Chris

I am curious what people's opinions are of blued vs stainless rugers. I really want a stainless p89, but have had some trouble finding one. I have a lead on a blued p89 with 2 15 rd mags for 250, but i am nervous that with extended exposure to the humid FL weather it may show signs of rust quickly. I would like to know the good, the bad, the ugly on your experiences. Thanks!

LAGun

As mentioned on your other thread I have a blued P90 here in south Texas,as long as you keep up with your preventative maintanance you should have no problem.Deciding whether you really want a blued or stainless model is something for you to decide...

BuckJM53

Chris ... half of my guns are blued and half are stainless, so I feel strongly both ways . IMHO each finish has it's place and beauty. As long as you properly maintain them, both finishes will give you excellent service. Good luck with your decision (the P89 for $250 sounds like a pretty good deal assuming that it is in good condition).

Raminator

I'm partial to stainless guns because I think they look nice. I've also heard that at night, SS guns look bigger because they are easier to see by the bad guy than blued guns, so there may be an argument there... albeit a moot argument when the bullets start flying.

But my dad's Security Six is blued, and it looks sweet too.

gerritm

Chris, I live in the south Houston area right off Galveston Bay. Very high humidity and salt air. No problems with blued guns. Most of mine are blued finish and with the proper maintenance will last. But SS do look cool.

BronxBoy

These are all good answers but, as usual, the simplest is the best. LAGun makes the best point in that your maintenance habits will be the critical factor. Instead of “rust” I will use the term “corrosion” as rust is just one of many forms of corrosion that guns may experience.

Blued steel is protected. That is what bluing does for the finish and is a pretty damn good environmental barrier if not compromised (scratched). “Stainless” has become a catch-all phrase for a group of steels that usually have higher concentrations of chromium in the alloy. The true corrosion resistant stainless alloys (CRES) are not used to manufacture the main components of guns. They are too brittle and very expensive (usually) but the “stainless” alloys used in guns have good corrosion resistant properties.

If you don’t clean and oil (protect) you firearms, they will corrode regardless of finish. All my guns are blue including my 40 year old Crossman 760 Giant Killer BB gun and I have no corrosion problems with any of them.

Stainless look great but will not prevent corrosion if not maintained so don’t let corrosion be your main deciding factor.

EOC_Jason

I tend to like Stainless over Blued, just like I prefer steel over polymers...

I think it is the flashiness factor, and also a scratch on a stainless doesn't stand out as much (to me) as a blued finish does.

When in doubt on a particular gun and the finish you want... Get one of each, then you're covered!

KKBMTGG/go army

Danged Engineers.. Yer right though, I agree with you and LA, wipe-em down now and then and you're good to go. I like the look of blue myself, much more tactical.

DArBad

Chris,

I would respectfully advise you to get what you really want. Since stainless is what you desire, then that is the one you should get. There are plenty of stainless P89 around.

Don't get the blue specimen simply because its available on the spot. Wait up a little bit for the stainless. I really don't think your wait will be that long. I was in the same situation as you not too long ago. I wanted a stainless GP 100, but when I was ready to buy, it seems the blue was predominantly all over the place and were offered by many dealers at an attractive price.

I waited a few weeks, then the stainless started showing up!!! Remember the cliche " Good things happen to those who wait ". When what you REALLY WANT shows up, you'll be a happier camper!

MAC702

Both have their place. You mentioned carrying in humid Florida. My preference for THIS task is stainless (or similar protection), versus just blued, because concealed carry will often expose the sidearm to body sweat.

Sometimes I'm carrying a S&W M340PD in appendix carry. ONE DAY in the Las Vegas summer and there was rust on its blued steel cylinder catch release button. While a black color, most of the firearm is scandium-aluminum, titanium, or stainless steel, but I guess they went with blued steel there to match the black-anodizing on the frame. I'm thinking I might replace it with a stainless button and screw.

Chris

As I mentioned in my other thread i did find a stainless p89 today and it is exactly what I want. I feel that i overpaid by about 20 or so, but im happy with the purchase nonetheless. Since they shop that I bought it from has to wait for the police background check to come back on it before I can take delivery because it was a customer trade in, I don't get to take it home until the 29th! the one positive to this is that I am thinking about a p95 as well. I really like the p95 blued, so those that spoke of the best of both worlds might be right! I am thinking of simply making an offer on the p95 where I know they will still be making money, but I will be getting a great deal. I bought my sr9 from the same shop the same way for 400.95 by making an offer in the same manner.
As far as the engineer perspective from bronxboy and others, that is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you to all of the contributors.
darbad- You are right. I have been looking now for about about 2 weeks and the place where I find what I'm looking for is less than one mile from my house! I am glad I waited.

Charger22

I like what I like.

Jkwas

I have had my Blued P89 in Florida for the past 5 years or so and have had no rust issues whatsoever if that helps. I like the darker guns for carry, they aren't as noticeable, not that I'm going to be flashing it around.

LAGun

That's right,I've got one of each an everyday and a sunday go to meetin gun.Although I do find myself carrying the stainless more and more.It almost seems a little lighter than the blued model.If anyone has hard proof that this IS or IS NOT true speak up,I would be interested to know if this is a fact.

100W_Warlock

There are some really simple steps to take to keep a blue'd gun in near pefect condition.

#1, don't scratch it
#2, use a good quality protective oil or metal treatment on it every once in a while.

I use Mil-Tec every few months on the finish to keep it looking and working great. I first clean it REALLY well, then, cover all the surfaces with Mil-tec and place it in a zip-lock bag. Then, throw it in a pot of boiling water for 10-15min while it gets up to temp. Mil-tec activates at above 130F.

Some folks just use a hair dryer or heat gun or stick it in a toaster oven to activate the metal protection qualities.

I have been doing this with my AR-15 BCGs for years and NEVER had a bolt jam due to fouling.