Does anyone have any stainless steel guns?

Question

I've wanted to get an 1858 army in stainless steel, but I seem to notice that stainless steel is more of a solid goo than a hard metal, except for the harder types used in knives.

Would a stainless steel gun be very prone to getting nicks and such, veruses the blued steel?

Answer 1

I have a Rossi .357 Mag in SS and many blued guns. Bluing shows scratches much more.

Answer 2

YES there are no Negatives to Stainless Steel.*

Answer 3

I don't know what type of stainless is a "solid goo", but I sell machine shop supplies to people machining lots of grades of stainless, and it's plenty hard. The big advantage of making guns out of stainless steel is that it is more rust resistant, so if you're hunting or shooting in wet, humid ares, it's a good choice. As far as SS getting nicked more easily that blued steel, I would think that the opposite is true. A scratch that scrapes off the bluing on a barrel would be a lot more noticeable than a similar scratch on a SS barrel.

Answer 4

no

Answer 5

nope

Answer 6

I have a ruger mkII in stainless.

Answer 7

The hardness is about the same between a blue steel weapon and stainless - it must be to do the job.

Stainless is more rust resistant; preferred for damp,humid conditions.

I have a S & W .357 in stainless,like it a lot.

Answer 8

I have a stainless barrel on my M1A it's pretty sturdy.

I have a Stainless revolver too it doesn't scratch easily.

Answer 9

If you handle your gun wiht reasonable care, the question of nicks and scrapes will be irrelevent.  I own several stainless guns and all look as good asa the day I bought them.  Yes, I shoot them frequently but I take care of my guns.  I don't bang it around or try to use it for a hammer.  If you want a nickel plated gun, just buy whatever gun you like in blued steel and have a gunsmith nickel plate it for you.

Answer 10

I own several stainless steel guns.  I own nickel plated guns also and believe me, the stainless is more durabile.  Nickel can flack off especially if you constantly expose it to metal solvent while cleaning your bore.  I ruined the finish on an old Mauser HSc pistol I once owned that way.  

Stick to stainless steel.  It will serve you better.

H

Answer 11

I have owned a GP100 for over 20 years and carried it daily for about 4 years. I did not notice any tendency toward nicks and dings. (I also have a Thompson/Center In-Line Muzzle loader in stainless.)

And if I had any 'shining' by my holster I used some SCOTCHBRITE pads to brush it out.

With Black powder stainless should be a good fit. You can wash it out with a bit of soap and water after a shooting session and the clean up would be a snap.

Oh, and be aware Stainless isn't, it is just stain less. And it will rust .

EDIT: Also, Nickle, when damaged, will begin to peal from your weapon and the only way to stop it is to have it refinished.