I can show you a boat full of stainless that did rust! lol It is slower but it DOES rust, and it has nothing to do with heat treating like someone earlier suggested. I doubt anything on my boat is heat treated.

Originally Posted by YFZsandrider

I do... came complete with rust on the barrel. no extra charge.

Its all good now, but my other 1911s have never seen rust, period !

Don't you care enough to inspect before you buy?

I've got a Sig 232 stainless and I don't find it particularly hard to clean. I just like the way that it looks when it's all shined up.

I've bought 9 handguns in the last year or so, and all but two were stainless - a SIG Pro, which I sold and my new M&P. I prefer cleaning stainless, because it's easier to see where you need to clean. Also I heard a psychologist say once, that if you're going to carry a gun, get a light coloured one, He claimed that the light colour made the gun look bigger and more intimidating.

Originally Posted by Viper

Also I heard a psychologist say once, that if you're going to carry a gun, get a light coloured one, He claimed that the light colour made the gun look bigger and more intimidating.

That sounds like something a psychologist would say. He just naturally assumes that you are going to brandish, instead of going to work, because that's what he would do.

Originally Posted by tropicmaster

I can show you a boat full of stainless that did rust! lol It is slower but it DOES rust, and it has nothing to do with heat treating like someone earlier suggested. I doubt anything on my boat is heat treated.

Salt water is one of the harshest environments around but if you own a boat you already know that.

Instead of stainless, it should be called Stainsless.
I find cleaning stainless guns easier than cleaning blued guns.

The term "stainless" always seemed odd to me too. I'm pretty sure most folks are looking for a "rustless" steel. I doubt anyone is worried about grass stains.

I don't find stainless any worse that blued. The trick is to clean them at the range or ASAP. The lube on the pistol has a lot to do with it. A teflon based lube IMHO works best. To each his own.

Originally Posted by Bisley

That sounds like something a psychologist would say. He just naturally assumes that you are going to brandish, instead of going to work, because that's what he would do.

Well, this particular psychologist has been carrying ever since it was legal in GA, and has been a competition shooter for 40 years. I don't think he assumes anything.

Originally Posted by Viper

Well, this particular psychologist has been carrying ever since it was legal in GA, and has been a competition shooter for 40 years. I don't think he assumes anything.

Psychologists are a different breed, and sometimes they think too hard about some things. In this situation, I disagree strongly with his point of view. IMO, a gun for self defense should be discreet and efficient. You should never PLAN to show someone your gun for intimidation. The statement about the gun looking bigger and more intimidating makes it sound like you are looking for trouble. (brandishing is illegal in most places). In fact, for people who conceal carry, a stainless might have some disadvantages. A black or blued gun doesn't stand out as much, but stainless sure does. if you bend the wrong way to pick something up and your shirt comes up just enough....just saying.

I have no problems with Stainless guns, they look great and as stated several times before, they have many advantages over other finishes. I just don't agree with that mindset.

Originally Posted by Viper

Well, this particular psychologist has been carrying ever since it was legal in GA, and has been a competition shooter for 40 years. I don't think he assumes anything.

Well, it isn't worth having a fuss about, I guess.

It just sounded like one of those wishy-washy plans to draw out the gun and scare the BG off. If so, that's maybe not the best approach to carrying a lethal weapon for self-defense.

The stainless guns I owned in the past were only "easier" to clean if only a few rounds were fired from them. Shoot 700-1000 rounds in a day and see how easy it is then to get that stainless bright again.

I have also carried so called "stainless" guns in the past. They do and will rust if it sees more time on your person than in a safe. I also noticed that when a stainless gun rusts, it gets a permanent purpleish black STAIN where it rusts all the time from actual use during carry in the spots that WILL rust.

A good ole carbon steel with a nice parkerized finish will hold a good oil for a long time keeping rust off that finish longer than a smooth stainless gun will with the same oil.

I only speak of experience so please forgive my ignorance why and how stainless is supposed to be more rust resistant and less prone to stains. I will never own one again. Too much to maintain on a gun with no finish. A GLOCK or XD and the M&P will be truely stainless because of the metal treatments used on them.

Maybe I would own one in a hunting revolver or a safe queen, but for a working gun stainless means MORE maintenance and more rust and stains if you plan on actualy using the darn thing lol.....

Originally Posted by XD GLOCKer

The stainless guns I owned in the past were only "easier" to clean if only a few rounds were fired from them. Shoot 700-1000 rounds in a day and see how easy it is then to get that stainless bright again.

The ammunition doesn't know if it's been fired from a blued or stainless gun of course, so the residue is the same. I think you can just see it better on a stainless gun. With a blued finish, you likely can't see all of it to clean it.

It's just personal preference. If you carry a blued gun every day, eventually there will be some wear. Stainless doesn't have that problem. It may buff, but it doesn't just disappear.

In my case, the SIG is blowback semi-automatic. The stainless version is a bit heavier, so to me, the recoil feels better.