Help me choose stainless or blued rifle.

[Nuke Man]

I am going to order a new hunting rifle. I have decided on a Tikka T3. I plan on either cerakoting or having it dipped. My question is should I get the stainless model or the blued model? It will be used and abused, drug around the mountains so on and so forth. What are your opinions. Do I need to spend the extra $ if its going to be covered? How well does the paint/ dip adhere to stainless steel?

 

[OK243]

If I had to do it all over again I would probably start off with stainless as you would not have to have it dipped or coated but I like the look of blasted stainless steel and would not have it coated. If you are planning to cover it anyway then it probably does not matter.

 

[PDXGS]

Neither- have it Nitride treated
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There are several of us in Western Oregon who have done this for our match rifles that we shoot in all kinds of weather.
It also increases barrel life. Stainless steel and/or blued steel can be treated.
Cerakote would be a good second choice but my experience is that it begins to show it's age after a few field sessions.

 

[Nuke Man]

Well, I ordered the stainless model. I figure that way if it gets scratched I don't have to worry about rust. I may have the stock dipped in kryptek highlander and cerakote or durakote the barrel and receiver.

 

[Travis224]

I found that bead blasted stainless blends in so very well with the dry winter soybean stubble here in Iowa and dont feel the need to paint or dip the metal, only the stock.

 

[former naval person]

Never had a problem scaring off animals that you hunt with rifles with stainless or any other color. Turkeys have better color vision and I can see the need there. JMHO

 

[ugsly]

I would go stainless any day. I put a CM Douglas barrel on for elk season one year & hunted in the the rain. After 5 days the inside of the chamber & barrel had rusted lightly. My brother and friend had stainless and they didn't have any problems. That 5 days cost me a $280 barrel and my time of putting it on. Spend a little more and get stainless.

Kc