In most brands the Carbon Steel frames and slides will remain tight longer than the SS ones. You would have to shoot a lot to see the difference though.
Carbon steel will need just a little more care than stainless to prevent rust, but that is about the only difference that most would notice. If you carry IWB every day, in an enviornment that would cause the gun and holster to be damp for long periods of time, I would recomend stainless, otherwise, pick whichever you like the looks of better.
Stainless steel can give you a false feeling of security -- if the gun is damp from sweat, be sure there is condensation inside the gun. And the springs and some other parts are made from carbon steel. A gun that looks good on the outside may be rusty on the inside.
It depends on your environment. Orrwdd lives in Utah. It only rains there every third year. For him rust is a minor issue, second to surface wear from heavy use. His answer is corect if you live in Utah.
I live in north central Pennsylvania. It rains here several times a week. The very SOUND of my .45 rusting has been known to keep me awake at night. Here in PA, stainless steel is a precious metal.
Until the invention of the Glock, I thought you had to be nuts to select a carbon steel gun if stainless was avaliable. However, Glocks don't rust. After a while manufactures found out that there were coatings that when applied would prevent rust.
When I was contemplating ordering my last 1911 [a Wilson Combat CQB Compact Elite] I asked the guys on the Wilson page of this forum about finishes and rust resistance. One guy Blr, I think, kindly responded that Wilson parkerizes their carbon steel pistols and then sprays them with an epoxy finish. This finish will not rust, he says. He wrote some real in depth articles about gun finishes for this forum that you should read before buying a pistol. [PM me if you have trouble finding it]
For me, in PA, a pistol in stainless steel or Wilson's Armour tuff finish will stand up to daily carry duty. A blued finish or black oxide will rust. Period.
So, it depends on the emvironment and the use that you plan for your handgun.
Cobra88:It depends on your environment. Orrwdd lives in Utah. It only rains there every third year. For him rust is a minor issue, second to surface wear from heavy use. His answer is corect if you live in Utah.
I live in north central Pennsylvania. It rains here several times a week. The very SOUND of my .45 rusting has been known to keep me awake at night. Here in PA, stainless steel is a precious metal.
Until the invention of the Glock, I thought you had to be nuts to select a carbon steel gun if stainless was avaliable. However, Glocks don't rust. After a while manufactures found out that there were coatings that when applied would prevent rust.
When I was contemplating ordering my last 1911 [a Wilson Combat CQB Compact Elite] I asked the guys on the Wilson page of this forum about finishes and rust resistance. One guy Blr, I think, kindly responded that Wilson parkerizes their carbon steel pistols and then sprays them with an epoxy finish. This finish will not rust, he says. He wrote some real in depth articles about gun finishes for this forum that you should read before buying a pistol. [PM me if you have trouble finding it]
For me, in PA, a pistol in stainless steel or Wilson's Armour tuff finish will stand up to daily carry duty. A blued finish or black oxide will rust. Period.
So, it depends on the emvironment and the use that you plan for your handgun.
If you buy a stainless it will look almost the same after several years of hard use as when it was new.
Every blued "carry" 1911 I have seen begins to show wear on day 1.
If it's a range gun that can be cleaned up after every session and won't be in and out of holsters, etc. then nothing is prettier than a well blued pistol. If you're gonna run it hard SS is probably the way to go
Actually read something interesting in stainless vs. blued steel over at the Clark Custom web page. I was looking into the 460 Rowland conversion they have, and noticed that they recommend blued steel over stainless. In the FAQ section, they give this for a reason: "MOST Stainless steel creates a great deal more friction than traditional blue steel."
I bought my New Agent last February. It has been carried a lot, and shot some too. First thing I did was wax the thing. Wax may not do much for the aluminum frame, but it really helps to protect the slide. It is a regular process, I have waxed it about 3 times now. It looks about like it did when it was new. We have humid Summers here in Kentucky.
Eventually, I might spring for a melonite type finish for the slide, still undecided on the aluminum frame.
My other 1911s usually get painted. I much prefer carbon steel with a good protective finish to stainless steel.
Personally, I like Carbon Steel best. Stronger but more easily effected by corrosive materials. This has been my experience with collecting knives and using them hard over the years. Also, there is no pistol more sexy than a 1911 with a top shelf Bluing Job.:rock:
Not much difference between new guns. If you were to buy an old model when stainless was first introduced the parts, namely slide and frame would gall.
Less up keep on stainless. Some believe that a stainless barrel will last longer, at least on a rifle. High carbon [ non-stainless ] is considered a little smoother.
Really not a nickels worth of difference when you reach the bottom line.
There is another huge aesthetic benefit to stainless not mentioned so far:
You can easily rub out scratches on the brushed-flats with a piece of Scotchbrite, keeping it looking REALLY fresh for a LONG time (maybe indefinitely).
Coated/applied finishes are not as forgiving, and must be completely re-done to remove minor scratches and wear.
I now insist on carbon-based units. It allows for the finest pistolsmithing, and then finishing with either electroless nickel or (my preferred) NP3 alleviates any rust/corrosion/wear concerns.
I don't care about 'looks'.
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