Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Reasonable to Blue Stainless Steel?

I'm going to buy a Savage Mark II, and it comes down to a choice of the BV model or the BTVS. The difference is that the BV is traditionally blued, and has a standard laminated stock. The BTVS on the other hand has a stainless barrel and action and a thumbhole stock.

BV


BTVS


Because I am going to put a fairly big (high) scope on it, I see an advantage in going with the high thumbhole stock. On the other hand, I hate the stainless look, and the limitaton it presents to find stainless look rings and scopes.

Is it at all reasonble to take a new stainless finished gun and blue it? If so what would you recommend? I will admit at this point I'm having trouble working up the nerve to blue a new gun.

All comments appreciated,

Ron

Cerrakote?

I'll second the Cerakote, you can always make more money.......

In this same forum a few topics down you'll see CAS @ riflestockpainting.com cerakoted another rifle of mine,that was an all S/S action,barrel,recoil lug and muzzle break.Charley does OUTSTANDING QUALITY WORK,THEY MAKE CERAKOTE IN ABOUT 30 DIFFERENT COLORS,TOUGHEST COATING ON THE MARKET AT PRESENT.IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE N AVY SEALS IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.Give him a call you'll be glad you did.Great guy to work with.

I see what looks like your gun is used in his website.

http://www.riflestockpainting.com/Cerakote.html

It is very nice, but since I'm in Canada, I think it would be very expensive. It may be less costly to just replace the stock, or even buy both guns, switch the stocks and sell the monte carlo stainless combination.

I'm taking these responses as blueing and in particular cold bluing is a no go with stainless? I have a Remington 700 magnum which has a stainless barrel, and I always thought was blued. I guess it really was a coating.

I have one thumb hole stock on a rifle. I didn't think I would like it. I'm here to tell you I was wrong. Also, as a kind of lazy guy who doesn't always get his rifles cleaned on a timely basis, stainless steel is a good thing. kwg

Does Cerakote adhere to stainless without parkerizing the stainless?

I know that some finishes do better after parkerizing the stainless steel. I have had that done to a couple of stainless guns. The barrels that I did not parkerize and coated with a heat-treated coating do ok, but their are places that the coating is coming off at the muzzle.

Ron, I have never had a SS blued that I liked, Cas products comes with great reviews. The only other real option might be to sand blast the barrel and action until it becomes dull. Don't do the bolt! Might ask Cas if anyone in your neck woods is doing Cerakote, I don't know hard it to ship back and forth to the States.

Just buy the blue, sell the stock, and get a thumbhole stock from Boyds for $89.99, probably cost less than shipping it off and having it painted.

OR you could buy the blue and order the stock for the BTVS directly from Savage, but I think they are around $130

call Savage custom shop, I've heard they will put together any combination of their parts for a small fee.

Or spray it yourself to a color you like.