Blueing vs coating for hunting rifle

[Montbars]

If you guys were to hunt in very rugged terrain--the mountains and rainy forests of Washington state--would you use a blue rifle or a coated rifle?
I'm upgrading my 30-06 to have a laminated stock to deal with the elements, but should I be coating the metal parts as well? The gunsmith handling the job offers Cerakote coatings. I am interested in the coatings, but I don't want to have it re-coated every couple of years. Would it be easier to just take care of a blued rifle? never seen a rifle rust before, but then again I have never hunted in isolated camps for long periods of time, which i'm about to do. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[dprice3844444]

robar.com never sworry about it again

 

[Jackal]

Well, living in WA ( Olympic Peninsula) I can say that with basic oiling every few days, your rifle will not likely rust. Even in rain, which we do quite well in these parts, oil or a silicone cloth applied once every 3 days with a quick rub down will prevent rust. The only area that really has a tendency to rust is just under the wood line, where water gets trapped if your out in heavy rain. Just dont let it sit in a truck for a week or more un oiled, you will get rust.

Morale of the story: Basic cleaning, problem solved.

 

[RPRNY]

You're going to get a lot of conflicting answers on this.

Steel rusts. Even "stainless" steel. Bluing is in fact a type of rust. Think of it as a controlled rust aimed at warding off further oxidization.

No treatment protects all your rifle parts from rust. You have numerous internal parts on a stainless or coated rifle that are not stainless or coated for example. So they will need constant anti-rust treatment. This is not a big deal. One of the best ways to avoid rust is to avoid temperature fluctuations after cleaning and treatment. What this means is giving a cold wet gun time to dry in cool temperatures before giving it a good cleaning and a good wipe with CLP or your favorite lube/protectant. Bringing a cold wet gun inside to where it's warm and cleaning it right away just invites moisture to stay in all the nooks and crannies.

So, no coating or treatment is going to free you from worries about rust. Cerakoting will hold up pretty well in the environment you mention, but when it wears, you can't touch it up. I would stick with bluing because you can touch it up and while cold bluing isn't a satisfactory substitute for hot bluing, when done well, it can keep a rifle from looking prematurely worn. Having said that, there's noting wrong with a well used rifle taking on patina, as long as it isn't taking on rust.

 

[jmr40]

I'd not worry as much about the metal as the stock. I'd have a slight preference for a quality coating. But a blue finish works better than most believe. You will get minor scratches and surface rust if you actually use a gun in rough country, but anything bad enough to cause a failure would take a long time to build up and would qualify as neglect in my opinion. It is the wood stocks that can go from perfect condition to useless in a matter of minutes with no warning.

I'd reconsider a laminated stock for use in mountains though. They weigh a ton and are only slightly better in wet conditions than solid wood. For those conditions I'd go with a quality synthetic to save 1.5 lbs or more and get a much better bad weather stock. Laminates are fine for a short walk to hunt from an elevated stand or shooting from a bench at the range.

 

[CraigC]

Some form of industrial hard chrome or NP3 would be better than any coating. Unlike coatings, they can also be applied to ALL parts, even tiny pins and screws. Hard chrome has a surface hardness higher than any steel used in firearms' manufacture and wears very well.

 

[Montbars]

Unfortunately there are no quality synthetic stocks out there for a ruger m77 tang safety. McMillan and Bell & Carlson only offer synthetics without cheekpieces, and I hate not having at least some form of cheekpiece. So I'm thinking about a boyds laminate stock.

 

[CraigC]

As long as the comb height is correct for scope use, what difference does the cheekpiece make? I could understand wanting a graceful, beaded cheekpiece on a stick of exhibition English walnut but what does it matter on a synthetic?

 

[Montbars]

I guess I thought it would be more comfortable? I don't have much experience with guns. right now the compact scope is resting on medium rings, so my head position is sort of high up. When I try and look through the scope--the reticle shifts around as my head leans from left to right. I thought extra low rings and a little cheekpiece might make things more stable and consistent. it seems like both boyds stock and the factory ruger stock line your eye up with the bore, not for a scope so thats why im trying to mount the scope so low.

 

[adelbridge]

I would only worry about a new coating when and if the rifle rusted, no sense applying it prophylactically

 

[gazpacho]

Coated stainless steel.

This sounds like a working rifle. Give yourself every advantage. Stainless steel and/or coating is not an excuse for less maintenance. It is only another layer of protection. If you treat your rifle right, regardless of its finish, it will last.

 

[DM~]

For extended brown bear hunts along the salty coast with constant on/off rain for weeks at a time, i relied on a coating of butchers wax on all the metal, especially on the metal under the stock. Then every day after the hunt, i wipe my gun off with a rag that has Break Free CLP on it.

Doing that, i never had a rust problem on any gun, including plain ole blued guns.

I don't like getting gun oil on my stocks, in time it get's into the wood and ruins them.

DM

 

[nastynatesfish]

I just coat mine with durakote. I don't have to worry about it. I snake the bore when I'm done

 

[30Cal]

I just wiped my rifle down at the end of the day when I hunted the Olympics. Never had any significant problems.