fiberglass stock.

 

[Hespco]

I understand what your saying.I would for sure shoot it before gluing every thing together. Give it at least a year before something that permanent. My rifles have endured & provided excelled accuracy & lasting dependability . I have a rifle from 1964 with a stainless Bbl. that is till in great shape & no rust on or in the Bbl. Also have many other stainless synthetic rifles that have lived thru many nasty hunting conditions with complete dependability. Some just regular off the shelf factory. It doesn't require a lot of money to be spent .

 

[Blacktailer]

Just remember, stainless does not mean it won't rust, it just means it is more rust resistant. It is still a very good idea to make sure your barrel and action have some kind of good corrosion resistant coating like CLP or whatever especially in the barrel channel where you don't normally see it.

 

[memtb]

Dear Members,

I am seeking your opinion on the ultimate all weather rifle. Something you would not hesitate to use in the mangrove swamps of Bangladesh or on the Alaskan coast and would not have to worry too much about corrosion.
i am very particular about my guns and I would like to have the ultimate all weather rifle built. What components would use? What kind of surface treatments would you select?
please fire away.
thank you!

The obvious answer is stainless and synthetic. After that it gets a bit more complicated. Years ago to the best of my knowledge...the New Haven, Winchester Model 70 was the "only" stainless rifle that was "all" stainless. Every pin, screw and spring, etc.! Other manufacturers had some components of the rifle that were "not" stainless. I may be wrong about this however. And, I have no idea about the construction of diffferent brands of today's rifles! memtb

 

[Hespco]

While stainless is not 100% corrosion prof It for sure does an outstanding job. Not one of my stainless Bbl's that have seen decades of hunting trip's, have never shown any sign of corrision. . I have seen blue steel rust over night in hunting camps. Coatings on the out side are just that. Inside the bore is where stainless really shines & where the real protection is needed. . Before I head to a hunting camp I always put shots on a target to confirm point of impact. The bore is not cleaned but left fouled. If cleaned , even the slightest trace of oil in the bore can cause the first and/or second shot to be off considerably. Spending days in cold wet hunting camp's over the years has never resulted in a rusted stainless bore of mine. If you leave a blued steel bore unprotected for this same length of time you risk a corroded bore.

 

[Ftothfadd]

Thank you. The stainless construction is more or less a given. I was wondering if carbon wrapped barrels and titanium actions give and additional edge perhaps in combination with cerakote. However the bore still remains the achilles heel

 

[Radman]

The obvious answer is stainless and synthetic. After that it gets a bit more complicated. Years ago to the best of my knowledge...the New Haven, Winchester Model 70 was the "only" stainless rifle that was "all" stainless. Every pin, screw and spring, etc.! Other manufacturers had some components of the rifle that were "not" stainless. I may be wrong about this however. And, I have no idea about the construction of diffferent brands of today's rifles! memtb

Like you, I have lost track. While many are truly stainless through & through, (pins, screws, bolt internals, clips & springs), many DO use steel that isn't stainless.
A few years back high-end stainless (ie; 316) was not magnetic at all. (I've welded many, many miles of it. When you couldn't run chemistry out in the field a quick check was with a magnet) Today most stainless is magnetic. I recently disassembled a friend's rifle just to see. I was surprised that it WAS SS throughout! I owned one that was not. You brought up a very good point!

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Depending on ones worry level. You could also have all the metal meloniter and then coated

I really think at that point you're just doing it to do it though.

 

[Laguna Freak]

Just remember, stainless does not mean it won't rust, it just means it is more rust resistant. It is still a very good idea to make sure your barrel and action have some kind of good corrosion resistant coating like CLP or whatever especially in the barrel channel where you don't normally see it.

Indeed!

And oil the bore, trigger, inside action, and bolt at least a couple times each year if exposed to salt air / salt water. I've never seen SS with no rust on a saltwater boat that was at least 3 years old and is stored at the coast.

 

[rustyshackleford]

Winchester model 70 EW or Sako 85 finnlight. You could go a step further and have one of these done in armorlube, which to my understanding is a PVD coating like ionbond but with corrosion inhibiting properties, but I doubt that's necessary.

 

[Susquash]

Took my 7MM Magnum Century Arms for a hunt in Alaska by airboat a few years ago. I was amazed at how dinged up it was when I got home. My son built me a 280 AI on a Mauser action and he said he built it to withstand the riggers of Alaska weather. He had the entire action nitrited so it is immune to weather and rough handling.