I have the opportunity to buy a Stainless gun that is ~20 years old. It looks to be in good shape but I was wondering about the quality of stainless steel that old. Would I have any issues? Is it the same or better than today's stainless steel?

Stainless can rust like regular steel, regardless of what it is called. Be sure you remove the stock to check for hidden corrosion. Otherwise there are more important factors (brand and model of gun, what caliber, etc) than the quality of the steel of a gun manufactured in the 80's, it will be just fine.

Nebraska... who is the manufacture? Like most firearms it is probably 416R a free-machining stainless. 416R 20 years ago is 416R today

Reposted from another forum where the same question was ask---

Nebraska---

"Stainless steel" has been around since the Turks experimented with nickel-iron metorites in the 13th century. You may remember Jim Bowies legendary blade was made of "steel that darkens less, even when exposed to blood......" Mr Black of Arkansas used a lump of metorite to forge that blade.

Modern metallurgy has taken some large leaps in the last 20 years but most of it is in the Titanium alloys. Firearms are made of alloys developed in the mid '50s when vacume-melt, static arc furnaces came into use.

The problem with stainless has always been in trying to get a surface hard enough to use as a firearm while at the same time preserving some rust resistance and, at the same time, preserving machineability. It's a tough balancing act that means you must compromise some things to gain others.

A twenty year-old SS rifle, (or a 35 year old M-60) is as good as stainless gets.......which is not as good as chrome moly.

It's a trade-off of longivity and smoothness for a rifle that takes less maintinence. I wouldn't consider any stainless actioned firearm unless it's a "under the seat of the boat" gun that stays in the boat. I see no need for it beyond that.

I shoot stainless barrels because they give about 10% more barrel life, but that's the only reason.

BTW-- When SS rust, and it does, any pits that are formed are usually much deeper into the surface than pits on carbon or CM alloy steels. It's just chemistry.

And that said, this argument (4140 vs 416) reminds me of Ken Olsen's position on the PC vs an intelligently architected, high availability server. The market went where it wanted and Digital Equipment ($14B) no longer exists.

The preponderance of new orders (looking at our own sheets here) is stainless steel. Perception is reality.

I learned my prejudice against stainless steels in the Navy nuclear power program. We used them mostly in the reactor plant primary system plumbing, and they are a pain in the neck compared to other types of steel. Galling was a particular problem, but various corrosion mechanisms unique to SS occur: chloride stress corosion and lead stress corrosion for two.

As far as firearms go, I find blue steel more appealing to the eye, and just as useful in the field. I have guns for difficult conditions Parkerized (phosphated), but I don't leave any guns under boat seats. The only SS guns I own are items only made in that material.

Your 20-year old 416SS is just the same as "modern" 416, for better or for worse.

jim dodd