gadgetgeekmt

When it comes to durability & ease of cleaning how do the 3 main barrel types compare. Blued vs stainless vs all camo print such as Realtree Hardwoods.

bigcountry

Well, the camo doesn't really count. Its just a chrome moly barrel that has been dipped or painted. The stainless is easiest for me. You can see the bare steel when its clean. I hunt in brackish swamps and rust is a concern, your splashing this salty water on your gun. Everybody with blued ones sees rust right away that evening. Its doable. I spray rem oil on my guns after a hunt. The stainless is helpful however.

livbucks

Mine is Nickel.
I hear that it can stain some but rust is no problem.
Does anyone know if the inside is plated or is it plain steel?
It is a Traditions PA Pellet.

cayugad

I have a Nickel barrel on the CVA Staghorn and blue barrels on most of the other rifles. Which is easier to clean is really a mute point. They all have to be cleaned. Whether stainless will clean faster is hard to say. It will be easier to spot the crud on the nickel and stainless.

The stainless might be a little more forgiving to those that do not clean right after they are done shooting the rifle. In the rust department the stainless will give you more time before it starts to show rust, but they all will show rust.

I personally do appreciate the nickel barrel when I clean the rifles. I can spot the fowling much easier on the nickel. I am sure stainless would be the best of all three and most expensive.

skeeter 7MM

Stainless, more forgiving to climate and conditions. As for cleaning SS allows you see both exterior and interior for assessment of how clean. Being BP and Subs are so corrosive I find this to be an extremely good and helpful thing on ML's.

Wolfhound76

Definetly the best of the 3. There is a real difference in ease of cleanup. On Price, if you compare straight metal cost, yes Stainless is more. However the labor costs on blued steel are more than on stainless barrels. I've been told by a friend with contacts in the industry that there is not as much actual cost difference as is shown in the prices. Oh and just for comparison, nickle plated barrels are the cheapest of all. The only reason companies charge more for em than their blued steel barrels is because people will buy them thinking their better than blued. The inside of the barrel (where it really counts) is no different than a blued steel barrel unless you get one like I once had with plating on the INSIDE of the barrel! I kept getting that plating out when I swabbed between shots.[:@] That might also be the reason the accuracy was hideous.

I guess shiny barrels catch hunters like shiny lures catch fisherman.

T/C fan!

My Enocre is stainless and it is easier to take care of. But there is a BIG misconception about stainless, It WILL rust!! And once it gets to the pitting stage, its as hard or harder to stop than blue steel. Just something to keep in mind.

gadgetgeekmt

Do the printed barrels( Realtree ) print last or does it scratch , rub off , or dull easily on the outside ?

Wolfhound76

If their done like my TK-2000, yes. Mine has come off a little in the high wear areas, but not too much. Of course I haven't shot it nearly as much as some of my other guns.