What barrel will last longer. I believe SS is most resistant to throaterosion and that it therefore will last longer than CM - but some say the opposite is true. What is the facts ??

It may depend on who's stainless steel your talking about. Some 416 R has more sulpher content, and if your style of shooting is fast and furious you will see heat checking and throat erosion. If you are in a very corrosive environment and do not shoot a lot of rounds the stainless will last longer.

When I asked the same ? years ago a wise man answered ... " The one with the best cleaning procedure."

Then why is almost all benchrestshooters using SS ??

Ulrick,

If rust doesn't outright destroy a barrel, then the area that usually goes first is the throat. Stainless Steel by design, has certain properties that are better able to resist the effects of heat and flame over that of Chrome Moly. That said, because of some of the properties in Stainless Steel, the surface can be damaged rather easily if care isn't exercised during cleaning.

Crome Moly on the other hand, if allowed to cool a little between shots, can last a considerably long time. It's surface is less effected by tool abrasion than that of Stainless Steel but it is made up of properties that aren't quite as flame resistant as Stainless.

Based on this, I would have to think in a side by side, round for round test, Stainless may have the ultimate edge.

Malm