Is stainless worth it?

Midmo

Midmo

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I have never had a stainless firearm. I am looking at possibly purchasing another right within the next. I see some people using blued with no problems. I know the stainless cost more but is the extra cost worth it? I have a .30-06 now and I have also been trying to figure out what caliber I wanted to use. .300 wsm has come up but I think I would like to go smaller than .30-06. Maybe 7mm08 or .260?
 
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I don't think so. Way around it is to clean your rifle now and then. Barrel erosion? Most people won't shoot enough in a life time to effect a standard blued barrel. The early stainless Rem came out with some kind of black color on the stainless. Looked a h*ll of a lot better!
 
Is it worth it? God yes. Watching a blued rifle visibly rust while on a mountain hunt with snow or rain is not pretty. Plus I don't want to "have" to clean my rifles while hunting, that's what I do during the winter.

My dad and a friend went on a 10 day coastal brown bear hunt in AK a few years back. The friends rifle was blued and after all of the rain and salt water environment, he ended up throwing a new 338 in the garbage.

For piece of mind and far less corrosion on the outside, stainless every time. I personally will never buy another blued bolt rifle again.
 
375H&H said:
For piece of mind and far less corrosion on the outside, stainless every time. I personally will never buy another blued bolt rifle again.
Click to expand...
I won't either. But if you do go stainless, just don't use a stainless scope. mtmuley
 
I have both. If I expect crappy weather, I take stainless/synthetic. If I expect decent weather, blue/walnut goes.

Blued steel and walnut will do just fine in occasional showers, with proper care. It's the days on end of wet or salt exposure where stainless resists the rust much better.
 
Midmo, it depends more on just personal preference/looks and where you hunt. I love the classic look of beautiful wood and blued metal, and while I have that, I have more that are synthetic and stainless. Some of the stainless I have Cerakoted, I like that look a lot, but it will add to the cost. I believe I take good care of my stuff, but in bad conditions for extended time I have had guns that were blued steel pick up a fair bit of rust fairly quickly. Unless you just love the classic look, my opinion is go stainless ..... with matte black scope (I'm with mtmuley on this).
 
I have thought about getting my current rifle cerekoted for protection but i know i will still have to worry about the bore and inside the action. I will just start saving now for a stainless. Now I will figure out what caliber. I have a .30-06. I bought it for the versatility. If I buy a stainless it will probably be my go gun. I hate get something else and lose the versatility. I hunt whitetails exclusively at the moment but I would like to do more traveling and hunting with my kids as they get older. I have thought of getting a stainless barrel put on my rifle and maybe even have the action trued. By the time that's done I could have bought a really nice rifle.

As of now I was thinking about getting another 700 but in stainless. I was leaning toward a lighter caliber. but who knows.
I'm a mess. I know.
 
I like the looks of stainless rifles and silver Leupolds and rings and bases on them.
Why don't you buy a Remington Model Seven SS in the caliber of your choice? I just bought one in a 7-08 and love it. I haven't killed a deer with it yet, but love toting it. I put a Leupold VX3I 3.5-10x40 on it in Talley lightweight rings/bases.
 
IMO even the stainless isn't totally rust proof. Especially the brushed(matte) stainless finish it seems to rust more than a polished stainless.
 
I have a stainless Tikka with a black synthetic stock and I have a black matte scope on it, and I think it looks ok. I have both stainless and blued guns and if I'm on a trip where snow or rain is likely, I bring the stainless.
 
375H&H said:
Silver matte for the scope, rings, and bases.
Click to expand...

Me too 375 H&H, I have 2 Winchester stainless classics, a 30.06 and a 375 H&H. My 375 is a twin to yours, silver bases,rings and Leupold scopes. I have blued rifles too, but the 2 stainless ones are what I hunt with.
 
I just bought my first stainless. I definitely echo what others said about rust. I've been caught in more snow and rain than I can recount. Rust can set in pretty quick.

As far as caliber, I recommend 7-08. The 6.5 manbun is about to push the 7-08s comletely off the racks. Its up to responsible hunters like us to combat that. :)
 
I took a blued synthetic gun to AK on a boat based bear hunt twice and had no problems. Of course we rinsed them off with fresh water at the end of everyday and dry them inside the boat at night. Just depends on how you take care of them. If you like the look of stainless go for it, after all it sounds like a good reason to buy another gun.
 
Aesthetically, I prefer blue and walnut. I just purchased my first stainless rifle. I'm tired of worrying about carrying Dad's guns in crappy weather
 
There are a few things that you can do to prevent rust.

1) Do not buy browning blue

2) Oil your gun nightly while hunting

3) Do not store a gun in the case while hunting

4) Do not store a gun in a case while in storage

5) Solo Hunter gun cover while hunting

Really, if you are hunting in the west you do not need to worry about it as long as you take care of your rifle. If you are hunting near the coast (PNW, AK) or in a wet jungle, then that story would change. I would still protect the action (Solo Hunter Gun Cover) and oil the rifle even if it is stainless. Depending on the grade of stainless, a gun can still rust
 
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