Help me pick a gun/caliber

Boomer said:
If I was to do it again, I would not have a fluted barrel, I would probably go with a chrome-moly steel rather than stainless...
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i can understand choosing a blued steel action but why specifically a cro-mo barrel? are you worried about potential catastrophic failure at extremely low temps?

i would have assumed that up where you are in the snow and near sal####er, stainless would be an advantage since it keeps the part that really matters (the bore) from rusting.
despite the fact that its an oft-debated subject with very vocal people on both sides, the majority of what ive read (also from several barrel makers) indicates that a stainless barrel resists wear and throat erosion better than cro-mo, and thus should have a longer accurate life (even if we eliminate rust as a factor).
 
To me the rust resistance of blued steel is mostly over stated. If the gun has rust on it, that's nature's way of saying it needs some TLC. Having said that, and if I was again starting with a new rifle, I would probably opt for Gun Kote or some such hi-tech finish. With the exception of my .243, which does have a stainless barrel, the majority of my barrels are blue steel but the cartridges I shoot as a rule aren't fire breathers. Even my.375 Ultra is most often loaded with a powder charge which is less than a third of its bullet weight, which Ackley suggested was the dividing line between acceptable and poor barrel life, although he considered .22s the exception to the rule.
 
As per the original post...

Dan R said:
Hello,


Initially, the rifle will be used for deer/bear/moose hunting, would like a caliber capable of taking larger game if I decide in the future. I would like the rifle to have the cabablity of doing some target shooting (out to ranges of ~1000m) with some modifications.

I like the look/durability of stainless, but it is not necessary.
Thanks.
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If it's just a hunting gun, then I would agree that stainless is OK since its unlikely to see a lot of rounds and you might just as well use factory loads> BUT, since the originator of this thread is interested in the option of using the gun - ie the action - for target shooting later - then the probabilility of high hot round count is on the table. That is why I put forth the warning about the negative aspect of stainless. Yes it is more rust resistant - but as in most things regarding shooting - there is a trade off and that IS the problem with Gauling. No it does not require 3000 rounds to take effect - it CAN happen within 50 rounds or less - especially if the lugs are not lubed on any given day - and guys tend to forget to lube lugs once in a while - and that will be the day it happens. AND if you neck size only... you will be begging for a gauling incident because the goal of neck sizing only is to minimize headspace to zero. That means the bolt is tight on closing and a bit more tight on opening - good for accuracy but bad for gauling. Also keep in mind that one grain of sand inside the lugway can gaul you up without prior notice.

One more thing to keep in mind is that some rounds will have higher pressures than others, so you can bet a 223 rem is less likely to have a problem than a 300 wsm.

Now, not the end of the world if gauling does occur - it does not scrap out the action - you can re-lap the lugs and aside from the opened grain and scratches on the back of the bolt lugs and lug face on the action - the action can still function just fine after lapping. It just will be a bit crunchy until you do it. - and usually a bit of grease can squeak you by until you can lap. I personally helped out a guy at the Ontario Provincial Championship with this problem and have seen it more than once. Also keep in mind that all stainless is not created equal - There are lots of grades of stainless - some grades are magnetic and some are not for example, and I would be quick to accept that the stainless used by BAT is better than the stainless used by Remington, but cannot speak to that as a fact.

If you like stainless actions for competition, its a good idea to keep a small amount of fine lapping compound in your shooting kit, just in case you have a problem SOME DAY.

OR just full length resize your cases all the time - AND never run even marginally hot loads. But then factor that policy into your expectations for a win.

While it's always wise to run safe pressure loads you will find gauling of stainless to be more of a negative than the probability of rust on a carbon steel action - rust is cosmetic, gauling is functional. A rusty gun can still win a match - a locked up gauled up action is out of the match.

jus sayin is all
 
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