Stainless Shotguns

JWR · November 7, 2000, 09:58 AM

A few years ago, before I learned to ignore certain things the wife suggested, I traded in a 20" Mossberg stainless on a "more practical" 22 rifle. Now that I have begun my quest to replace all such "non-practical" firearms traded away or sold, the stainless mossberg is high on the list. Here's the question: This will be a shotgun to be left (secured) in the barn. I think stainless would hold up perfectly, but will a parkerized gun hold up just as well? Or is parkerization just a matte blued finish? The stainless I would have to order, but parkerized are easy to find.

nedfig · November 7, 2000, 01:55 PM

The stainless will probably hold up better in harsh environments.

Dave McC · November 8, 2000, 07:00 AM

Tough call. And there's other corrosion resistant(ain't nothing rust proof) finishes like nickel and chrome.

The question is, how necessary is it? My oldest 870 has seen lots of use in rain and salt air, and has zero rust. It's close to 50 years old. OTOH, the 16 ga SS I had for my first shotgun was destroyed by a relative who took it to the beach for a couple of months.

Also, having experience with barns, the big hindrance to function there might be dust, not rust. If you choose a parkerized or blue gun, you might want to put a thin coat of auto paste wax on it, protection w/o attracting dust....

JWR · November 8, 2000, 10:40 AM

Thanks for the tip. I had planned on keeping it in one of those carbine-sized bore store "cases", just to keep the dust and bugs out of it. The other thing is, I need to keep it secure (kids may be taking lessons here, and also petty theft) and possible to get to in a hurry at the same time. The only thing I can think of is locked in a closet, out of sight, squirreled away behind some "extra" manure forks, etc. Any suggestions?

November 7, 2000, 09:58 AM	#1
JWR Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2000 Posts: 180	A few years ago, before I learned to ignore certain things the wife suggested, I traded in a 20" Mossberg stainless on a "more practical" 22 rifle. Now that I have begun my quest to replace all such "non-practical" firearms traded away or sold, the stainless mossberg is high on the list. Here's the question: This will be a shotgun to be left (secured) in the barn. I think stainless would hold up perfectly, but will a parkerized gun hold up just as well? Or is parkerization just a matte blued finish? The stainless I would have to order, but parkerized are easy to find.

November 7, 2000, 01:55 PM	#2
nedfig Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2000 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 263	The stainless will probably hold up better in harsh environments.

November 8, 2000, 07:00 AM	#3
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Tough call. And there's other corrosion resistant(ain't nothing rust proof) finishes like nickel and chrome. The question is, how necessary is it? My oldest 870 has seen lots of use in rain and salt air, and has zero rust. It's close to 50 years old. OTOH, the 16 ga SS I had for my first shotgun was destroyed by a relative who took it to the beach for a couple of months. Also, having experience with barns, the big hindrance to function there might be dust, not rust. If you choose a parkerized or blue gun, you might want to put a thin coat of auto paste wax on it, protection w/o attracting dust....

November 8, 2000, 10:40 AM	#4
JWR Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2000 Posts: 180	Thanks for the tip. I had planned on keeping it in one of those carbine-sized bore store "cases", just to keep the dust and bugs out of it. The other thing is, I need to keep it secure (kids may be taking lessons here, and also petty theft) and possible to get to in a hurry at the same time. The only thing I can think of is locked in a closet, out of sight, squirreled away behind some "extra" manure forks, etc. Any suggestions?