[38snapcaps]

I bought a Springfield Milspec yesterday. I chose this model because I wanted the GI 1944 look. My gun is really nice except
it has a stainless barrel and barrel bushing.

I called Springfield and they said "oh you got one of the good ones" and told me it will shoot better and last longer than a blued barrel. They offered to swap if I want to.

What do you think? Is the stainless barrel really that much better? Is it worth sacrificing an original look for?

[dsk]

I'm not sure what the deal is. Lots of folks are saying they got SS barrels and bushings with their Mil-Specs. My new one, and the three others the dealer had that they recently got in are all parkerized.

There really is no advantage one way or the other, unless you like to shoot mildy-corrosive ammo and don't like cleaning your guns. Even stainless will corrode if neglected badly enough.

[Akurat]

If its a 'looks' thing, its really just up to you to decide. As far as durability, corrosion etc, I'd rather have stainless...but it really makes no difference if you take care of your guns..

[Dr.Who]

Keep the SS...
More durable, scratches will not be as noticable....

Enjoy....:)

[Ewok_Guy]

You got lucky. Keep the bling barrel.

[cratz2]

I have one 45ACP MilSpec and I've had two others, the oldest one was all parkerized, the two more recent ones had the stainless barrel and bushing. I don't really care one way or the other about the barrel but I would prefer a parkerized bushing. Not so much that I'm going to change it though.

One thing about the stainless barrels is I'm pretty sure that the stainless barrels are one piece and most of the parkerized barrels are the two piece, again not that I care, but some folks do. As for barrel wear, the stainless lasting longer... that pretty much goes against everything I know and have heard about steel. The carbon barrel should last longer with hard use but most folks don't shoot enough to wear out a 45 ACP barrel and if they do, they probably won't be too upset when they have to pay $200 to have a good barrel fitted after 20,000 rounds to so.

[ajacobs]

I just bought my 3rd milspec today. The first to are "the good ones" with the stainless one peice barrel and bushing. The one I bought today is an older one with the parkerized barrel and bushing. On my first 2 as part of the custom work being done to them they will have brown bushings installed and parkerized. This 3 one I bought used and is older it was less than 350 with tax but has an idiot mark. I will leave it as is. The only thing I didn't prefer about the stainless barrel is the loaded chamber indicator cut in the top but I can live with it. I vote for keep the stainless. They are not really circa 1944 style anyway due to things like lowered and flared ejection port, ils mainspring housing, higher sights, etc.

My new ones did not have the extractor flush with the back of the slide either but that was no big deal as I replaced them with bulletproof ones anyway. There are two more ones with stainless barrels at my local shop now and it is sad to say I am looking at them to. But I have to be prepared to pay off the customizations on the other two when they are done. I have been disapointed in every stainless milspec I have seen and I had my heart set on one of them for a clark meltdown. I will now go with another park one but have to add the price of hard crome ($200)

[cratz2]

Just out of curiosity ajacobs, what has left you disappointed in the stainless MilSpecs?

[ajacobs]

Some of the parts where really blued but with hard crome. A noticible difference in appearance. But the main issue is that in three different examples the slides where very poorly fitted and not centered on the frame. They also had a very gritty feel when you retracted the slide. I even disasembled the first one I saw to make sure there was not any gunk on the frame rails and I wiped them out. It still was a very ruff fit. I was sure this must be the only one like that but the next two to come into the shop (at two different times) where the same. I will continue to check them out as they come in. But I will not order one specifically for me as I don't want one like the ones that have been in the shop.

[harrydog]

I think it is generally accepted that, in the world of rifle barrels, a chrome-lined barrel will last the longest, then stainless steel, and last carbon steel. I don't think the differences between stainless and carbon are great, but they are there.
What applies to rifle barrels should also apply to pistol barrels.
Carbon steel is generally stronger than most stainless steel, but strength isn't the issue and isn't why a barrel becomes worn out.

[cratz2]

Yeah... I think Springfield uses hard chromed small parts on their stainless guns. Both of my Stainless Loadeds had chromed slide stops, extractors, MSH, etc... Luckily, the parts most likely to be replaced. I don't really mind that so much but I have noticed that the stainless MilSpecs are a bit sloppier than the most recent semi-parkerized MilSpecs. The last parkerized MilSpec I got is very tight... minimal movement of the slide at the front or back of the slide, pretty tight pin job and I could swear that the barrel bushing was actually fitted to the barrel... Guess these newest parts just have tight original tolerances but I've been generally impressed with Springfield lately. I like them in general, but the past 6 months or so, I really like what I've seen for the most part.

[ajacobs]

I likewise have been very impressed with recent springy's. Hence my purchase of the last three. I have all but ruled out kimber with the series 2 and I do like my colts reintroduced series 70 but at 900 bucks, while I think it is worth it, I can get 2 springfields. Especially for guns I am only duing some light modification to. The colt will be turned into something great, but I couldn't bear the thought of a clark meltdown on it. The spring's are great shooters. They are almost the only choise left for picky old me. For a true seventy series gun (even though they use the 9mm firing pin). Dan Wesson seems to be comming along way but for some reason they don't apeal to me a whole lot. Plus the springfield has a forged frame and slide. I do also think they are fit really well as of late. My understanding the the nm prefix ones or the ones not marked brazil (on the dust cover)are assembled here.

As a note to the original poster, which I forgot to mention. The park barrels still have a polished barrel hood, so except for the muzzle when the action is closed the 2 barrels look the same. I vote for just replacing the bushing. there is two more stainless barreled milspecs in the shop I am looking hard at but I am in the middle of building another ar plus I have some custom work bills that will be comming soon.

In regard to the stainless milspec. My smith says that the cause of the ruff slide to frame fit is not using seperate tooling from the carbon steel to the stainless. This is more of a problem in alluminum frame guns but he says that small bits of carbon steel may be embedding in the stainless frame durring the cutting of the frame rails. The stainless being softer and all. who knows if this is accurate. All I know is it felt like sand paper and my first thought on all of them was eww!

[bountyhunter]

"As for barrel wear, the stainless lasting longer... that pretty much goes against everything I know and have heard about steel. The carbon barrel should last longer with hard use but most folks don't shoot enough to wear out a 45 ACP barrel "

That's about it. Stainless is softer than carbon steel, for 99.9% of the user's, they won't notice the difference.

[harrydog]

Qoute:
"Stainless is softer than carbon steel, for 99.9% of the user's, they won't notice the difference."

Stainless steel is usually heat treated to the same hardness as chrome-moly when it comes to barrels. The corrosion and pitting (on a microscopic level) caused by burnt powder and some cleaning solvents, and the subsequent errosion, is what causes the barrel rifling to gradually wear out. Stainless steel slows this process down, slightly, over carbon steel.
Here's what Shilen says about their barrels.

Simply the finest available to the competitive shooter. Heat-resistant stainless steel generally extends the accuracy life of a barrel over chrome-moly. In addition, stainless steel machines better than any other barrel metal, providing a somewhat higher quality bore surface. Hand lapping in every Shilen stainless steel barrel then achieves what we believe is the ultimate bore finish. To meet Shilen Match Grade criteria, groove dimensions must air gauge within 0.0005" of our standard diameter and vary no more than 0.0003" from end to end.