Blued vs. Stainless

[Newt]

I'm in the process of purchasing my next rifle. It is a Tikka T3 .243. I own one rifle that is all stainless including the scope, rings, etc. I also own other rifles that are blued including scope, rings, etc. Other than the obvious plus of it not rusting and the aesthetic appeal, are there any benefits of buying a stainless rifle? It's not that much more for me to go stainless vs. blued and I'm just wondering about which I should order.

 

[makarov]

On a thread on TFL it was mentioned that stainless has more accuracy potential. Whether this is true of production rifles or not I don't know. For custom barrel makers it seems to be the case. I believe it was in a compiled post of Gale McMillan's words of wisdom. I have no reason to doubt it. Benchrest barrels seem to be stainless these days. For most of us you will never notice the difference. I just ordered a CZ-527 and they don't come in stainless. Didn't slow me down one bit....

 

[nextjoe]

Many (most?) sources agree that a stainless barrel will last somewhat longer, since it doesn't erode as much under high temperature conditions. I don't have enough experience with stainless guns to say if I agree or not, but I don't have any reason to doubt it.

Best,
Joe

 

[Art Eatman]

Figurin' that a .243 is a hunting/plinking gun, I doubt one would commonly shoot long strings of rapid fire. Longevity/durability shouldn't really be an issue, seems to me.

My little Sako .243 is blued. Maybeso a thousand rounds over its 30 years. It has always given me groups between 3/8" and 3/4" at 100 yards, depending mostly on the load and my own concentration. A lot of five-shot, half-inch groups.

My blued rifles have never been any rust problem, even after having hunted during a misty or rainy day; just a bit of careful maintenance, is all.

I tend to stay with blued rifles as a prefrence, solely because of aesthetics. Personal preference.

, Art

 

[Sactown]

Easier to clean? You can spot the dirty areas pretty fast.