Does stainless steel last longer with magnums like .257 weatherby?

I think the question of barrel longevity is more likly to be a function of how hot you load than the material the barrel is made from.

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NRA Life member

My most direct experience is with 50BMG in match rifles, where a typical match requires about 125 rounds, and you can shoot in 10 matches(practice sessions)/year. IMHO stainless steel barrels seem to erode less. I make cerrosafe casts of my chambers when new and record both the number of rounds and the amount of erosion at 250,500 etc. At 1300 rounds, a stainless barrel is still useful( accuracy has fallen off a bit), while a chome-moly barrel is definately history well before 1000 rounds. Of course the quality of the stainless steel may make a difference. I've also seen a similar phenomenon in .338 calibers, so my choice for Hot/overbore cartridges like the .257 WBY would definately be Stainless steel if extreme barrel life is an issue. For the average hunter, I doubt you could tell the difference.-Rob