Benefits of a Stainless Steel Rifle Barrel?

[Rockrivr1]

In a post I started yesterday on the best platform for 6.5 Creedmoor there were several recommendations on getting a Stainless Steel barrel. So I'm wondering with today's metallurgy is stainless steel really that much better then blued steel? Will stainless steel be more accurate, have a longer barrel life, better heat dissipation, etc. ?

What's your thoughts?

 

[bfm]

Well, with out knowing specifics of the exact steels you are looking at, stainless can be more accurate, but tends to have shorter life.

4150 Carbon Steel vs 416-R Stainless – Which is Right for Me?

 

[shootymacshootface]

I think the biggest benefit is that ss is more resistant to throught erosion than chrome Molly steel.

 

[shootymacshootface]

Posted as I was typing.
Wasn't the use of ss barrels the answer to the 220 swift throught erosion problem?

Well, with out knowing specifics of the exact steels you are looking at, stainless can be more accurate, but tends to have shorter life.

4150 Carbon Steel vs 416-R Stainless – Which is Right for Me?

 

[BUMPA01603]

Moly steel is improving, it will be interesting to see if they can get the accuracy of those barrels to equal / better the 416r in the next few years

 

[bfm]

What type of Barrel Should I Choose?

 

[cockpitbob]

Well, with out knowing specifics of the exact steels you are looking at, stainless can be more accurate, but tends to have shorter life.
4150 Carbon Steel vs 416-R Stainless – Which is Right for Me?

The above only applies to .mill type full-auto use. Stainless doesn't conduct heat as well as carbon steel. The shorter life of stainless in full-auto machine guns is because the heat in the inner bore doesn't pass through to the outside of the barrel as well, so the inside runs hotter.
For bolt guns or normal semi-auto use the difference in heat conduction doesn't matter.

Posted as I was typing.
Wasn't the use of ss barrels the answer to the 220 swift throught erosion problem?

True.

Here's the key point: Barrels don't wear out. They burn out. They have a 40,000psi cutting torch inside for a few milliseconds.

Stainless doesn't oxidize (rust or burn) like carbon steel. Stainless barrels don't get throat erosion from the cutting torch coming out of the brass as quickly as carbon steel ones.

Side note: a friend once tried to cut a sheet of stainless with an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. Once the starting spot was red hot he hit the oxygen. Instead of starting to burn his way through the steel almost nothing happened.

ETA: It's been years, but IIRC stainless dampens its own vibrations better than carbon steel. That's the reason it's generally considered more accurate, all other things being equal. But the big thing to me is the lands aren't eroding as fast so the bullet jump to the lands isn't constantly increasing as fast.

 

[JDL]

A good 416r SS barrel will be cryogenicly stabilized and will be by far the most accurate.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Thanks for the info guys.