Is stainless automatically a better finish?

[Busta Prima]

I was planning on waiting for the XD-45 to come out in stainless. I'm a little tired of the holster (and other ) wear a blued gun shows after a while. Springfield's Armory Coat, Glock's Tennifer, standard gun bluing . . . they all get it.

I decided on the two tone because while looking at a NEW store XD-45 with their black "melonite" finish, I noticed some bare spots from being handled and shown to customers.

I contacted SA with my concerns and they responded that the gun must not have been properly cared for. The went on to say that while stainless steel might not show holster and handling wear, it is softer than the carbon steel used in non SS guns. They said the stainless was surely strong enough for the application but that it was still made of a softer steel than the "black" or "blued" guns.

So . . . how many of you have seen stainless guns wear out faster than their carbon counterparts? I always thought stainless was superior all the way around. I didn't know there was a trade-off.

Facts on this anyone?

 

[Car Knocker]

I've never had a stainless gun wear out. However, stainless DOES show holster wear after a while, especially a matte finish. Stainless steel can rust, it just takes a bit more for it to occur.

 

[1 old 0311]

I prefer stainless. Less maintance, and doesn't show wear like blue guns do. Looks? Blue hands down.

Kevin

 

[Euclidean]

Any handgun I actually use for anything is going to look like crap anyway. My blued guns I actually do anything with are all scratched and the finish is worn out at the edges. My stainless guns have a lot of smaller scratches and blemishes, but the blue does show it worse.

When it gets bad enough, I'll send it off and have it hardchromed or something.

If I had to have a professional looking firearm that the general public was going to see, I'd go stainless.

 

[10-Ring]

I really like stainless guns but I have noticed I purchase primarily blue guns Honestly, after all these years of shooting, I haven't worn out any firearm...blue or stainless steel...I really wouldn't worry about which would wear out first...just enjoy what ya got!

 

[ugaarguy]

I decided on the two tone because while looking at a NEW store XD-45 with their black "melonite" finish, I noticed some bare spots from being handled and shown to customers.

Unfortunately the XD pistols have developed a reputation for their finish wearing easily, which is a shame because they seem to be great guns otherwise. What you're seeing wear on is actually the black phosphate or whatever finish they put over the melonite. Same for Glocks, it's a black finish over the Tennifer. Melonite, Tennifer, etc are chemical processes that harden the outer surface while leaving the inside softer in comparison. Much like case hardening this gives a very tough exterior to the part to resist wear while the softer interior resists impact and other forces since it's not brittle. I've read that Duracoat is a very wear resistant finish. For the price XDs are going for you could buy one and have the slide Duracoat finished all for less money than many comparable pistols. Then you'd have your sweet XD 45 with a nice tough finish to fight wear. If you like two tone, hardchroming (not plating) is very tough too. If you shop around I bet you can find someone to put a really nice matte hardchrome on a slide for a pretty good price.

 

[riverdog]

If you can hardchrome over the Melonite go for it. Hardchrome is great.

 

[bpisler]

In the arizona heat i prefer stainless steel
for my carry guns.Easier to maintain and
still looks decent after years in the
holster.I do own blued guns but they're for
the range or home defense only.

 

[Valkman]

If you wouldn't wear out a carbon steel gun you won't wear out a stainless one. "Softness" is confusing - they are all soft naturally. I make knives of stainless and carbon steels and you harden them through heat treating to whatever hardness you want. Too hard means brittleness. It also matters which stainless steel you're talking about, as there are many.

I wouldn't expect my carry gun to stay pristine anyway, but my Kimber CDP sure does wear well.

 

[MCgunner]

In a word, yes.

However, Titanium is MANY times more corrosion resistant. For that matter, so is plastic.

 

[Ala Dan]

I prefer blued handguns, or you might say "the tacticool look"~!

 

[cbsbyte]

I prefer the traditional blue chemical process, still done in Europe, over the black oxidizing they do now on modern guns. Bluing has more or less has been stopped by US manufactures because of enviromental concerns and the cost of disposal of the used chemcial by the EPA standards. I would take SS over the black OX anyday.

 

[KINGMAX]

Either / or / Blue / Stainless / I like them both

I am a fan of Stainless for the most part. Some applications lean toward the use of black finish or blue steel, so the purpous of the firearm may dictate the choice.

 

[evan price]

Best of both worlds: My Sig 239 is stainless, that has been coated black.

 

[Serendipity]

Fact: In the context of this thread, stainless is not a "finish."

Fact: In the context of this thread, neither Melonite nor Tenifer is a finish, either, and neither will show signs of wear due to handling. The finish over the Melonite or Tenifer will show signs of wear; the treated steel underneath won't.

 

[KINGMAX]

NICKEL ?? is that a finish

Would a nickel chrome be considered a finish ??


Is satin matte stainless that has been sand blasted ??


Is there any type of conditioner to use w/ blued steel to protect it ??

 

[mete]

There is nickel plating [two types ] and there is chrome plating [ two types]. These should be referred to as coatings.... A matte finish may be achieved by either abrasives [such as 400 grit] or sand or bead blasting....Some of the guns with treatment like Tennifer are extremely durable . Tennifer is a 'treatment' which is done by diffusing carbon and nitrogen into the steel. It may further be improved by other treatments.

 

[MCgunner]

I'm not real versed in gun finish, but Nicacil chrome is VERY tough. It's used on motorcycle cylinders in lieu of steel liners. It's so tough, it wears MUCH longer than steel. It will tear and require replating if you seize a two stroke race engine (plating about $150 a cylinder), but under normal conditions it will last many times longer than a steel liner. There are other advantages I won't go into for engines, but suffice to say it's some tough stuff. I don't know if this nickacil chrome is the same as the nickel chrome referred to in this thread, just that it's a nickel/chrome alloy plated to the aluminum cylinder. I would think a gun plated with this stuff would be really resistant to holster wear, but I have no idea how corrosion resistant it would be.

 

[sugarbritches]

chrome

all this talk of hardchrome,,, is there a softchrome?

 

[BrennanKG]

Re: type of Chrome

Chrome plating is a finishing treatment utilizing the electrolytic deposition of chromium. The most common form of chrome plating is the thin, decorative bright chrome, which is typically a 10 µm layer over an underlying nickel plate. It imparts a mirror-like finish to items such as metal furniture frames and automotive trim. Thicker deposits, up to 1000 µm, are called hard chrome and are used in industrial equipment to reduce friction and wear and to restore the dimensions of equipment that has experienced wear. - from Wikipedia

In short, there is decorative chrome (such as that on some bicycles) and industrial chrome (hard chrome).

Back to the question from the original poster. Stainless is nice in that if/when the beadblasting rubs off, you can always have it reblasted.

Remember, ALL finishes will show holster wear. A carry piece is just that, a carry piece not a safe queen. Some of the new ceramic based and vapor-deposit finishes are hard-wearing than some of the other options (see EGW's new finish for an example) but they will ALL wear.

Good luck,
B.

 

[Jkwas]

I like the stainless for carry, but I hate to clean it after the range. I just have to get all those carbon rings off the cylinder and from around the forcing cone.
That's why I like the blued finish for the range. The carbon rings aren't noticeable.

 

[Busta Prima]

That's why I like the blued finish for the range. The carbon rings aren't noticeable.

So does that mean you wear brown and yellow underwear??

Just kidding I couldn't resist!

Hey thanks to those who put some useful opinions in here. This IS going to be a range/home defense gun so maybe I'll just get the black. It's too big for carry.

 

[Black Majik]

I think I'm one of the few that doesn't like stainless guns. I think they look sort of cheap with the polished flats with gray beadblasted rounds. It just doesn't look right.

If I wanted a shiny gun (which I do), I'd go with a carbon steel and hardchromed.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

I prefer stainless. Less maintance, and doesn't show wear like blue guns do. Looks? Blue hands down.

My thoughts exactly.

Best of both worlds (to me) would be the look of blue with the durability of stainless. Maybe Birdsong's Black-T?

 

[MillCreek]

Living in the wet and rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, I prefer stainless for my carry handguns due to the increased corrosion resistance. I have several blued firearms and none of them have corroded, but they do require just a bit more upkeep to keep them that way.