Stainless or Blued? Is there a quality difference?

mbrokaw8 · 04-19-2008, 02:00 PM

I don't understand it, why do stainless steel guns cost more? Is there an actual difference in quality? I'm looking at a Para Ord. Carry 9, and I noticed that I could literally scratch the finish off with my fingernail with little effort. So I figure after about a month or so of carrying the pistol, it will look several years old! Is that normal?? I found the same gun but in stainless steel, is this the route I should take, or is the wear and tear just something I should expect and get over it? I just hate to spend a bunch of money on a new gun and it look really worn after a short time.

Any thoughts?

neophyte · 04-19-2008, 04:03 PM

mbrokaw8: Sir; for you? For me Blue ones; Single Actions, Big loud and Fun.
Really.
My others? are Stainless, black, plastic
Some of my blue ones are 20-25+yrs young and get carried, shot, fondled, cleaned, and just sit around.

Coating should not be coming off your firearm. Call the manufacture and have them fix it.

Capt'n Mil Coll · 04-19-2008, 09:45 PM

My experience is Stainless will eventually stain. Blueing will eventually discolor. Any fininsh will wear off with repeated use. I have one pistol with nickel anodizing which is the most expensive plating. Other than gold or silver. I have to say that to keep em from saying it. A chrome plated .45 will get that rainbow discoloring after its been heated up enough. I like Stainless better than blueing on handguns because they are easier to clean in my opinion. And it seems like the stainless is a harder finish.

nathangdad · 04-19-2008, 10:09 PM

. . . I feel the stainless would be an asset. I live in the Texas Panhandle where the lack of humidity, rain, etc. makes blued steel guns an excellent choice.

Stainless is a bit more expensive primarily because it is more difficult to machine. Machining difficulties are the main reason usually cited as to the amount of time delay it took to bring stainless guns to the marketplace.
Note: stainless steel was available and was used for certain WW1 cannon barrels where it was an asset especially when black powder charges were used.

Note stainless does not eliminate the need for proper cleaning and lubrication. Stainless will rust and without proper lubrication it will gall
(seize up in operation).

TXplt · 04-19-2008, 10:17 PM

It's not normal to be able to scratch the finish easily. My warthog has a para-cote finish, which has been a reasonably durable blue finish (rust resistant too). The Glocks "bluing" is actually a finish which is extremely durable and corrosion resistant -- from what I know of it much more so than Stainless. So there are all kinds of good finishes available.

Stainless will have more rust resistance than blued steel. Both will rust over time. If I were carrying a pistol next to a sweaty me (and didn't want to concern myself with maintenance that much), I'd opt for stainless over blued steel (although the "bluing" on my charter bulldog hasn't rusted at all with not too much maintenance). I personally like how blued firearms look better, at least in revolvers.

Windwalker · 04-19-2008, 10:32 PM

To me, stainless seems to require less maintenance.

ArkansasHunter · 04-19-2008, 10:35 PM

What Windwalker said and the barrels are more fluid due to crome content, you figure.

Big Tool · 04-19-2008, 11:48 PM

I always go with stainless on pistols. South MS the humidity is so bad bluing dosen't hold up too well.

9mmfan · 04-25-2008, 02:09 PM

Stainless Steel, more resistance to rust, easer to keep clean....etc. etc.

GlockMeister · 04-25-2008, 02:22 PM

Tough one. I like both finishes. Stainless does last longer. But if ever in a gun fight at night, stainless can be seen if light hits hit. So each has it's uses.

I wish I could vote for both, but I can't. So I'll pick one.

I pick blued. Only because if one really wants to, they can get it or reblue it themselves or put an entirely different finish on it if they so choose...

Don357 · 04-25-2008, 05:27 PM

Get the blue, and when the blueing wears off get it Dura-coated. Dura-coat is an enamel/epoxy paint that is highly resistant to most any thing. Almost like Rhino-Lining in pickup truck beds. It can be had in many different colors and textures. And it is not really expensive. I saw a picture of a guy's P-11 Kel-Tec done with a Chrome slide and a blue, I mean real blue grip/frame. Looked wild. You can really get personal with a dura-coat finish. Of course you were talking about a Para-9, for the money you have to spend on one of them, you would expect the finish to at least make it home. Take that money buy 2 guns and try the dura-coat.

madcratebuilder · 04-26-2008, 06:50 AM

SS is much easier to care for. You can bring the finish on most back to new with some polish and scotchbrite pad. Personally I think 'blue' looks better. Parkerizing may be the toughest finish you can get. DuraCoat and the other 'gun' paints well chip if handled rough, and wear off at tight fitting moving parts.

BPierce · 04-27-2008, 12:35 AM

stainless steel is not a finish it can be finished in several ways the most popular are "bright" (polished) and "brushed" but there are others including ways to stain it dark, sort of like blued steel. Of course, with SS the finish is not necessary to help preserve the metal. As was said, the extra cost of a SS gun is primarily due to it being harder to machine and thus hard on the tools used. When considering a SS gun for it's durability and limited maintainance, it is important to know that a quality SS gun will have a high percentage of SS parts. It makes no sense to buy a gun, to keep aboard a boat in a saltwater climate for instance, and have the insides turn to rust.

ManlyTexan · 05-03-2008, 06:30 PM

You can always re-blue a gun. Can you re-stainless Steel a gun?

Tim44 · 05-03-2008, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManlyTexan

You can always re-blue a gun. Can you re-stainless Steel a gun?

I think glass bead blasting or other finish restoration process will "remove the stain/surface rust" and produce a like-new stainless steel finish.
That and because is lower maintenance is why I bought s/s.

rfc357 · 05-04-2008, 09:22 AM

Actually, stainless is a finish. What makes stainless steel stainless is a transparent layer of oxidation that forms over the base steel almost immediately. Stainless steel is not immune to rust. The initial oxidation layer makes it highly resistant to the particular form of oxidation we call "rust." Read this:

Stainless steel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

View Poll Results: What should I do?
Go for the stainless.	18	60.00%
Go for the Blued.	9	30.00%
Go for a different gun altogether!	7	23.33%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 30. You may not vote on this poll

04-19-2008, 02:00 PM	#1
mbrokaw8 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 5	Stainless or Blued? Is there a quality difference? I don't understand it, why do stainless steel guns cost more? Is there an actual difference in quality? I'm looking at a Para Ord. Carry 9, and I noticed that I could literally scratch the finish off with my fingernail with little effort. So I figure after about a month or so of carrying the pistol, it will look several years old! Is that normal?? I found the same gun but in stainless steel, is this the route I should take, or is the wear and tear just something I should expect and get over it? I just hate to spend a bunch of money on a new gun and it look really worn after a short time. Any thoughts?

04-19-2008, 04:03 PM	#2
neophyte Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 3,610 Blog Entries: 2	Coating mbrokaw8: Sir; for you? For me Blue ones; Single Actions, Big loud and Fun. Really. My others? are Stainless, black, plastic Some of my blue ones are 20-25+yrs young and get carried, shot, fondled, cleaned, and just sit around. Coating should not be coming off your firearm. Call the manufacture and have them fix it. __________________ Craig By the standards of most

04-19-2008, 09:45 PM	#3
Capt'n Mil Coll Military Rifle Collector Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Right behind you. -NRA Member- Posts: 2,304 Images: 15	My experience is Stainless will eventually stain. Blueing will eventually discolor. Any fininsh will wear off with repeated use. I have one pistol with nickel anodizing which is the most expensive plating. Other than gold or silver. I have to say that to keep em from saying it. A chrome plated .45 will get that rainbow discoloring after its been heated up enough. I like Stainless better than blueing on handguns because they are easier to clean in my opinion. And it seems like the stainless is a harder finish. __________________ Let's light this fuse and see what happens!

04-19-2008, 10:09 PM	#4
nathangdad Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2,500	Since you mentioned Tampa, Florida . . . . . . I feel the stainless would be an asset. I live in the Texas Panhandle where the lack of humidity, rain, etc. makes blued steel guns an excellent choice. Stainless is a bit more expensive primarily because it is more difficult to machine. Machining difficulties are the main reason usually cited as to the amount of time delay it took to bring stainless guns to the marketplace. Note: stainless steel was available and was used for certain WW1 cannon barrels where it was an asset especially when black powder charges were used. Note stainless does not eliminate the need for proper cleaning and lubrication. Stainless will rust and without proper lubrication it will gall (seize up in operation).

04-19-2008, 10:17 PM	#5
TXplt Lost in the Ozone Again Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,837 Images: 4 Blog Entries: 2	It's not normal to be able to scratch the finish easily. My warthog has a para-cote finish, which has been a reasonably durable blue finish (rust resistant too). The Glocks "bluing" is actually a finish which is extremely durable and corrosion resistant -- from what I know of it much more so than Stainless. So there are all kinds of good finishes available. Stainless will have more rust resistance than blued steel. Both will rust over time. If I were carrying a pistol next to a sweaty me (and didn't want to concern myself with maintenance that much), I'd opt for stainless over blued steel (although the "bluing" on my charter bulldog hasn't rusted at all with not too much maintenance). I personally like how blued firearms look better, at least in revolvers. __________________ Old fighter pilots never die.....They just wind up in Texas

04-19-2008, 10:32 PM	#6
Windwalker Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,596	To me, stainless seems to require less maintenance. __________________ America: Love it and protect it or leave it

04-19-2008, 10:35 PM	#7
ArkansasHunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 10,722	What Windwalker said and the barrels are more fluid due to crome content, you figure.

04-19-2008, 11:48 PM	#8
Big Tool Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MS Posts: 602	I always go with stainless on pistols. South MS the humidity is so bad bluing dosen't hold up too well.

04-25-2008, 02:09 PM	#9
9mmfan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Anywhere The Department of Homeland Defense sends me. Tennessee, is my home. Posts: 440	Stainless Steel, more resistance to rust, easer to keep clean....etc. etc. __________________ Peace Through Superior Firepower !

04-25-2008, 02:22 PM	#10
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 5,504	Tough one. I like both finishes. Stainless does last longer. But if ever in a gun fight at night, stainless can be seen if light hits hit. So each has it's uses. I wish I could vote for both, but I can't. So I'll pick one. I pick blued. Only because if one really wants to, they can get it or reblue it themselves or put an entirely different finish on it if they so choose... __________________ I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6!

04-25-2008, 05:27 PM	#11
Don357 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Semmes Alabama Posts: 273	Get the blue, and when the blueing wears off get it Dura-coated. Dura-coat is an enamel/epoxy paint that is highly resistant to most any thing. Almost like Rhino-Lining in pickup truck beds. It can be had in many different colors and textures. And it is not really expensive. I saw a picture of a guy's P-11 Kel-Tec done with a Chrome slide and a blue, I mean real blue grip/frame. Looked wild. You can really get personal with a dura-coat finish. Of course you were talking about a Para-9, for the money you have to spend on one of them, you would expect the finish to at least make it home. Take that money buy 2 guns and try the dura-coat. Last edited by Don357; 04-25-2008 at 05:31 PM.

04-26-2008, 06:50 AM	#12
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 593	SS is much easier to care for. You can bring the finish on most back to new with some polish and scotchbrite pad. Personally I think 'blue' looks better. Parkerizing may be the toughest finish you can get. DuraCoat and the other 'gun' paints well chip if handled rough, and wear off at tight fitting moving parts. __________________ The difference between a hot dog and a weenie is a fine line.....

04-27-2008, 12:35 AM	#13
BPierce Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minnesota (Becker County) Posts: 148	stainless steel is not a finish it can be finished in several ways the most popular are "bright" (polished) and "brushed" but there are others including ways to stain it dark, sort of like blued steel. Of course, with SS the finish is not necessary to help preserve the metal. As was said, the extra cost of a SS gun is primarily due to it being harder to machine and thus hard on the tools used. When considering a SS gun for it's durability and limited maintainance, it is important to know that a quality SS gun will have a high percentage of SS parts. It makes no sense to buy a gun, to keep aboard a boat in a saltwater climate for instance, and have the insides turn to rust.

05-03-2008, 06:30 PM	#14
ManlyTexan Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: West Texas Near the Home of The B1B Bomber. Posts: 16	You can always re-blue a gun. Can you re-stainless Steel a gun?

05-04-2008, 09:22 AM	#16
rfc357 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 741	Actually, stainless is a finish. What makes stainless steel stainless is a transparent layer of oxidation that forms over the base steel almost immediately. Stainless steel is not immune to rust. The initial oxidation layer makes it highly resistant to the particular form of oxidation we call "rust." Read this: Stainless steel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia __________________ Certified rifle and pistol instructor