I have been to a gunsmith today and he said I should not believe what people tell me, stainless steel barrels can rust and should be treated like normal barrels. If this is so what the hell do I buy a stainless steel barrel in the first place, it is an shillen barrel

Flip

Sure it will rust. But not as fast and severely as Chrome Moly- at least on the exterior of the barrel... You have to give it some care but a constant wipe down is not necessary...

Also, some feel that the stainless bore allows the bullet to develop more velocity with any given load- known as "fast" barrels and the stainless has better wear characteristics...

To me, it's a trade off: I like stainless but it doesn't blue well and requires a special finish or it won't match the action (if you care).

You bought a stainless steel barrel so that it would be more corrosion resistant than Chrome-Moly steel not because it would not corrode. Stainless steel contains much lower levels of Iron and greater levels of nickel. There is also a surface phenomenon that involves concentrations of chromium and nickel that effectively protect the iron from oxidizing. This is particularily important in reducing the effect of the oxidizing portion of the flame front created when you fire the cartridge. Stainless barrels often but not always will show less throat erosion than Chrome Moly barrels and thus last longer.I also believe that they resist Copper Fouling more than Chrome moly, but there are those who argue and perhaps correctly, that this is only because the Stainless barrels are usually better made and lapped better by the manufacturers resulting in smoother finishes. You can abuse stainless barrels and produce rust, however, under comparable conditions it will not be anywhere as severe as on a Chrome Moly barrel.-Rob

Now for my totally unqualified answer. The above posters are absolutely correct about stainless rusting. There is a phenomenon with stainless and aging. My stainless Weatherby's came with a sheet that explains how they become somewhat less likely to corrode after a certain amount of carbon breathes out. I know that I am explaining this wrong because I cannot find the sheet, but after about a year has passed they will still rust. Just not as readily.