Re:"it's not an issue with stainless ROAs"
Sorry, BUT!, I beg to differ with that! It IS an issue with stainless steel ROAs! It sure IS an issue! Stainless steel will corrode and rust and PIT very heavily if not cleaned right after shooting highly corrosive Burned Black Powder!!! Black powder and its derivatives when burned start corroding anything right away. Unburned, it is inert and non-corrosive, and comes and is sold in a cheap metal tin can, however after ignition, those particles will start to attack any metal it is in contact with right away. It is a fantastic metal but IT WILL RUST. CORRODE, AND WORST, PIT. Normal steel will not PIT as heavily and deeply as stainless steel. Any metallurgist or competent gun builder will confirm this. Mostly surface rust in powdery form attacks regular chrome moly blue steel.The only kind of barrel/chamber that can withstand this kind of hell are the chrome lined barrels that are issued to the military, not stainless steel. Please do not think buying an externally clean, good looking, shiny used OR NEW stainless steel ROA will be exempt from a good bore inspection! No way! A lot of folks have been, get this, decieved by sellers of "shiny", blingy stainless steel firearms without inspecting the bores very well and have regreted it. Now this IS specially true of black powder firearms. The most shot-out heavily corroded barrels out there in stainless steel have always been with black powder firearms. Both in rifle or pistol/revolver form. Ask any good gunsmith or gunshop worth their salt and integrity about all this, and you will be surprised at what they have seen firsthand! I have walked away from a lot, a whole lot, of good looking stainless steel Old Armys at gunshows, gunshops, pawnshops, shooting ranges, I mean a lot, after peering into their bores. Shook my head as I walked away! Pull that cylinder, look inside the bore, a very good look! Walk if you see any kind of rust, pits, rings, dirt, whatever. A trusted seller would never sell you a firearm without a good bore inspection by the buyer. If the seller is far away and can only ship, than demand, not ask, close-up pictures of the muzzle and bore. If he can't do this , ask what return policy or terms he has, if not skip it my friends. Walk. It sure IS true that Ruger did ship fired and tested brand new ROAs in stainless steel and blue versions without cleaning them or their bores, why, I do not know, but I think it was nuts to do so. I have seen them first hand brand new in their wrappers and boxes,cases, before they discontinued them. So watch out for those new ones too! Stainless steel is NOT a super-steel, a very fine steel indeed and highly impervious to the elements (rain, sweat,dirt,moisture,oily hands,etc.,whatever) but not to burned black powder. No sir! ...............Hope this helps a lot of folks out there, all the best to all as always.