What happened to Stainless guns? whats the deal?

[txfireguy2003]

Seems to me that the finish on a stainless gun is less effected by holster wear etc than others. From my understanding (as a hobby welder) stainless is stainless, and the same color all the way through, with the exception of the degree to which it is polished. A blued or parkerized gun on the other hand, the metal is actually a grey/silver color, with a black coating on it, which can rub off. For evidence of this, take an axe, that is grey in color and grind a new edge on it.....that edge, where you cut through the oxidation on the surface, will be bright silver. Polish that edge on a good smooth stone and it will be smooth and bright and resemble polished stainless....for a while anyway. I can post some pics of a carbon steel fire axe that I polished to mirror finish if needed. Then some pics of the same axe a few years later after the owner failed to care for the finish properly...ugly, but if it had been stainless, the rusting wouldn't be so bad.

[RiverRat]

I CC stainless because I sweat like a horse, and it's easier to maintain compared to blue. My body chemicals bring out the rust in blued finishes rapidly. The tuperware (my xd45 compact) is also easily maintained, but has the double stack width, which is slightly harder to conceal even though lighter (except for the additional ammo) which actually makes it heavier, too.

[Liberty]

Is SS a heavier metal then whats commonly used and blued? does anyone know what the weight ratio per lb. is between the metals?

Per pound, all metals weigh the same. Someone else already answered the question that you meant to ask, the weight per unit of volume.

I think we see fewer stainless models these days because most models focus on CCW, and there is a perception, right or wrong, that a CCW needs to be black, because a bright, flashy, stainless/nickle firearm will be seen but a black one will not, regardless of the cover garment over it .

Most stainless guns aren't very bright and shiny they are sorta grey and dull. They can be polished, but don't normally come out of the box that way. Most black guns are shinier than most stainless guns.

[newmenu2]

Is SS a heavier metal then whats commonly used and blued? does anyone know what the weight ratio per lb. is between the metals?

Per pound, all metals weigh the same. Someone else already answered the question that you meant to ask, the weight per unit of volume.

I think we see fewer stainless models these days because most models focus on CCW, and there is a perception, right or wrong, that a CCW needs to be black, because a bright, flashy, stainless/nickle firearm will be seen but a black one will not, regardless of the cover garment over it .

Most stainless guns aren't very bright and shiny they are sorta grey and dull. They can be polished, but don't normally come out of the box that way. Most black guns are shinier than most stainless guns.

omg! that was the one problem I missed on the SAT.

"Whats the difference in weight between a 16.5 lb Keg that contains 1000 cubic inches of tin and a 16.5 lb Keg that contains 1000 cubic inches of steel when tin is .23 lbs per cubic inch and steel is .28 lbs per cubic inch? Show your work"

[mgood]

The last three guns I've purchased are stainless or at least major parts of them are:

NAA Pug - all stainless (except for the rubber grip)

Kimber Ultra CDP II, aluminum frame and stainless slide

Ruger Mini-14, wood stock with stainless barrel (and stainless action, I think)

I'm thinking I may need to get out of a rut and get a little S&W revolver with a scandium alloy frame (whatever scandium is) and titanium cylinder.

[Morgan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandium" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;