[Working Man]

The last gun shop talk I participated in someone made a comment that
a standard stainless barrel is the least accurate of any barrels available
due to the metal being harder and producing less finely cut rifling.

Is this correct or just more "Gun Shop Lore"?

[DWARREN123]

Can be yes or no depending on the chemical make-up of the stainless. A good barrel from a known company will shoot just fine, a bad barrel is bad.

[nyresq]

maybe you should mention to the gunshop jedi masters that Hart and Krieger barrels are only available in stainless, shilen's top of the line barrels are stainless and most of the current world records for accuracy are held by stainless barrels and I think if Mr Tubb thinks stainless is good enough for all his rifles.... well maybe they got something up their sleeve...:rolleyes:
Just another reason you should listen to about half of what you hear in gunshops... and even then check it out yourself by searching the internet. :scrutiny:
Urban ledgends go down in flames with about ten minutes of research on the internet.:fire:
Stainless barrels are the accuracy standard these days. Just look at a typical match to see what the pros are using.

[Gewehr98]

Some of the finest barrels made are crafted from stainless steel.

It may machine differently than carbon steel, but that doesn't mean it cannot be made to the same level of quality seen in the latter, it just requires a different approach in tooling.

When I walked through Krieger Barrels a few months ago, I saw both stainless and carbon steel barrels coming off the line. These are cut-rifling barrels done one groove at a time on huge WWII Pratt & Whitney machines, IMHO the best of the bunch for precision rifle barrels, held to 1/10,000 inch tolerances. Were their stainless barrels any less accurate than their carbon steel barrels, they wouldn't sell them - period. I have a few Krieger carbon steel barrels, and would dearly love to have a few of their stainless variants, as time and money permit.

[JohnKSa]

Is this correct or just more "Gun Shop Lore"?The latter.

[hoghunting]

Go to any Bench Rest competition and, with very few exceptions, all you will see are stainless barrels. I guess I didn't realize how inaccurate a .12" group can be.

[LexusNexus]

Does the stainless barrel gall with its rifling? And does it last as long as carbon steel?

[nyresq]

galling is from stainless rubbing against unlubed stainless and even then only some stainless is really prone to it. The newest types of stainless are alot better then the old spec and would have to be bone dry to gall. Look at the new frames and slides on stainless autos these days. Even with a tiny amount of lube they don't gall.

So unless you're shooting stainless bullets I don't think its a real consideration..... and everyone knows its silver bullets for zombies and werewolves... duh....:rolleyes:

[Srigs]

As a Mechanical Engineer, that guy is on drugs and you should never go back to that gun shop every again! Wants to sound smart but is not... :neener:

[Ol` Joe]

Galling usually occures between two metals of similar hardness. That isn`t happening between a steel barrel and a copper jacketed or lead bullet. Copper and lead acually act bit slippery when fired down a steel barrel. The stainless barrrels also are supposed to be a bit more heat resistant and don`t erode in the throat area as fast as a regular steel barrel.
As far as which is the more accurate, as the others have posted, stainless leads the pack in benchrest at the moment.
I don`t think personlly either is going to prove more or less accurate for the average shooter. Both will shoot better then 95% of the shooters out there.

[Dobe]

I am not sure if there would be an accuracy difference between stainless and non stainless when manufactured by the best barrel makers. I do believe a big reason that many top shooters use stainless rifle barrels is that these barrels have a longer life. Stainless barrels do not errode as fast as non-stainless.

[Working Man]

Ok so in the top end the stainless vs. carbon is not an issue and stainless
abounds.

What about lower end rifles under $600 like Marlin, Winchester, Ruger, and
Remington? Is there a notable difference at this level?

[Dobe]

Assuming that in the process of cutting both the stainless and the non-stainless, all things are equal except the steel type, then perhaps the stainless would give a certain amount of sharpness.

In other words, compare this to well made knives of the stainless and carbon steels. The commonly called carbon steel ( I am aware that the stainless has carbon in it also) knives are generally less likely to break when flexed, but the stainless generally can be sharpend to a keener edge.

I am also assuming this is because of the chormium content in the blades. If this analogy is correct, then I would also assume that the lands could be cut sharper ( more defined ) in the stainless barrels of rifles. To notice a true difference in accuracy would mean the difference in craftesmen and very good and well maintained equipment.

I can not see where a Marlin 1894 in stainless would group noticably better than a non-stainless. Where you would see a difference in productions guns would be in the hotter rounds or varmint rifles where the hot gases erode the throats. This is where the stainless rifle barrel shines (the pun was intended). :)

[Ol` Joe]

From Kriegers web site, one of the top benchrest barrel makers.

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.


http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/RapidCat/catalog/pagetemplate.cfm?template=/RapidCat/common/viewPage.cfm&PageId=3352&CompanyId=1246

For those comparing stainless and "carbon steel", barrels are made of "crome moly" not carbon steels. There is a diference I`ve been told.

[Clipper]

...And thus the internal surfaces of the barrel sometimes is not as smooth as a carbon steel barrel. Stainless steel is, for want of a better term, a 'gummy' metal to work, like aluminum. It tends to gum up the tooling and leave more toolmarks. This is not a catastrophy, but sometimes requires more break-in shooting to polish the bore. I once sold off a blued Ruger .357 blackhawk, because I was wearing the finish off it, and bought a stainless one, The blued gun shot 1.5" 50-yard groups from the bench, but the new one was shooting 4"! I called Ruger, and was told to shoot a couple hundred hot jacketed rounds through it, and lo and behold, those groups tightened right up...OTOH, I bought my wife a stainless security six, that straight from the box, was easily the most accurate centerfire revolver I ever shot! Stainless is also heavier than carbon steel alloys, and will make for a very slightly heavier piece.

BTW, the carbon content is what makes steel 'steel'...Chrome Molly steel (usually 4140 or 4145, the last two digits standing for the 'points' of carbon used) is what is commonly used, but it is still carbon steel...Technically, so is stainless, but the terminology exists to simplify identification.

[Dobe]

Not wishing to argue, but I thought carbon steel was heavier than stainless.

[rangerruck]

the Below dudes are right, if the bbl is made right and lapped right, it will be better, period.

[gonzo_beyondo]

My understanding is that stainless is the most accurate material for a barrel, but also wears faster, and is the heaviest.

Chrome-moly is lightest, longer lasting, 2nd-most accurate, but most subjected material to rust/corrosion.

Chrome lined barrels are last in accuracy, middle in weight, but best for longevity and corrosion resistance.

I could be wrong, but thats what I've gathered. Of course, quality of manufacture is an important part of the overall comparison between barrels.

With longevity, I don't think I'll ever shoot out a barrel, but that comes into play more when buying milsurps, especially if in the rifle's long lifetime, it's known nothing but corrosive ammo.

Of more concern to me is rust, so I prefer chrome-lined or stainless. I'd definitely want SS if precision was my main goal.

[JohnKSa]

My understanding is that stainless is ...wears faster...That's pretty much a direct contradiction to what all the barrel makers say.

[MechAg94]

I have a mechanical engineering degree also, but I don't know anything about about gun barrels. However, stainless steel comes in a lot of different alloys, some probably better than others in that application.

[jjohnson]

Oh, please.:scrutiny:

No, I don't have a degree in metallurgy, but as the guys pointed out, the steels are different enough that break in and cleaning are different - but calling a stainless barrel inaccurate just because it's stainless is just BS. Not quite a scientific measure, but I have a couple of varmint and match guns with stainless barrels and they do quite fine, thanks. :evil:

Yeah, stainless is a pain in the a** to machine - which is part of the explanation that stainless guns versus blued chrome moly of the same type (like Rem 700s) go for a premium - it's not all material cost. Machining stainless is labor intensive compared to chrome moly or other ordnance steels.

You're dealing with urban legend stuff. Like a couple other posters pointed out, ask the guys at the top of the match circuits or premium barrel makers. Or just for fun, look at the guys at Varmint Hunter magazine - you KNOW people whose life mission is to score a 1000 yard prarie dog wouldn't be using stainless if it were inaccurate. :)

[Working Man]

Thanks to all for the clarification.

[6mmbrppc]

you dont see those chrome molly barrels winning benchrest matches

[mete]

The facts from a metallurgist -They no longer use "carbon steel' barrels , those went out with black powder ! Today it's alloy steel , 4140, 4145,4150 "chrome-moly ". Stainless steels are typically 416 which is a free machining grade since stainless is more difficult to machine .Another stainless is 17-4PH IIRC.

[nico]

According to this (http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60102) compilation of quotes from Gale McMillan, stainless barrels can be made more accurate because the rifling can be cut sharper.

He also says that barrel break-in is BS.

[the naked prophet]

This will all be a moot discussion when the new Transformation Toughened Zirconia barrels come out :neener:

Nearly as hard as diamond (and nearly as expensive! :what: ) with better heat resistance than stainless steel. Knives are already being made for the super-highbrow sushi chefs who can taste the metallic flavor imparted by stainless steel knives.

But it'll probably be a decade or more before they can be made into something as large as a gun barrel, or cheap enough that anbody could afford one.

[atblis]

Can you come up with 50 bucks?

http://www.888knivesrus.com/product/BOC5

[the naked prophet]

That's zirconium oxide (plain zirconia), not TTZ. TTZ undergoes an extra heating process that stops cracks from propagating. That is what makes it expensive. The more durable, fracture resistant (toughness) knives are much more expensive.

[rangerruck]

look at what the pro br shooters use, all stainless. depends on whose making them. marlin uses green mountain bbls for their 17's , and they will shoot with mcuh more expensive 17's out there, and they use a stainless model.