steel in ruger nmv's

[pinto bean]

pards, i got my guns ready and am waiting for my holsters from mernickle. i got to wonderin' about the steel used by ruger in the nmv's. pards,do they use the same stainless in the cch guns and chemically blue and caseharden or do they use c-m for them?

just curious,reckon it don't matter none.

thanx,
pinto

[August]

Different steels.  CCH gunz are carbon steel, SS are nickel steel.  CCH gunz are blued and painted (!).

[Adirondack Jack]

As above, one is carbon steel, one is stainless.  CCB is a chemical treatment, and not case hardened at all.

[Sawed-Off]

Not being a metallurgist, I have a dumb question. Is one any advantage over the other?

[Driftwood Johnson]

Not being a metallurgist, I have a dumb question. Is one any advantage over the other?

Howdy

Stainless Steels are defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 11 1/2% Chromium in the alloy. There are many different types of Stainless Steels, they are formulated for many different purposes. Stainless Steels are not truly stainless, it is more correct to say that they are Corrosion Resistant. Depending on the content of the alloy they can be resistant to corrosion in varying degrees. When Stainless does corrode, it usually shows up as a dark stain. The corrosion resistant nature of Stainless Steels is due to a natural process called Passivation. The Chromium in the alloy forms a thin layer of Chromium Oxide on the surface of the metal. This layer is the same color as the steel. It forms a barrier to atmospheric oxygen and prevents further oxidation. If the passivation layer is scratched or rubbed off, it automatically renews itself, protecting the body of the metal again from atmospheric oxygen. Carbon steels do not have this protection, and must be protected from atmospheric oxygen in other ways. Bluing is actually a form of oxidation. It forms a thin barrier layer of oxide on the surface of carbon steel, preventing atmospheric oxygen from attacking the body of the metal. As far as strength is concerned, modern steels are up to the task of being used to manufacture guns, whether Stainless or not.

Ruger does not 'paint' guns. Stainless guns are left highly polished with the natural passivation layer protecting the metal from corrosion. The blue Ruger uses on thier carbon steel guns is a very durable blue that protects very well against corrosion, although not quite as well as the Chromium in Stainless. The problem that happens with Rugers is the fake 'color case' finish that is applied to the frames often develops rust on the colored portion of the finish. Ruger uses a proprietary chemical process to produce this 'color case' finish, and they will not reveal what is in it. But it is not paint.

Some folks claim that Stainless guns are easier to clean than blued carbon steel guns. I find this is not true at all, I have owned both types, and I find that it takes the exact same amount of elbow grease to clean either. What will make a difference is the surface finish of the metal. Highly polished metal will be easier to clean than metal that has any roughness on the surface. Since Stainless and blued carbon steel Rugers are both highly polished, there will be no real differnce in the ease of cleaning either. The dark color of blued carbon steel guns may tend to hide powder fouling more than the bright, shiny surface of Stainless, so fouling is more noticeable on a Stainless gun.

The other consideration is glare. A highly polished Stainless gun will reflect bright sunlight more than a blued gun. Whether or not this is a problem is largely dependent on the prevailing conditions of the day. It is also dependent on the color of the target. A dark sight will show up better against a light colored target. A polished Stainless sight will show up better against a dark target. You pays your money, you takes your choice. I do know a few cowboys who bought Stainless guns for the corrosion resistant qualities, but they had their guns bead blasted to create a matte finish to cut down on the glare.

[August]

Paint is a verb as well as a noun.

[Adirondack Jack]

I'm told the "chemical treatment" of the CCB process is essentially a series of baths in various witches brews that "selectively etch" the steel in a way not that much different than bluing.  It is not very resiliant.

[Sawed-Off]

Thanks Pards. I've been giving serious considerations to buying a brace of blued Vaqueros. To my eyes, they look a little more classic and less "fancy", which would be more in keeping with my idea of the character/s I'd like to portray. The practical side of ownership, like finish longevity, is also a concern. Almost all the pards at my small club use stainless, so I haven't had a chance to see a well worn blued Vaquero. I guess I need to do some more thinking.

Edit: I remembered that I wasn't only interested in the finishes. Driftwood answered what I was also wondering about the quality of the steels.