# Stainless steel vs. blued steel



## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Planning on getting a Ruger MKIII Hunter. Difference in price between blued and stainless seems to be about $150. I like the look of the stainless but not sure if aesthetics is worth $150. Are there other advantages. Does stainless shoot better/worse when hot? Durability? 

Thanks


----------



## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

Rust is the main difference. Bluing offers some rust protection, but wears off (some types more quickly than others). Stainless is stainless all the way through, but some are better quality than others.


----------



## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

Go with blued for the savings, carried one for 20 years as a Trooper....kept it clean, didn't rust, shot good, qualified with it twice a year....Still use it for concealed license,however it is a .38 spec.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the primary difference is , when you get home from the range or hunting and you carry the cases in the house then proceed to a gauntlet of distractions and people wanting your time and attention because you were at the range for a few hours or days , and 2 days later the case made it to the corner of your bed room but still hasn't been opened , and then you proced to work 50 hours that week and have 2 committee meetings , church and a scout meeting , and you find your gun is still in the case in the corner of the bedroom Friday when you get home from work and your 40 minute commute , and you think i really should wipe that gun down and put it back in the safe , it hasn't got little rust spots starting.

if your life sounds like this get the stainless , if you say but i always put everything away right away and wipe it down and everything waits till i have done that then blued is probably for you


----------



## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

Pete nailed it.


----------



## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Probably go with the stainless then. It will be my "side arm" for work around the homestead so will probably be exposed to the worst a SC summer has to offer. I know something with a litlle more punch is prefered for varmints I might catch harrasing the goats and chickens. However, I'm a firm believer in limiting the number of calibers I need to stock and being able to afford to shoot them. An extra $150 is chump change for a gun I'll probably carry for the next 30 years.

Thanks all


----------



## tgmr05 (Aug 27, 2007)

Good choice, the 100-150 initial cost difference is nothing over the life of the pistol. 

While I still have some blued guns, they mostly sit around inside, and do not see much use, anymore. Stainless is just so much more practical. 

I have to admit, though, that some blued guns are simply more aesthetically pleasing. But, most folks do not buy guns as art, or just to sit around and look at..... Some do, though....


----------



## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Bluing can vary alot as well. Ive had some cheaply blued guns rust just from breathing on them. But a well blued gun that is taken home and sprayed down with remoil will do fine. 

Do not leave in a case or sleeve
Do not leave a wet wood stock on the gun


Btw alot of "stainless" guns still have regular steel internals/trigger parts which are the only parts that rust will hurt more than cosmetic


----------



## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

It's important to remember, too, that it is "stainLESS", not "stainproof". 

Stainless steel that is suitable for making a firearm barrel has a low enough chromium content, and enough carbon added that it _can_ rust - it is just a lot more forgiving of corrosive conditions than is chrome-moly.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

no gun should be abused , but SS will be a bit more forgiving when life gets in the way , and it is better if you get the gun bloody 

blood and bluing are a bad mix


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

mooman said:


> Probably go with the stainless then. It will be my "side arm" for work around the homestead so will probably be exposed to the worst a SC summer has to offer. I know something with a litlle more punch is prefered for varmints I might catch harrasing the goats and chickens. However, I'm a firm believer in limiting the number of calibers I need to stock and being able to afford to shoot them. An extra $150 is chump change for a gun I'll probably carry for the next 30 years.
> 
> Thanks all


Just wondering why a .22 for around the farm? Just seems a little small for me... What is it you may have to shoot?

I usually carry either a .45 or a 9mm around my farm... I figure if I gotta shoot at something, it's going to be a bigger animal, such as cyote or something... At smallest, maybe a rabbit I ran over with the bush hog.. We also have black bear in my area, but I doubt I'd have to deal with one... BUT.. you also just never know... My wife carries a 38 loaded with shot shells for snakes... 

I'm just curious, because I've not considered a .22 as a carry gun... I don't shoot snakes, but my wife does....

BTW, for what you are looking at, I'd go with stainless... but I do really like the durability of Parkerized.. but I know that's not an option with this gun... However, you could have it done..


----------



## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

Stainless does not mean rustproof! It's not something you can ignore and put under the seat. Just means there is a higher degree of chromium, which helps. Some internals might not be the same quality.

I like stainless, but don't assume they're foolproof.


----------



## mooman (May 19, 2008)

A larger caliber pistol is on the list. To be honest though, for every round that gets shot at a varmint or small game I'll be shooting several hundred at tin cans off the back patio (can't afford to do that with anything other than a .22). 

I'm also not out inspecting miles of fence line in Montana. I'm walking a few hundred feet to the barn to feed the goats or pick eggs or to the garden to pick some maters. Fox are a problem here, as are neglected dogs and maybe in a blue moon a coyote. (I figure a well placed shot with a .22 target pistol should be a close second to lobbing .45s at it from a short nosed CC pistol) 

The only thing I would shoot snakes or a black bear with is my Nikon.

As to the stainless not being stain proof. Understood. I'm not going to NEGLECT the gun. I just foresee it seeing more outside time than your average range/home defense pistol.


----------



## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

Shucks! If I had a mark lll, I'd be carrying it some too!

Had a couple of mark ll's. They were lots, and lots of fun to shoot! Carried one on a trapline for a long time. Made it a single shot by just blocking the bolt from retracting.

Picked up a stainless Rossi model of a S&W kit gun that I carried after that, cuz it was so petite?. Those guns saw thousands of rounds exit the barrel. I shot them, my kids shot them. 

I too, now carry a little 9...always. I can't come close to shooting it as well as the above mentioned. Good 'nuff. but not that good, or as fun!

Bought a ruger lcr in 22 mag that I lust over! Amazing how well it shoots!

A 22 is a great round! You've gotta shoot them to be good with 'em. 



simi-steading said:


> Just wondering why a .22 for around the farm? Just seems a little small for me... What is it you may have to shoot?
> 
> I usually carry either a .45 or a 9mm around my farm... I figure if I gotta shoot at something, it's going to be a bigger animal, such as cyote or something... At smallest, maybe a rabbit I ran over with the bush hog.. We also have black bear in my area, but I doubt I'd have to deal with one... BUT.. you also just never know... My wife carries a 38 loaded with shot shells for snakes...
> 
> ...


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I can understand that... I've got a High Standard HD Military I love shooting... .Only problem right now is, It's pretty hard to find .22's.... I've got a few thousand rounds, but it's so much easier for me to find 9x18 Makarov and .45, that those are what I've been practicing with. I've been saving the .22 for my rifle.. Prices have really cut me back on shooting, but thankfully I had stocked up pretty heavily before this ammo madness had hit...


----------



## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

I believe a common steel forged barrel shoots better from what I understand.


----------



## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

simi-steading said:


> .Only problem right now is, It's pretty hard to find .22's....


It's slowly getting better. I had almost run dry but, according to UPS, I'll have 10 bricks on the front porch when I get home tonight.



wannabechef said:


> I believe a common steel forged barrel shoots better from what I understand.


That is a common belief, but it is not necessarily true. SS (most grades) are not generally as easy to machine (well) as CS but, when it is done well, the potential is the same. Some SS is worse than others. Krieger marketed an alloy a few years ago that allowed them to make SS barrels in the ultra-light contours that were previously only available in CS. I shanked and chambered several blanks for bolt guns, and it machined about like year-old parkbench bubblegum. As long as the rifling is cut/forged/buttoned with some care, a hand-lap at the end can make it as good as a similarly rifled and lapped CS blank.

Generally, a SS barrel is not as strong as a CS one of the same contour, though.

But, for a .22 pistol, both issues are moot. For the concerns of a .22 pistol, the difference is entirely cosmetic/corrosion.


----------



## tgmr05 (Aug 27, 2007)

For a gun that will be shot a lot, and used/carried a lot, stainless is the way to go. While stainless is not rust proof, it is very easy to remedy problems. If you get a scratch, polish/buff it out. If you get rust started, same thing... With a blued gun, well you are out of luck. The bluing will be gone in those areas, and now, not only is the gun less protected, but now it is ugly, too.... Then, of course, you may reblue it, but simply rebluing one time will wipe out the price difference between it and a stainless gun. Do it twice, and .....

A ruger markIII 22 is a big chunk of steel. You can gouge the snot out of it, quite a few times, buff/grind the scratch/gouge out, and still have plenty of steel to work with.... While a blue gun may be cheaper initially, it will cost the user much, much more, over time.

The blue on the newer rugers is simply not as resistant as some. If you live in a humid area, and simply forget to wipe off your fingerprints overnight, you will have some speckling in the morning. Stainless will freckle, over time, too, but it will take much, much longer than the blued versions.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

As others have said, it is primarily a choice based on preferences and priorities. I personally detest stainless steel, plated or alloy composite weapons. 

Stainless and other highly visible alloys while being less susceptible to rust and pitting due to abuse and neglect still are victim to potential failure when needed due to lack of proper cleaning , maintenance and inspection after the previous use.

Non-blued or black anodized steel is about like drawing a mirror and will reflect more light regardless if it is day or night. Although the draw may be only a second, that second as a dark finish weapon is being drawn can be the difference of who lives or dies.

I also dislike the various featherweight alloys available because a heavy steel weapon can be used as effectively as a blackjack to the back of someones head if you have the opportunity and after you have knocked them senseless you can easily sight in on them in case you need to kill them.

The last thing I do each night is wipe down my carry piece with gun oil or perform a full cleaning if it has been a really sweaty day.

When I plan on going hunting or to the range, I choose which weapons I will take, decide how much time I will spend on the activity I choose and figure in the necessary time to properly clean my weapons when done.

Finding time to clean my weapons has never been an issue for me as I was trained to clean my weapons in the cleaning room at the range after practice and if going hunting either clean my weapon in the hunting camp or reserved an hour of time after returning home to clean my weapon before returning it to my storage safe.

But that's just me and my personal preferences and quirks and I will always be a blued steel sort of guy. If you like stainless , buy stainless but make sure you don't neglect it too long and keep it clean because although they call it stainless steel, if not maintained properly and cleaned even stainless steel can discolor and pit a bit.


----------



## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

Had a guy I worked with back when I was still in police work, real know it all, gotta have the best of the best type. He took up some sort of CQC type shooting game. His issue Glock 45 just wasn't good enough so he shells out the buck for a stainless Colt Gold Cup. 6 weeks later he's fuming because his stainless gun is rusting. He's going to send the gun back and demand a new one "made of the right stuff". I asked him what care he'd taken of it? "Whadda ya mean what care did I take of it?!!!! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE STAINLESS!!!! So then I explained the difference between rust resistant and rustproof. It only took aobut 45 minutes and 16 different ways of doing it, but finally Mr. Gottahavethebest realized his lack of preventative maintenance was the problem, not Colts steel formulation.

Do as you will, but you still need to wipe them down. In my book, God intended guns to be blued steel and walnut.


----------



## Old John (May 27, 2004)

To Each, His Own.
_I have some of both, stainless and blued steel._
I like them both.
But, it's all just about personal preference.


----------

