Stainless 10/22...or not?

[Lance0812]

I'm thinking of adding a 10/22 to my stash but I have a few questions.
First, this will be a gun that stays in the trunk of my car so I'll have it if I ever have to leave town in a hurry. Also, it will be there when I'm at the range and get tired of shooting pistols (like that would ever happen.)
I thought the stainless model might be best for that purpose, but... In the ads I've read online they mention only a stainless barrel. Seems I recall reading somewhere that rifles have other metal parts and if those are not also stainless then it wouldn't matter which one I buy - stainless or blued.
Anyone have a stainless and want to straighten me out?

 

[ddd482]

the barrels are stainless, the rest of the parts- action, barrel clamp, are just coated-not real stainless-

 

[BlkHawk73]

The receivers on all the 10/22s are aluminum. The bolt is steel and the majority of the other parts are polymer. Regardless, you should still take it out and clean/oil now and then if it's bouncing around the truck all the time.

 

[blume357]

with everything said above, I would still choose the stainless over the basic blued model. I think for knocking around the stainless model holds up better... not function wise but just looks... scratches and dings don't seem to show up as bad.

 

[Lance0812]

I do plan to keep the rifle in a gun case, perhaps with a dessicant pack. My concern was in spending extra money for a stainless barrel if the receiver group was ordinary steel and thus prone to rust.
So... The bolt is stainless and the receiver group is aluminum?

 

[bada61265]

i dont think the bolt is stainless steel

 

[CraigC]

The only part that is stainless steel is the barrel. The bolt is carbon steel and worse, it's in the white. It will rust quicker than anything else. All the parts contained within the bolt are also carbon steel. As are all the pins, swivel studs and front sight. So personally, I wouldn't consider it a good candidate to be left in the truck and forgotten about. Not even for a few days.

This is what happens to guns left in a hard case for 12 months:

 

[gatorhugger]

I would get the stainless just for extra protection,
but even a blued gun will not be damaged with a coupld of precautions.
Wax it, or apply Eezox to the exterior surfaces, and put it in a Birchwood casey rust protection Soft gun case. The vapor gun cases have come a long way and are perfect for trunk or high humidity storage.
They cost about $40 and are worth it.
External and internal parts will all be protected.

 

[mattz357]

Craig, I just threw up a little, I can only imagine how upset you were. I would definitely go with stainless, but the new 10/22s seem to have a paint over the stainless that I really don't care for. I was going to get one for the collection for my kids, but I'll have to try to find a new/old stock to avoid the paint.

 

[blume357]

the receiver is aluminum, painted... the bolt as mentioned is somekind of hard steel, the barrel as far as I know is stainless steel... but even that stainless will rust and grow stuff if left uncared for.... at lot of factors cause a gun to rust.... you hear a lot of stuff... like the problem with them in safes.... in humid basements.... air humidity in my experience has very little to do with it... chemicals on the metal and rapid changes in temperature will do more than anything else... I kept a single action revolver in a leather holster outside on a porch in all kinds of weather for close to a year... finally had to bring it in because the holster was growing so much mold.... the pistol was as clean as the day I put it out there... contrary to what you've heard about leather.... I have a puma lever action 357 rifle that stays in a leather skabbard....

I've got a slight rust problem on the Adams and Bennett stainless steel barrel on my best 10/22... I know exactly what it came from... me... last time I was shooting it it was hot as all get out and I sweated on it..... salt and other corrosives are the killer...

I bet the guns from the 1800's were kept covered in greece to keep them from rusting from the black powder residue and rain.

 

[fallujah]

I have a stainless all weather 10/22 and i live in a very hot and humid environment. The barrel is bright stainless. The receiver is dull stainless colored (im not sure if its coated but none of it has chipped off for me to notice). the Bolt is some type of aluminum, but it doesn't rust. The barrel scratches very easily, and if you leave it untended for a while, it is still prone to rust. My barrel has a few minor rust marks on the front bottom.

Personally, i would go for the stainless. The only negative comment i have is that you cant put slivel swings for a sling on the stock because it's (very thin) plastic not wood.