All Weather Rifles, Too Shiny?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Guns&Religion

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
132
I'm about to purchase a rifle to hunt deer. I want a Ruger M77 all weather (in .308). I was at a local shop today to look at some other stainless steel rifles in .308, and the guy behind the counter said he actually prefers a blue rifle for hunting, that the stainless rifle makes the hunter too visible to the deer.

I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to hunting, so I was going to ask a few of you more experienced folks, have you ever heard of this, or encountered a problem taking deer with your stainless steel rifle?
 
i hunt with a ruger MKII all weather with the cool canoe paddle stock (close to 10 deer seasons now with it)...i have crawled to within 20 yards of about 12 deer to shoot one...as well as stalked and killed dozens of hogs... and the stainless was never a problem for me....its not a mirror...no brighter than a polished wood stock

get the all weather and be happy when your sitting in the tree stand in the rain as others are worrying about how they gotta oil under the stock and stuff the second they get back to camp
 
I think that is a bit far fetched. The stainless barrels are usually matte. It's not like they are chrome and reflect sun. I would prefer to have a stainless barrel that resists the elements better.
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys. That makes me feel more confident in my purchase. (I'll just assume that a stainless steel scope will not be a problem either.)
 
I went with a matte black scope, as I don't like the look of silver scopes. It's personal preference though. There are also more to choose from with matte black.
 
I prefer a matte finish, but my very-shiny Weatherby and glossy Leupold on top never seemed to make any difference when sitting.

Motion is likely more of a problem than shine, although when sitting I've tended to keep the rifle in shadow or low across my lap. It's a general-principle thing. :)
 
I don't hunt but I've given this some thought and research for when I might need to in the future. If I was really that concerned about it I'd buy synthetic with SS and have the metal Melanite treated... that's if cost wasn't an issue.
 
I think a bead blast matte stainless finish would actually be harder for a coyote to see than flat black. Black is something your eye searches for in the grassland. Matte stainless not so much. As long as there is no glare.
 
Deer are not humans. I honestly don't that they pay much attention to shiny objects. They do pay a lot of attention to movement. The key word in still hunting is "STILL."

Also note that deer are color blind. I also don't think that they pay much attention to camouflage--or lack thereof.
 
I really think the issue with "shiny" guns in the field is greatly overblown. You hear this repeated often but never hear any tales of deer being scared off by the glare of a stainless rifle or sixgun. An old wives tale if you ask me.
 
Ditto deer seeing movement.
Secondarily, I'm convenced as another mentioned that they see a "flat black" object quicker than something reflective. Water reflects and I've never noticed a game animal "spooked" by water or reflections off of it.

However, I've on numerous occasions had deer step out where I could see them, and they were looking directly at me while holding a "black" rifle. I've noticed that sitting in a blind or "sit house", that they don't "see" the black guns then.

Since I started "Kryloning" all my "black" rifles, such has ceased.
 
Most stainless steel rifles are a matte finish and reflect considerably less than a polished blue, although perhaps slightly more than a matte blue.

I've seen flashes off of a polished blue gun from miles away and it's hard to imagine anything that looks less natural.
 
Not everyone who works in a gun shop is an experienced hunter or an expert.

I have three matte stainless rifles and two matte blue rifles. I have not had a problem to date...and Art's comment is consistent with all I have ever heard from others or read.

FH
 
I worry about the same thing. Two thoughts come to mind. Robar has a process where then can essentially "blue" (its a different chemical process) a stainless rifle in a matt finish. I think it runs about $300 for a rifle. Another option is to put cammo tape on it.
 
Not going to give you away anymore than the blaze orange hat. Motion and scent is what deer key on. I've been sitting in the woods and had deer come to within 5 feet of me...look right at me and snort and stamp their feet trying to get me to move. They wanted me to move to figure out what I was and if I was actually a threat.

Turkey on the other hand..they see everything.
 
Melonite is cost effective on carbon steel, but redundant and even counter-productive on stainless.

Deer aren't exactly color blind, they see in a different range of wavelengths, more toward ultraviolet. That's why a pair of freshly laundered jeans can be more visible to them than hunter orange. And that doesn't seem to have much affect on the annual harvest.

A black rifle, however, will still be a large black object where they are not used to seeing one. Deer live in that area - if a stranger came thru your house and moved things around, you'd notice what doesn't belong.

Vision is still used less than scent - deer noses are ten times more sensitive than ours. Camo is preferred to help conceal motion, but reducing scent and masking it even more important. So much so that successful hunters keep their clothing bagged in storage and never wear their hunting boots anywhere but in the field.

Keep the stainless if you have it, there's more advantage to being in the right place at the right time and not being smelled.
 
ive used a stainless savage for years and it may stick out a little more atleast to humans, when the sun is shining down it probably reflects more than a black rifle but cant say ive ever scared a deer because of the rifle alone like many have said your usually wearing blaze orange vest and hat but they notice movement more than anything and my longer shots are usually about 75 yards and the many are well within bow range under 30 yards.
 
hard for a deer to tell if it's blue or stainless looking down the muzzle.besides,they have no idea what it is.deer are color blind.only see in black and white.deer work on smell and movement.
Today 10:23 AM
Click to expand...

Being color blind does not mean you see in black and white. Being color blind means you have difficulty telling some colors apart. For instance some people see red and black as the same color. Others may not be able to tell the difference between green and yellow.

Deer see in color. The colors they see may sometimes be different than the colors you see however.

The shiny finsh on older Rugers may be a slight concern, but no more so than the shiny blue finish and glossy wood stocks on so many rifles. The matte finished blue or stainless metal will not cause you any problems in a hunting rifle.
 
Eh, hem... the politically correct term is "light spectrum sensitivity impaired". Don't go gettin' the deer-sight activists all rialed up!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Just bought a rifle, now I need a scope.
Replies
10
Views
321
TexasPatriot.308
T
T
  • Locked
Recommend a bolt action rifle in 30-06
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
AKElroy
A
C
  • Locked
First Rifle Purchase: Which Savage?
Replies
9
Views
750
Peter M. Eick
P
G
  • Locked
30-06 or .308? (Considering rifle purchase)
2 3
Replies
61
Views
4K
Ogham
O
A
  • Locked
All Weather Deer Rifle
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
gotboostvr
gotboostvr
Back
Top