I am at this stage having my .585 stainless barrel bead blasted, but what other options do I have??

By the sounds of another thread here it is not a durable finish, what would be a more durable finish (I am on a budget)

Thanks Folks

Can anyone help??

PC,

Just saw your posting.

The beaded finish can mark easily, But so does shiny stainless.

Did you end up getting Tobler barrels, if so ask Robert about alternatives.

Having said all that, I don't think the finish is any less durable than say a blued rifle but what happens is that being stainless it tends to be treated rougher.

To give you an example. When I bed rifles, at some point the barrel will be put in the vice with a gun magazine around it. Now if it is a blued rifle I tend to be more careful than for stainless. With stainless the magazine is more likley to be full of devcon dust.

If this helps. A mate of mine is currently choosing between a Californian English blank from USA for $1600US and the best from Australia. The rifle going to Ross Waghorn is bead blasted stainless.

I would not worry about it.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I'll leave it bead blasted. In the end I took your advice and went for a Tobler Barrel. I hear nothing but good things about these barrels.

Mike Alan Naumann from Corp Trading does a Nickel coated finish I was thinking of doing on the action, trigger the whole lot really he charges $240.00 I saw one of his finishes in a gun mag the other month, it looks good (to me any way) what do you think Mike.

PC,

I did not see it. What magazine/artice or is it an ad.

Mike

Mike I will go through my mags later and let you know. It was in one of this years sporting shooter mags.

PC and Mike375 (good to see you)---

Consider this finish that works equally well under blue as with stainless.

Polish to a smooth 400 finish, crawl into an old pair over overalls and a face mask with safety glasses, then slobber on a thick coat of 90w gear oil on the barrel. Lightly run the barrel over a .006 six inch diameter wire brush at no more than 3500 rpm…..less is better.
I took the guard off one end of my small pedestal grinder (3450rpm) and mount the brush on the shaft. It’s almost too fast.

It’s messy but it creates a pleasing matte finish of burnished steel. It’s much tougher than bead blast and scratches can be taken out anytime.

The oil keep it from gouging and frosting but some like that finish too. I suggest you experiment with different pressures, directions, wire diameters, and oil/greases. (STP Oil Treatment is neat).

BE SURE TO WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!

Smear the barrel with JB compound then wire wheel to get a nice soft matte.
Another interesting finsh is done using an orbital sander with about a 150 grit paper then wire wheel lightly. Looks kind of like a damascus if done right. You can try quite a few things before you wear through the barrel! Regards, Bill.

PC,

Another option might be fluting.

A mate of mine has a few rifles with Tobler No 5s and all are fluted, except one.

The barrels have been man handled a fair bit with switching them, away shooting etc. but the fluted ones look OK. They are all bead blasted. I think the flutes probably distract things away from the blemishes.

Another option, but might be a bit hard with a 585, is to get Tobler to give you his steamer paddle wheel fluting.

He does this on a straight barrel and puts huge flutes in the barrel so it looks like the paddle wheel of a river steam boat

The other one he does is to put a huge number of real thin flutes around the barrel. The barrel kind of looks like the cylinder barrel on a model aeroplane engine

Mike

[ 06-19-2002, 05:38: Message edited by: Mike375 ]

Mike,

Both barrels arrived from Tobler last week and neither were profiled. Bob is apparently doing this at the moment. We have decided on his reccomendation for a double taper, so as to detract from a drain pipe style look which he said can happen with these bigger cal barrels.

Mike I was thinking about adding a single island express sight when money becomes available but was going to fit rem sights in the mean time will the rem irons create blemish's which will not be able to be cleaned up or covered over??

PC,
will be in your town in October for my Pop's 80th B'day. If your keen to catch up for a beer or 3 I can meet you at one of the pubs.
I normally drink at the big one on Lydiard St oposite the gun shop.... (can't remember the name.)
you can e-mail me southern_x@hotmail.com

Yeah I'll catch up, it's the George & the gunshop is Scotts (If I only had all the money in my account now that I have given to them).