Just wandering, I know know nothing of metallurgy. I have Marlin 336 blued and 336 stainless. In general, is stainless as durable as blued or conversely is blued as durable as stainless? I don't mean resistance to rust but rather resistance to wear due to action cycling and barrel longevity.
Stainless vs. blued
- Thread starter abalas
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The stainless used by most companies to make stainless guns is 416 stainless.It is a little softer than chrome moly,so it will gall easier,but according to several barrelmakers,it is slightly more resistant to throat erosion.
I would have to agree that the belief that stainless steel barrels aren't suitable for low temperatures is a myth. 304 or 316 stainless steel is commonly used for cryogenic service (such as liquid nitrogen or liquefied natural gas) pressure vessels and piping because of its low thermal conductivity.
Nitrogen is generally stored as a at around -196 degrees Celsius. LNG is stored at around -163 degrees Celsius.
Nitrogen is generally stored as a at around -196 degrees Celsius. LNG is stored at around -163 degrees Celsius.
Stainless will rust if it comes in contact with iron. The non-ferrous metal is a catalist for oxidation.
How many rounds do you plan on putting through that barrel?
For the most part you would go through so much money in ammo before you burnt out your barrel that a replacement would be very cheep in comparison.
How many rounds do you plan on putting through that barrel?
For the most part you would go through so much money in ammo before you burnt out your barrel that a replacement would be very cheep in comparison.
Wild_Thing
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I've come to use nothing but Stainless in my rifles here in BC as everytime that I can actually squeeze time in to go hunting it rains like heck.
Does it mean that standard blued barrels are made of chromoly? Or is chromoly a type of stainless steel?
Well, I don't plan to put too much rounds through my stainless gun. I will use pretty much strictly for hunting while my blued version will be used for range practice shooting.
Well, I don't plan to put too much rounds through my stainless gun. I will use pretty much strictly for hunting while my blued version will be used for range practice shooting.
Chromoly is an alloy steel, not a stainless steel. 4140 is a fairly common chromoly steel for gunmaking applications.
Plain carbon steels are those which have carbon as their main alloying constituent. Alloy steels are those which have other metals added into the alloy such as chromium, molybdenum, nickel, etc. Often, the term carbon steel is used to refer to any steel that isn't stainless, including alloy steels.
Stainless steels are those that have a minimum of 11% chromium by mass. For comparison, the above-mentioned 4140 contains only 0.8-1.1% chromium, as well as 0.15-0.25% molybdenum by mass.
Plain carbon steels are those which have carbon as their main alloying constituent. Alloy steels are those which have other metals added into the alloy such as chromium, molybdenum, nickel, etc. Often, the term carbon steel is used to refer to any steel that isn't stainless, including alloy steels.
Stainless steels are those that have a minimum of 11% chromium by mass. For comparison, the above-mentioned 4140 contains only 0.8-1.1% chromium, as well as 0.15-0.25% molybdenum by mass.
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From the Krieger web site . . .
Q: Which is better Chrome Moly or Stainless Steel?
A: For the most part neither one is better than the other. The only difference we find is that sometimes the chrome moly might take a little longer to break-in and might have a little more affinity for copper or seems to show it easier. In terms of barrel life and accuracy, we can find no difference.
However, I recall an interview in which Kreiger stated a preference for crome moly barrels for use in hunting rifles where light contour barrels would be subjected to very cold temperatures (perhaps in Precision Shooting). Whether or not the difference is just theoretical I don't know, and nothing was said about safety or even performance, just that he had a preference, and Krieger doesn't make statements about barrels that he can be substantiate. I don't worry about my stainless barrels failing at -35, but then again I can't get rid of that nagging voice in my head that says I should have gone with crome moly instead.
Q: Which is better Chrome Moly or Stainless Steel?
A: For the most part neither one is better than the other. The only difference we find is that sometimes the chrome moly might take a little longer to break-in and might have a little more affinity for copper or seems to show it easier. In terms of barrel life and accuracy, we can find no difference.
However, I recall an interview in which Kreiger stated a preference for crome moly barrels for use in hunting rifles where light contour barrels would be subjected to very cold temperatures (perhaps in Precision Shooting). Whether or not the difference is just theoretical I don't know, and nothing was said about safety or even performance, just that he had a preference, and Krieger doesn't make statements about barrels that he can be substantiate. I don't worry about my stainless barrels failing at -35, but then again I can't get rid of that nagging voice in my head that says I should have gone with crome moly instead.
Well I may be on crack but I've only owned a few stainless rifless. I also owned similar rifles with blued barrels. As a rule, the blued, non stainless rifles were always more accurate. I want to test this buy ordering a high quality stainless barrel one day and see just how good they really can shoot.
"On crack" would be a good self assessment when it comes to your findings. I've owned custom barrels of both makeup and I can't tell a difference in the way one shoots over the other, and the benchrest crowd seem to think stainless barrels shoot just fine.
You are on the right track.
Everybody knows that you can't take a blued rifle out in the rain! The barrel will turn limp, then all the blue comes off and the steel just disappears in front of your eyes.
That is why you never see any old hunting guns that were simply made of steel and blued.
