Stainless Vs Blued

223vmax

Has anyone owned both stainless and blued barrels? What are the advantages/disadvantages of them. I have a blued Tikka at the moment which gets used a lot in damp conditions. Wondering if I should trade for stainless model instead.

lefthooker

Stainless is much easier to live with from a moisture, finger prints and rust point of view but in damp conditions both SS and blued need cleaning and maintenance.

If you're happy with how your rifle shoots but are concerned about the above ceracoating might be a better option than trading.

Cass

Stainless is a harder wearing (if thats the right terminology) barrel. More resistant to damp conditions and you'd want to abuse the gun to cause damage/rusting.

Blued barrels are more prone to rusting and require more maintenance especially in damp conditions.

One thing i've always been told since i was younger was never handle a blued barrel and put it away. The oils on your skin (even if you hand feels dry) can cause rust within days. I remember a friend and i were coming back from an evenings lamping. Stopped off for a bag of chips. He spilled some vinegar from the bag onto the gun. He wiped it straight with his sleeve then a tissue and thought no more about it. The next morning the bluing had "come away" and left the action/barrel of the rifle badly damaged. Had to have it redone.

Whenever i'm out with my rifle with the blued barrels i make sure to wipe it down very well and when done i finish by rubbing the barrel and action with a oiled rag. My stainless rifles don't need half or even a quarter of the work. Not to say i ignore the maintenance of them, but if i forget, and in a hurry or it gets wet when shooting i'm not hurrying to get it dried and cleaned.

Plus i like the look of the stainless barrels.

Cass

Meant to say. There is no need to change if you keep up a good maintenance schedule. If it's something you worry about then you can change rifles or have your current rifle Cerokoted, as said above.

BrownTrout

Cass wrote:

One thing i've always been told since i was younger was never handle a blued barrel and put it away. The oils on your skin (even if you hand feels dry) can cause rust within days.

Unfortunately I can attest to this.

223vmax

Cass wrote: »

Meant to say. There is no need to change if you keep up a good maintenance schedule. If it's something you worry about then you can change rifles or have your current rifle Cerokoted, as said above.

Problem I have is coming home at 4 a.m. after lamping and then trying to dry gun and strip/oil prior to storage.

What are the costs associated with Cerokoted?

Cass

I get ya on the time thing. When you're coming in at that time the last thing you want to do is spend 30 minutes or an hour stripping the gun down or cleaning it. Still this is an issue regardless of whether you want to do it or not.

Cerakoting costs around the €200 mark IIRC. I could be way off there, but that is the number that comes to mind. Not sure who told me that so no way to back it up.

The only other option, and it's really not a great one is a proper case. I used to won an Envelop Rifle case. It was designed for military use and my Uncle sourced me one. It has moisture absorbing properties. IOW you can put a gun in wet, and within an hour the gun is dry. The case lining is made from a special material that absorbs the moisture/wet and keeps it locked away from the gun, never allowing it to remain damp. When you get home and take the gun out you wipe with an oily rag, and then open the case and let it air. It'll dry itself within a couple of hours (from the outside, never the inside).

The problem with this option is availability of such cases, and the cost. Mine cost over €250. For that you could upgrade or cerakote.

Tea drinker

lefthooker wrote: »

Stainless is much easier to live with from a moisture, finger prints and rust point of view but in damp conditions both SS and blued need cleaning and maintenance.

If you're happy with how your rifle shoots but are concerned about the above ceracoating might be a better option than trading.

Who does Ceracoating in Ireland?

lefthooker

Doms Custom Rifles

ejg

I think the bigger problem is the bore. I have come back from a rainy day out and the patches come out brown with rust on a blued rifle. One can't keep the barrel oiled either. I prefer stainless and ceracoated/duracoated black on the outside.
edi

Vegeta

ejg wrote: »

I prefer stainless and ceracoated/duracoated black on the outside.
edi

That's my preference too. It's a very neat and hard wearing job when done like this.

BUACHAILL

Is there anywhere reliable that can do re-bluing ? I know there are kits available online but I would prefer to send it away and have it done properly.

BrownTrout

BUACHAILL wrote:

Is there anywhere reliable that can do re-bluing ? I know there are kits available online but I would prefer to send it away and have it done properly.

Where in the country are you? I think a lad in Cashel does them.

BUACHAILL

I'm in Dublin, Thanks