Why are there still no stainless shotguns?

manbearpig

manbearpig

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yes i am aware there are finishes/platings, and the new generation of plastic-encased guns, but its not even close to the same durability of a solid stainless gun.

how hard can it be to mill an 870 receiver and barrel out of stainless? is there something im missing? perhaps the properties of stainless make it unsuitable for a shotgun barrel? what gives? anyone care to speculate?
:shotgun:
 
870 Express, $400
870 Express Stainless, $600

870 Wingmaster, $800
870 Wingmaster Stainless, $1000

i am willing to bet that people would be all over the stainless versions. i would certainly buy one.
i understand stainless is a bit more difficult to machine, but i doubt it would be that much more expensive to make - and an extra $200 would give them quite a bit more profit margin.
 
i doubt an Express costs Remington a penny more than $100 to make, and a Wingmaster twice that at the most.
people would gladly pay another $200 or so to have them in stainless.

manufacturing a rifle requires far more precision and machining operations than manufacturing something like an 870 Express, so why is it that they can sell stainless rifles for $50-100 more than the blued counterpart but couldnt make a stainless Express for $200 more?
 
My guess is that shotguns need to be as inconspicuous as possible due to the the type of hunting the are often used for. Stainless is highly conspicuous.

One could probably market a camoflage shotgun quite successfully:rolleyes:
 
CDNbear said:
not true, higher materal cost +higher production cost = less profit margin,
in a already competive market
Click to expand...

Absolutely wrong.

Premium products always equal higher profit margins, if they don't, whoever is running the company knows nothing about business.
 
i've got stainless rifles. so yes i wouldnt mind getting my hands on a
stainless shotgun. matte though!!
 
jwstewart said:
My guess is that shotguns need to be as inconspicuous as possible due to the the type of hunting the are often used for. Stainless is highly conspicuous.

One could probably market a camoflage shotgun quite successfully:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

aside from the Wingmasters they dont even blue/park 870s anymore so i dont see why this would be a problem.
even my 870P has some sortof black oxide finish that is flaking off. what, parkerizing cost them too much? :rolleyes:

so with their current finishes it seems pretty irrelevant whether theyre finishing stainless or blued.

im just curious as to why no pump gun manufacturer has ever made a stainless pump. ever. nor do i recall seeing any stainless SxSs...
it makes me speculate that perhaps there is some property of stainless making it unsuitable for shotguns?
 
manbearpig said:
yes i am aware there are finishes/platings, and the new generation of plastic-encased guns, but its not even close to the same durability of a solid stainless gun.
Click to expand...

Stainless steel is very soft.

Most pistols use 416 (heat treating to Rc 38-42).
Copper jacket & Lead are very soft.

Steel shots will ruin the barrel unless hard chromed
(hardness Rc 65 -70)
 
Stainless steel is not soft. If anything it is brittle because of the high carbon content. The carbon content is what makes it Rust Resistant [stainless]. Remington has had a "stainless" shotgun for years in it's 870 Marine Magnum.
 
With a little care a blued shotgun will last as long as a stainless model. Add to that the rather low price point on shotguns and the desire to offer a stainless model that is price competitive is almost nil. Aside from bird hunting and clays a shotgun is a dying breed.

TDC
 
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