Actions material-stainless or not?

[njc89]

Nearly 4 decades ago in my youth, I had a blued carbon steel rifle rust on a very wet western Washington back country hunt. Since then, I have only considered rifles with stainless actions and barrels. Yes, I know stainless can still rust, but it has given me much better corrosion resistance in these remote situations when gun maintenance is more challenging. With the new rifles usually being cerakoted, how important is stainless now in your opinions? Seems like water can still get into uncoated surfaces.

I was considering one of the new weatherby lightweight rifles (backcountry guide or 307 alpine ct), but didn’t really need/want titanium. The other choice seems to be carbon steel and its pushing me away from an otherwise ideal (for me) rifle. Thoughts?

 

[vonb]

I’d choose stainless every time over carbon steel coated with cerakote. At the end of the day, carbon steel bores are just that, carbon steel.

If I can maintain my rifle after a day in moisture, it’s no big deal.