P345: Stainless Steel vs. Blued Alloy Steel?
- Thread starter ColbyToll
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leejack
Single-Sixer
I like the blue better.
A little wear adds character. I've never had a rust problem.
A little wear adds character. I've never had a rust problem.
a
Yes its true on both counts,
The blued steel is 4140 chromoly steel, the stainless is 416 stainless. 4140 is "tougher" than 416. I am a machinist, and we make big and small things for a mining company. We make some things out of stainless, and some out of 4140, along with a handful of other alloys. The ONLY reason to make something out of 416 stainless over 4140 is for corrosion resistance If corrosion resistance is not an issue but wear is, we will use 4140, if corrosion resistance AND wear are an issue, we will use 316 or 304 stainless. I do like (at my job, not about guns) that 416 steel is so easy to machine though... easier cutting than 4140 and the other grades of stainless that we use.
That said, when we are talking about guns, its VERY unlikely that you will EVER put enough rounds down the bbl to notice any difference. Get what you like the looks of. Unless you are in a very extreme environment, like on a sailboat or the wilds of Alaska, you are unlikely to have a problem unless you neglect your guns. Blued guns that are taken care of will not rust. Stainless guns that are neglected will rust, but it will take much longer and more neglect than a blued gun to do so....
ClayinVA said:
Yes its true on both counts,
The blued steel is 4140 chromoly steel, the stainless is 416 stainless. 4140 is "tougher" than 416. I am a machinist, and we make big and small things for a mining company. We make some things out of stainless, and some out of 4140, along with a handful of other alloys. The ONLY reason to make something out of 416 stainless over 4140 is for corrosion resistance If corrosion resistance is not an issue but wear is, we will use 4140, if corrosion resistance AND wear are an issue, we will use 316 or 304 stainless. I do like (at my job, not about guns) that 416 steel is so easy to machine though... easier cutting than 4140 and the other grades of stainless that we use.
That said, when we are talking about guns, its VERY unlikely that you will EVER put enough rounds down the bbl to notice any difference. Get what you like the looks of. Unless you are in a very extreme environment, like on a sailboat or the wilds of Alaska, you are unlikely to have a problem unless you neglect your guns. Blued guns that are taken care of will not rust. Stainless guns that are neglected will rust, but it will take much longer and more neglect than a blued gun to do so....
I have only had an issue with the blued finish of one gun. It is an inexpensive carry piece. It does not have a very durable blued finish. Someone earlier mentioned wax. If you are going to carry a blued gun coating it up with Johnson's Paste Floor Wax will go a long way in helping protect the finish.
