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My son just returned from his Alaskan moose hunt and wanted me to tear down his rifle to check for any rust underneath the stock. He hunted for a week in steady rain most every day out on the peninsula so there was likely some salt in the air as well. I found a couple spots on the underside of the action and under the scope bases but otherwise nothing. He was concerned about how wet the hunt would likely be and I offered to let him use one of my rifles that'd been Cerakoted or was a stainless unit but in the end he decided to use his own. After taking it down I'm even more convinced that metal coatings of any type are really unnecessary except for those who guide in that type of environment or are just lazy about the care of their guns. I've hunted up there on several occasions from the interior near Denali out to the ABC islands of southeast Alaska, every time with a blued rifle and have yet to have a problem. YMMV.
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I've hunted up there on several occasions from the interior near Denali out to the ABC islands of southeast Alaska, every time with a blued rifle and have yet to have a problem. YMMV. My mileage varies considerably. Hunting A Island pretty much every year. Gave up on blued rifles a loooooong time ago . . . but I'm ok with it working out for you and your son. "Blued is Tuff to beat"??? SS wins hand down every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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For you and others that hunt that area a lot I'd agree, but for the occasional trip there I've done fine with my blued guns. Our experiences just show me that a S/S or coated gun isn't absolutely necessary if one gives his rifle proper care before, during and after such a hunt.
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John, many guys just don’t care or are to lazy to properly maintain a rifle. I agree with your above sentiment.
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I've hunted up there on several occasions from the interior near Denali out to the ABC islands of southeast Alaska, every time with a blued rifle and have yet to have a problem. YMMV. My mileage varies considerably. Hunting A Island pretty much every year. Gave up on blued rifles a loooooong time ago . . . but I'm ok with it working out for you and your son. "Blued is Tuff to beat"??? SS wins hand down every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Agreed. I love my blued rifles and don’t hunt anywhere as harsh as Alaska but my hunting rifles see rain, and snow. Sometimes after hunting all day it’s nice to be able to do a wipe down or minimal maintenance when I get home tired, hungry and equipment to put away. There’s a time and a place for both IMO. Rifles that have cheap bluing are my biggest pet peeve. None of the class and tradition of nice mirror polished deep bluing and usually don’t protect as well either. Kind of the worst of both worlds.
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I couldn't disagree more.
But I've also hunted Alaska more than once.......
And going again on 10/5.
And know I will be using Barricade and steel wool when I return......
Last edited by Tony_Soprano; 09/22/21.
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You might try Corrosion X instead of Barricade. Works very well for me.
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There's some areas of the state that are generally pretty dry and a blued rifle will work fine. There are also areas of the state that are very wet and they do not work particularly well. A man could hunt only one or the other of those types of places and reach the conclusion blued rifles worked great or sucked. Either way, he'd be only half right and should get out more. For me, hunting the ABCs, stainless is a no brainer. Anyone who makes statements that guys using stainless are "just lazy about the care of their guns" has likely never spent any quality time in this corner of the world.
As a quick example lets take a typical fall goat hunt: You spend the entire day hiking through a mix of snow and rain, sit glassing in the weather for hours, or stalking, killing, cutting and packing meat. Every night you crawl into your small tent and burrow into a sleeping bag after wolfing down a mountain house. The only dry thing you own at the point is your sleeping bag and your night-night clothes. Your rifle is soaked generally. So much so that when you get home the rounds in the magazine will have a bit of corrosion where the water pooled between the contact points of the cartridges. Regardless, that rifle is good friend. You've chosen a rugged design and it's been proven on many hunts. This is brown bear country, so you make sure to place the soaking wet rifle in the same way beside you each night and even practice indexing it from where you lay in order to build some muscle memory about where it is, so that should you need it in the middle of the wee hours you'll have a better chance. Each time you roll over that rifle in the middle of the night it's a comfort to know it's there. If you hunt like this you're not lazy. Instead you're just living the life of a wilderness hunter, and you've got some well earned perspective.
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You might try Corrosion X instead of Barricade. Works very well for me. Thanks. Will try that when I come home with a rifle that looks like it's been case colored orange in its entirety.......
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Thanks. Will try that when I come home with a rifle that looks like it's been case colored orange in its entirety.......
No apply the Corrosion-X to your rifle before the hunt as the idea is it may not rust at all on your hunt.
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Won’t touch wood/blue anymore after a few frustrating seasons of chasing my tail keeping rust at bay. Now it’s SS and Corrosion-X as the majority of my hunting involves some form of moisture.
Yup.
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Not all blueing is created equal. Gawdy as it may be, I'd expect a lot better rust resistance from the high-polish bluing on a Weatherby MK V, Browning A-Bolt Medallion, Win (USRAC) XTR's, etc. than I would from a 700 SPS.
Circa late-90's a buddy took his Kimber of Oregon 89 to Alaska on a caribou hunt. It was orange by the 2nd morning. He bought several SS/Syn rifles upon his return from AK.
I hunted caribou on the N Slope of the Brooks in '11. There was more danger of the rifles rusting in the hard-case on the plane flights than there was while we were hunting. We all had SS rifles, but, I'm pretty sure we could've easily completed the hunt with bbl'd actions of carbon steel "in the white" sans any rust.
I can walk on water.......................but I do stagger a bit on alcohol.
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Absolutely depends upon where you hunt. And yes you don’t need to use SS. My big game rifles are nearly all Pre War Mod 70 customs. They’re all blued. I just know what to expect and don’t really give a [bleep] if I have to wipe off some (cosmetic) rust when I get home.
One other thing not mentioned when hunting coastal Alaska, there may be a time or two when you may have to bathe your rifle in fresh water- outside, inside and down the barrel before drying it off. The first time you do that you cringe a little, but necessity is the mother of invention. And this done under a tarp, not in a cabin “wiping down” and oiling your gun by the fire next to your wife…
Last edited by Tony_Soprano; 09/24/21.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Where do you Drooling Fhuqktards DREAM this schit up? Hint. I've never been to Alaska,because it sounds expensive. Hint. Fhuqking LAUGHING!...................
Brad says: "Can't fault Rick for his pity letting you back on the fire... but pity it was and remains. Nothing more, nothing less. A sad little man in a sad little dream."
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August in SC Alaska it rained almost every day good luck taking care of your rifle living out of a tent.
kk alaska
Alaska 7 months of winter then 5 months of tourists
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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The BEST way to treat High Polish Blueing and Living Walnut. 80-grit. Hint. Ooooopsie...pardon actual use. Hint. Pardon Reality colliding with your Fhuqktarded Fantasies,yet again. Hint. Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............
Brad says: "Can't fault Rick for his pity letting you back on the fire... but pity it was and remains. Nothing more, nothing less. A sad little man in a sad little dream."
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What is blued stainless steel? How does it stack up against coatings or parkerizing?
The way life should be.
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Wax on bluing works pretty well
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Campfire Kahuna
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Wax on bluing works pretty well "Compelling" Fhuqktardation. Hint. You Do NOTHING Kchunts are a HOOT! Hint. Fhuqking LAUGHING!..................
Brad says: "Can't fault Rick for his pity letting you back on the fire... but pity it was and remains. Nothing more, nothing less. A sad little man in a sad little dream."
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Where do you Drooling Fhuqktards DREAM this schit up? Hint. I've never been to Alaska,because it sounds expensive. Hint. Fhuqking LAUGHING!................... Perfect deer hunting weather - don't have to drag your deer out, just float 'em out.
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