Which material wears quicker?

[RevolverJim]

Have any of you noticed any difference in the rate of normal wear between carbon steel (blued) and stainless revolvers, particularly the cylinder notches??

Thanks,
Jim

 

[armorer951]

I've always considered stainless steel "softer" than carbon steel in the S&W revolvers. I'm certainly not a metallurgist or machinist by any stretch, but the stainless seems to cut a bit easier, particularly during filing.

 

[VictorLouis]

....I hear the corn-a-poppin'. Just waiting for the bell on the microwave....

 

[Toolguy]

The stainless used in guns, usually 410 or 416, is softer than the carbon steel which is almost always 4140 for the action, barrel, etc. The lockworks are hardened tool steel, much harder than the rest of the gun. As far as wear, the SS wears slightly faster than the carbon steel, but they are both pretty soft in terms of Rockwell hardness.

 

[delcrossv]

The mechanical properties of annealed grade 436 (guessing as that's a common pick for cut barrels) stainless steel are given in the following table.
...
Mechanical Properties.
Properties Metric Imperial
Poisson's ratio 0.27-0.30 0.27-0.30
Elongation at break 32% 32%
Reduction of area 77% 77%
Hardness, Rockwell B 89 89

and for 4130

Tensile strength, yield 460 MPa 66700 psi
Modulus of elasticity 190-210 GPa 27557-30458 ksi
Bulk modulus (Typical for steel) 140 GPa 20300 ksi
Shear modulus (Typical for steel) 80 GPa 11600 ksi
Poissons ratio 0.27-0.30 0.27-0.30
Elongation at break (in 50 mm) 21.50% 21.50%
Reduction of area 59.6 59.60%
Hardness, Brinell 217 217
Hardness, Knoop (Converted from Brinell hardness) 240 240
Hardness, Rockwell B (Converted from Brinell hardness) 95 95

So yes, a little harder.

 

[jdlii]

Those, my friends, are some hard facts!

 

[stansdds]

Seems to me that in high power rifle shooting, stainless barrels have a reputation for better accuracy when brand new, but the rifling wears out faster than with carbon steel barrels. The biggest benefits of stainless are corrosion resistance and no need for a finish, this makes them easier to maintain and less work by the manufacturer. For outright durability, carbon steel is the winner and if protected by a hard chrome finish, can actually be more corrosion resistant than stainless.

 

[yeti]

I would say you are an extremely lucky man if you are wealthy enough for all the ammo and have the free time to wear out a properly fit, quality steel revolver.

I hope you are that blessed!

 

[gwpercle]

I jumped on the Stainless Steel bandwagon early ...Loved it , bought one of the first AMT Hardballers (1978) 1911 in stainless , because of it's SS construction .
I have no numbers or proof but just comparing blue steel to stainless through use the stainless seems tougher and I think it wears better .
I still have the 1978 AMT Hardballer and it looks good despite a lot of shooting and holster wear . The blued Colt Gold Cup ( bought in 1975) hasn't held up as well ...finish is thin and worn shiney in spots . Always fighting rust in the hot humid South ... Stainless wins that battle .
Just my 2 cents
Gary

 

[wproct]

I've always considered stainless steel "softer" than carbon steel in the S&W revolvers. I'm certainly not a metallurgist or machinist by any stretch, but the stainless seems to cut a bit easier, particularly during filing.

This pretty much mirrors my thinking as well. All I can add is that for me, even if stainless steel is a little bit softer, it's still worth it. I always buy stainless steel handguns if I have the option. Always have dreamed of model 41 Smith & Wessons and model 39A Marlins being available in stainless steel!

 

[k22fan]

Only from observing heavily used revolvers for sale I believe stainless cylinder stop notches peen worse than blued cylinder stop notches. It is all the DA practice necessary to excel in modern timed matches that peens the stop notches.

 

[BigBill]

Stainless steel is very miss leading to some people they think it’s tougher that steel when it comes to wear it’s not. It can’t handle our body sweat it fogs or it’s dull. I look closely at my older stainless guns I swear I see a steel liner in the bore.

When I read it’s made from 4140 steel or chrome moly steel I’m on it.

Has anyone lubed the cylinder knotches or the stop cam yet? I lube the ratchet, the hand, the loc up pins and the rest of the moving parts with moly.

 

[delcrossv]

Has anyone lubed the cylinder knotches or the stop cam yet? I lube the ratchet, the hand, the loc up pins and the rest of the moving parts with moly.

On my high condition older guns, I'll put a very thin smear of grease on the cylinder in line with the bolt to tame the turn line.

 

[chief38]

I own a total of only 3 Stainless guns. A M60, M65 & M63. They were purchased solely for rust resistance and carry purposes. At least with stainless, minor corrosion or rust is easily removed and is easily maintained. Other than that - the blued carbon steel guns are superior in every way to me.

My personal preference is and has always been Blued Carbon Steel. IMHO carbon steel not only does not gaul but it wears better over time. Nickel is great on my SAA Revolvers but way too flashy for Smiths IMHO. I do own 1 Nickel I/J Frame but that was inherited, not purchased.

The older Smith Bluing stood up pretty well and as long as they were taken care of, they last a long time. Obviously Stainless will stand up better against the elements, body salts and sweat but is not as smooth or durable as carbon steel.

 

[stansdds]

Speaking of stainless 1911's, has anyone ever seen a Kart stainless barrel?
No?
That's right, you won't. Fred Kart does not consider stainless to be superior to or even equal to stainless. He gets a smoother bore with carbon steel and there are fewer cases of the bottom lug shearing from the barrel with carbon steel barrels.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

Stainless 416 is softer but 99% of shooters will never know the difference. Except the color of rust .
Specifically this is a greater debate in long distance shooting. Stainless is softer but will erode faster. Softer stainless is easier to cut and many argue can be made slightly more precise out of the box.
Military application barrels do not use stainless.

 

[357 shooter]

I would say you are an extremely lucky man if you are wealthy enough for all the ammo and have the free time to wear out a properly fit, quality steel revolver.

I hope you are that blessed!

Exactly , probably the least of my worries regarding any of my stainless guns. if I get to the point where my cylinder notches are worn out on any of my stainless Smiths I figure I received my money's worth many times over.

As to pure strength of stainless the 460 and 500 Magnums are all stainless as were the Freedom Arms revolvers I had seen. So I don't have any worries for my stainless 357s or lone 44 mag.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I have ZERO concern or worry about wearing out my SS or carbon guns in my lifetime..............IT'S a non issue.

 

[stansdds]

I have ZERO concern or worry about wearing out my SS or carbon guns in my lifetime..............IT'S a non issue.

For the vast majority of us, that is quite true.

 

[rockquarry]

Sounds like more of a textbook theory question for the easy chair roundcounters than anything of practical worth.

 

[terry_tr6]

nitrided steel and never look back. I have several AR barrels that are nitrided and just for the cleaning ease I am sold

 

[HorizontalMike]

Stainless steel is very miss leading to some people they think it’s tougher that steel when it comes to wear it’s not. ...[snip...]

Has anyone lubed the cylinder knotches or the stop cam yet? I lube the ratchet, the hand, the loc up pins and the rest of the moving parts with moly.

Not lubed, however I have tapped/hammered the edges of my cylinder notches only on an acquired used 686ND.


NOTICE that I said "tapped". I used a very tiny mini-hammer and it took me the better part of an hour to do the 6-slots.

I am very aware that over-doing this can affect the timing. Using my fingernail as my gauge, after EVERY tap I would check if my fingernail would still "catch" the edge of the cylinder slot. As soon as I could no longer "catch" the edge with my fingernail, I STOPPED.

NOTE: I do NOT recommend doing this yourself, so be very aware that I take NO responsibility for anyone who attempts the above... You are on you're own dime, not mine.

Bottom line is that that worked well for me. The LGS would have been the easier choice, or buy a "new" cylinder and still have the LGS install and tune it. Maintaining your firearms is an ongoing thing, so at one time or another one gets their feet wet...