Stainless Barrel vs Blued Barrel

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Boyes50

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I'm looking to buy a Savage .223 for a coyote gun in Ontario this next Spring. I have the opportunity to buy a Savage Axis XP Stainless Barrel in .223 for $425, or the 11 Hunter XP in .223 for $450. I am curious whether it makes sense to buy the stainless one for less, or if the tried and true durability of a steel barrel will be better. Both rifles come with a Bushnell 3-9x40 Scope, which I plan to keep for a little while at least since I am just a beginning shooter.

Any opinions or info you guys have would be great!
 
Stainless Steel barrels have been around for a considerable time, as Dennis noted.
Benchrest shooters use them pretty well exclusively.
Their advantage over chrome-moly is not as great as some seem to believe.

I have washed the throat out of several barrels, both CM and stainless.
Don't believe that the difference is significant, in most applications.

If you like the look of Blued steel, go for it.
However, Stainless requires a bit less caution in wet conditions.

Bluing a new CM barrel is just one more operation for a smith to do when he puts on your new tube.

The decision is entirely up to the buyer.

Eagleye.
 
So between these two guns, which both use the same basic stock, action and have the same scope included with them, it makes sense just to buy the stainless barrelled Savage? It seemed odd to me that the stainless barrel was the cheaper model, but it obviously shouldn't be considered a cheaper barrel. The stocks are slightly different, but the action and most mechanical features are the same. I guess the stainless barrel makes the most sense then?
 
The axis is not the same as the savage hunter. In the examples I have played with the Savage hunters have better triggers and better fit and finish over all. That said I wouldn't hesitate to buy either.
 
Get the Stainless........!!

Not all stainlesses are created alike ....I saw a 6mth old Browning A-bolt Stainless with rust pits on it.
I have a Sako 75ss, Ruger mk 77ss, and Ruger 10/22 ss and none of these show sign of any oxidation.
 
Don't base it on barrel steel, base it on personal preference, in other words which gun appeals to you more. While stainless is much more rust resistant, it can still rust, and when it does, it shows up very pronounced, unlike rust on a blued/black finish. It's also a lot harder to remove it seems. And another thing to consider is how shiny the stainless finish is, coyotes have sharp eyes.
That said, since we're talking Savage, I'd choose the stainless, as their bluing quality is mediocre at best.
 
The Axis is suppose to be cheaper price wise than the other model thus the price diff? I have one in 223 blued barrel reat cheap tifle, shoots very well.
 
Other than salt water use, I haven't seen a stainless rifle with barrel rust... I have seen deposits on the barrel that appear to be rust... these are particles not attached to the stainless and will clean off. Stainless rifle barrels do last longer than chrome moly barrels due to better erosion resistance and I have never seen one with rust pits in the bore.
 
guntech said:
Other than salt water use, I haven't seen a stainless rifle with barrel rust... I have seen deposits on the barrel that appear to be rust... these are particles not attached to the stainless and will clean off. Stainless rifle barrels do last longer than chrome moly barrels due to better erosion resistance and I have never seen one with rust pits in the bore.
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Had a Browning ABolt and Sako Finnlight that had a minute amount small rust specs on exterior of action and it wouldn't come off with regular cleaning agents. Neither had ever been near salt water. But yes, they are far more corrosion resistant. As far as durability/longevity, it depends which gunsmith or gun/barrel maker you talk to, there seems to be no common consensus if both are kept clean and oiled.
 
Now I have a new question for the same post! I am thinking of buying the Trophy Hunter as I like the fit and finish a lot better. My local shop has a Savage Trophy Hunter .223 with the blued 22" barrel. I now have the option of buying the same gun with either a cheap Bushnell Banner 3-9x40mm, or a lot nicer Weaver Kaspa 3-9x40mm. The Bushnell on the gun runs $450, and the rifle with the Weaver is $525. Is it worth while to buy the rifle with the Weaver scope, or to buy the cheaper Bushnell, and buy a better scope afterwards? Basically I guess I am asking is that Weaver scope a decent choice for this rifle? It has the Ballistic-X Reticle btw
 
Boyes50 said:
Now I have a new question for the same post! I am thinking of buying the Trophy Hunter as I like the fit and finish a lot better. My local shop has a Savage Trophy Hunter .223 with the blued 22" barrel. I now have the option of buying the same gun with either a cheap Bushnell Banner 3-9x40mm, or a lot nicer Weaver Kaspa 3-9x40mm. The Bushnell on the gun runs $450, and the rifle with the Weaver is $525. Is it worth while to buy the rifle with the Weaver scope, or to buy the cheaper Bushnell, and buy a better scope afterwards? Basically I guess I am asking is that Weaver scope a decent choice for this rifle? It has the Ballistic-X Reticle btw
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It is like asking which is better, a Lada or a Yugo. For varmint hunting, you want more than 9 power. If you can find somwthing that goes up to 14 power or even more, you will be glad you made the choice. As to stainless versus CM, if I were building a gun or rebarreling a gun, I would say Stainless all the way. Guntech is right. (he is also a very good gunsmith by the way) if you are buying an inexpensive factory rifle off the shelf, I seriousl doubt it makes any difference to the end result. I am sure you will pamper your new rifle to death, so corrosion and pitting are not likely to be a problem for you. Stainless is an easier metal to machine and it does wear better and fouls less.

Buy the gun, have fun and remember what you paid for all the free anonymous internet advice from people that have absolutely no risk in your investment.
 
You're concerned with the rifle's durability and plan to use the included bases, rings, and throw away scope?!

Hillarious!

Seriously, though. You can get the Savage Trophy Hunter XP for $449 from Wholesale Sports this week. I just bought one for the wife.

It comes with a decent Weaver scope which retails for about $130Cdn. The bases and rings are not good but easily replaced. The rifle itself has a much better stock than the Axis including the accustock style bolt release and it has an accutrigger. It also has the Savage 11/111 receiver which is vastly superior to the one on the Axis.

It's a total no-brainer.
 
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