Stainless shotguns?

H

Hummer

Inactive
How come nobody makes stainless steel shotguns? I've been told the reason is that they'd be prohibitively expensive compared to good old blued steel. If that were true, then why are SS revolvers, pistols, & rifles are all available and priced competitively with their blued versions? :confused:
 
Many guns that people call stainless are actually plated steel. My buddy has a Marine Magnum that is a combination of nickle-plated steel and stainless. That is one 870 that is just about immortal!
Mike
 
For whatever reason,Hummer, the demand isn't there. Otherwise, we'd be up to our navels in them, just like with handguns.
 
Being most often hidebound traditionalists ;) shiny guns don't make most scattergunner hearts beat faster. They are also a disadvantage in the duck blinds.

There are a couple of guns that the makers claim to be at least partially stainless.

http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/md1300/m1300_stainlessmarine.htm

Ruger makes all of its shotguns with stainless receivers and the All Weather has stainless barrels or so I'm told by the dealer who tried to sell me one.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/sgpages/krlp1236.html

No sale for me. I'm partial to blued steel and walnut. :cool:
 
I started to say maby shotgunners are smarter than handgunners, but got to thinkin bout the vast number of scatterguns that have been sold just caust the word "tacticle" was in the name.

Oh well.

Sam.........stainless for cheap silverware.
 
I understand the aesthetic objections, but I'm a guy with a Poly-Choke on my Belgian A-5 :). Practicality & utility are what I'm after here.

My huntin' shotgun is the one I work hardest to keep clean and dry, because it’s the one I'm always getting wet. I can't help but think there are a lot of hunters out there who would line up to buy a matte stainless smoothbore. There’s no bluing to wear off, rust is of minimal concern, and with a matte finish, reflective glare is not a problem.

It seems to me that the gun companies could be making boatloads of money here . . . :confused:
 
& I must ask ....

What "advantage" would a SST shotgun entail?

May be a "nifty," & a "must have," & "a better" finish, all-in-all, but when it really comes down to a "nuts 'n bolts" pump/"do-it-all" shotgun, what possible difference could it ever matter?

You could literally soak an 870 in salt-water & just flush it out "one-a-week" with fresh water & still have a perfectly functunal pump-gun.

Why a "better" finish?

I literally did have a Rem Express which, when dove hunting in NW Nebraska once, exposed this thing to an an extreme amount of sand ..... (it was literally buried & my buds were absolutely horrified) when I just ran "the pump" over the shotgun to flush all the sand off it. The "pump" was merely "the house" water-hose-thing .... this is a country watre pump, BTW ... not some "purified "city-thing."

Yup. Turned the pump on full, ran water all over the shotgun & worked the action forcefully enough to work out all extraneous material/s - "blew" the sand out enough to re-work the action. Fine enough to shoot ~75-90% on doves till I got it home.

When I got home - a week, or two, later, I did spray on some CLP & "cleaned out" the action & etc.
- YMMV.

There's not another that'll take this kind of "abuse," stadard-level of "attention" & keep on keepi'n on .....

Another BTW - zip for rust on this shooter & it's still one of my #1 mainstays for home defense & for every reason to be so = total reliability & (still) zip for any rust/corrosion, etc. - this & 4+ years later.

Stainless/nickle-plate = why the extra expense? ;)
 
Labgrade has a point. My oldest 870 was made in 1950, and I'm at least the third owner. It was used for waterfowl, deer, uplands, trap, 3 gun, "Practical" and instruction. 8-10K rounds through it so far. I noted when I took it down a few weeks ago that the bluing was getting mighty thin in places, like where one holds the bottom of the receiver when carrying it. No rust, and it's been cleaned and lubed with everything from GI bore cleaner to SLIP 2000 to #9 to 10W-40 wt motor oil.
And yes, it shucks very smoothly.

I fail to see how a SS shotgun would improve on this. Maybe if I lived on Assateague.....
 
You guys can poo-poo the stainless/nickle 870's all you want but I can tell you that they clean up quickly and much easier than the blued models.
I'm a guy who enjoys cleaning my guns. I clean after every shoot no matter how liitle I may have shot a gun. It is a relaxing yoga-like thing for me.
On those occasions that I take my buddy with the Marine Magnum along, he will often stay with me afterwards and clean his 870 as well. The dirt just wipes off. It is really quite cool.
While I will probably never get one myself, they are absolutely lower maintenance. More dependable, I doubt it. If I had a SG that was going to be soley home defense and sit in a closet and more or less be forgotten, I would certainly consider a Marine Magnum for that duty.
As it is, I shoot everything that I own, and I clean frequently.
I know guys who have gone to their gun cabinet/drawer/locker/shoe-box and pulled a gun that has started to develop little rusty marks that happen to match their finger prints. This will never happen with a stainless/nickel gun.
Maybe not the gun for me but a good idea for some.
Mike
 
Mike, I wasn't poo-pooing SS shotguns. Like other SS guns, they can be a really good idea in salt or wet environments.

The reason my son is NOT learning to shoot with the 16 gauge H&R that was both my father's and my first shotgun is a family member took it in great shape to the beach one summer and brought back a hunk of rust. It's been 20 years and I still get hot thinking about it.

And, an SS or Marine Mag 870 must come close to being an immortal shotgun. Nothing short of outright abuse or an acid bath would affect it.
 
Doesn't Mossberg make a SS "marine" shotgun? Or is it just a mix of SS, chrome, & chrome-like powder coat?

Would a good, baked-on powder coat work just about as well (at least for the non-barrel parts) without the shininess of SS?
 
My Ruger O/U is the All Weather version. I really like it and it does attract attention at shoots. A SS O/U now that's immortal (fewer moving parts than a pump or auto).
 
Danger Dave,
Mossberg makes what they call a "Mariner". I am 870 biased but if you compare that Mariner to an 870 Marine Magnum, the Mossy looks like a pimp-gun. I don't know what the finish is but it looks like the chrome on a trailer hitch. I'm talking tacky!
This is, of course, just my opinion. Feel free to compare them yourself.
Mike
 
Love mine

The 870 Marine Magnum.....she resides in the trunk of the old Crown Vic and I don't have to worry about moisture, rust or whether she'll work when I fire her.....

Wouldn't want one for hunting but for "up close and personal" social work, she's my choice.
 
Just cause it is mostly rust resistant, don't ignore the little things like springs and such. Gun can look good but have rotten soul and not fire when needed.

Sam
 
Parts for Marine Magnum .....

These parts are available from Reimington to replace the 2 shot extension so that the Marine Magnum will have a more "conventional" look, while still retaining the protective nickel finish. Maybe for hunting, etc.?


P/N Description
----------------------------------------------
102979 Magazine cap with swivel
97615 Magazine spring
97616 Magazine spring retainer
18097 Magazine plug
 
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