Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Preferred barrel finish

New Ruger American thread got me thinking why Ruger didn't offer SS in addition to cerakote. Or provide a nitride finish option. Majority of my rifles going back to 90's are blue'd, and that's worked well for me. But I'm anticipating getting a new 7RM from RemArms next year for moose hunting, and thinking SS will be best option. We hunt northern Ontario and it's typical for us to get drenched in rain or snow (sometimes all 5 days afield). Hasn't been a problem since I teardown and fully dry the works, but I'd like less work to do during that hunt week.

RemArms will be cerakoting the Alpha1 (24" fluted) with no SS option, which has me thinking to go with either Sendero (416 SS, 26") or Long Range (blued, 26") models. The Sendero & LongRange also wear HS Precision stocks. But the Alpha1 has a field-strippable bolt & Timney trigger, which are big plusses.

Barrel finish has previously never been a deal killer but, with several options for the new RemArms Model 700, has me thinking which I should choose. Or shouldn’t it matter.

Ceracote hits the bottom of my list too. It does nothing for the bore.

Lose the flutes, the coatings colored to look like stainless, etc. Just give me good-quality, low-glare stainless steel barrels. The receivers can still be CM steel for all I care. Weatherby showed years ago that people are fine with CM actions and SS tubes.

As far as I know, all the new 700’s have Timney triggers, but the one in the Alpha 1 is a different one than the others.
I got a new Alpha 1 a couple of months ago, posted 1st impressions here. I like it a lot.
For a 7mm RM intended for use such as you describe, I’d be sorely tempted by the Sendero. That said, if I were invited on an Ontario moose expedition tomorrow I would not hesitate to gram my Alpha 1 .308 and go. So you pull or push a dry patch through the bore at the end of the day…

This thread got me thinking about the Alpha 1 barrel material. I’d seen a couple of things that seemed to imply that it was stainless, but nothing definite. I knew my 700 XCR/CTR barrel is coated stainless. Figured go to the source. Emailed Remington CS and got a prompt reply: it is stainless.

SS & I like ceŕrokote on the ones I've had it down to but I don't know of factory cerrokote is the same.

But plain SS is fine.

But honestly, I've never had a problem in wet weather with CM...........if you take some measures to prevent problems.

As for bolts, M-70' & Kimbers are field strippable as are Mausers.

MM

I prefer bare stainless on the action and barrel.
Its a fairly easy to make it look new.

Interesting - thanks for sharing. So RemArms uses SS for their Alpha1 rifles yet still cerakotes them? Must be going for the blued/dark barrel look (plus a little marketing with the CK...and fluting). Even without field strippable bolt, the Sendero is getting my attention. May not wait for Alpha1 to come out. Merry Christmas to me?

I used to think SS was the way to go for weather protection. Now I simply don't have a huge preference. I prefer something with a non-reflective surface instead of highly polished blue or SS.

If concerned about the weather the stock is the weak link. I've seen wood stocks go from perfect to useless in a matter of seconds. It takes a long time for moisture to screw up any of the metal parts of a rifle. Long enough that it qualifies as neglect. It is EASIER to keep a SS barrel and action looking like new, but I don't mind a few character marks on my firearms.

Furnature wax. Apply a heavy coat to the gun and stock. Leave it on...