If you were going to buy a Mini-14, are there any advantages to the blued steel over the stainless? I know the stainless is more corrosion resistant. I was curious if there was a downside to stainless? For example, is the stainless harder to machine to the same tolerance as blued steel? ....
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Rifles- stainless vs. Blued steel
- Thread starter Dave3006
- Start date
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
I've owned two of each. Never noticed any particular advantage of stainless over blue, other than maybe some psychological effect of believing it was less prone to rust.
Maintenance was equally easy; operation was equally reliable, and accuracy was basically the same for all of them.
Art
Maintenance was equally easy; operation was equally reliable, and accuracy was basically the same for all of them.
Art
Stainless is harder to machine and the raw material is more expensive. That's why stainless guns are more expensive.
Some shooters claim that stainless wears better than carbon steel and that a stainless barrel will last longer. That may be true for a benchrest shooter who throws away his barrels when they won't hold 1/2 inch groups at 200 yards anymore, but for a rifle like the Mini which is a 2-4MOA gun anyway, I'll bet it doesn't make any difference. That barrel will shoot a LONG time before it degrades to the point that it is the long pole in the accuracy tent (so to speak).
So, if corrosion resistance is important to you, get a stainless gun. If that's not a big selling point for you then the one that looks best to you.
One other point. If this is going to be a beater gun (you know, one that ends up in the trunk of you car or behind the seat of your truck, stainless will stay nice looking longer because there is no finish to wear off.
Some shooters claim that stainless wears better than carbon steel and that a stainless barrel will last longer. That may be true for a benchrest shooter who throws away his barrels when they won't hold 1/2 inch groups at 200 yards anymore, but for a rifle like the Mini which is a 2-4MOA gun anyway, I'll bet it doesn't make any difference. That barrel will shoot a LONG time before it degrades to the point that it is the long pole in the accuracy tent (so to speak).
So, if corrosion resistance is important to you, get a stainless gun. If that's not a big selling point for you then the one that looks best to you.
One other point. If this is going to be a beater gun (you know, one that ends up in the trunk of you car or behind the seat of your truck, stainless will stay nice looking longer because there is no finish to wear off.
rugerfreak
New member
I've had 2 stainless(still have one) and 2 blued Mini's + I've had a stainless Mini-30. The only difference that I could tell (other than rust resistance) is that the trigger and bolt function seemed smoother to me with the blued ones---like the parts "broke in" together quicker. The trigger on my current stainless one still seems gritty after about 200 rounds---but that's all I've shot through it too.
Well ... from a metallurgical point of view, most stainless steels conduct heat more slowly than their cabon steel counterparts and most stainlesses have higher coefficients of thermal expansion, which means that for a given change in temperature, they will grow more. If there are any chances for uneven heating, then the stainless barrels will warp more ...
Gotta run ... if you are interested in more details, just ask ...
Saands
Gotta run ... if you are interested in more details, just ask ...
Saands
I have owned both the blue Mini and stainless Mini, and I have not noticed any advantage of the stainless over the blue, except the stainless looks cool.
The only downside to the stainless is the possiblilty of sun glare on the front sight.
If you are regular about your maintenance, and you're not so concerned about looks, there is no advantage getting the stainless, so save yourself a few bucks and get the blue Mini.
I'm thinking about getting a Mini-30 now.
The only downside to the stainless is the possiblilty of sun glare on the front sight.
If you are regular about your maintenance, and you're not so concerned about looks, there is no advantage getting the stainless, so save yourself a few bucks and get the blue Mini.
I'm thinking about getting a Mini-30 now.
Let me start by saying, I won't own a gun I won't shoot and use. Now with that said, Nobody loves a beautiful blued gun with a great piece of wood under it more than I do. That's why the majority of my firearms are stainless, or camo'd.
The only blued gun I have is my Franchi O/U Shotgun. Just doesn't seem right for it not to be. But I'm super careful with it when I have it out.
Stainless will take a beating like you won't believe. And if it does show some wear, just buff it out with some fine grit or emory cloth. It'll be good as new.
I've had some pretty thin barrelled rifles made out of stainless and if it won't shoot under an inch at 100 yards, I won't own it. That said, there's only been one that fell in that catagory. The Remington 700BDLSSDM (detachable box magazine). It was a POS. Both the Brownings I've had would do that easily, both were stainless.
Downside to stainless??? Yes, it's addicting!!
The only blued gun I have is my Franchi O/U Shotgun. Just doesn't seem right for it not to be. But I'm super careful with it when I have it out.
Stainless will take a beating like you won't believe. And if it does show some wear, just buff it out with some fine grit or emory cloth. It'll be good as new.
I've had some pretty thin barrelled rifles made out of stainless and if it won't shoot under an inch at 100 yards, I won't own it. That said, there's only been one that fell in that catagory. The Remington 700BDLSSDM (detachable box magazine). It was a POS. Both the Brownings I've had would do that easily, both were stainless.
Downside to stainless??? Yes, it's addicting!!
bad_dad_brad
New member
All weather is why I went with stainless works and composite furniture for my Mini-14. Since the Mini-14 is not known for tack driving accuracy who cares about that debate. I can group within four inches and sometimes three at 100 yards. As a "ranch rifle" why would you need more. Get a bolt action if you want MOA.
I need something cheap, reliable, with quick follow up shots and the Mini-14 fits the bill, especially in stainless. This little gun will last forever with just the minimum of maintenance.
Go with the stainless.
I need something cheap, reliable, with quick follow up shots and the Mini-14 fits the bill, especially in stainless. This little gun will last forever with just the minimum of maintenance.
Go with the stainless.
By harder to machine I mean that it wears out cutters faster and has a tendency to gall.
The fact that you can hold closer tolerances with stainless than chromemoly or get a better finish doesn't change the above.
For a custom barrel maker, the tolerances and finish are very important, while a few dollars extra for the raw material and some extra wear & tear on a cutter are not that important. He can sell the barrels for what they cost him to make plus enough profit to keep going.
For a mass producing manufacturer guess what matters...
The fact that you can hold closer tolerances with stainless than chromemoly or get a better finish doesn't change the above.
For a custom barrel maker, the tolerances and finish are very important, while a few dollars extra for the raw material and some extra wear & tear on a cutter are not that important. He can sell the barrels for what they cost him to make plus enough profit to keep going.
For a mass producing manufacturer guess what matters...