Problem with new s/s barrel

[Grandadbushy]

A few mths ago i replaced my 22-250 barrel and action with a new s/s barrel and action ''Sako mod 85'' , i've got it shooting perfect but the other day it was a bit hot and the sweat on my hands left prints on the barrel and after a week i found these black/brown finger prints all over my barrel , thinking it was mold i rubbed it off or tried to but the only way to get it off was with steel wool , i've since found out it's rust, so there you go brand new s/s barrel ''rusty'' i do know that some types of stainless will blemish or rust slightly but thus was fairly heavy , i cleaned it up then realised i should have taken a photo but didn't , so now i'll have to treat it like a blue barrel and wipe lube on it when cleaning it, yeah wonders will never cease

[Ziege]

yeah depending on how the outer finish of the barrel is done, machined, bead/sand blasted, polished etc will affect how it rusts, all iron can oxidise so no steel is invulnerable to it, also the composition of the steel itself, there are a few types of "stainless" all having varied results.

[pomemax]

Grandadbushy you ever wonder why some people wear shooting gloves I did till a guy showed me his SS rifle with palm print rust hold a magnet to the barrel different grades of stainless are magnetic .
IF i remember rightly we could not use 306 SS on minesweeper parts had to be 312 or above it is the lower grade SS that will rust .

[Die Judicii]

I thought you woulda known that from a long ways back Mate,

Get a bottle of plain Phosphoric Acid. (it kinda looks like urine)

Take off the stock,, and test rub some that has been applied to a scotch brite on an inconspicuous part.

It should get rid of the brown finger prints.

Oh,,,,,,,,,,,,, and don't use that rifle in a stagecoach holdup,,,, cos it's got yer finger dabs on it

[Tiger650]

"Stainless" steel is odd stuff and made in many grades, 316 is relatively corrosion resistant but a pig to machine, work hardens and will take the tip off most tools on second pass.
The 400 series is much more amenable to machining but less corrosion resistant, it is however still a low carbon steel and a barrel made of such resists throat erosion more than carbon steel due to lower carbon content.

[Grandadbushy]

Yeah DJ i was pretty much up with it , the higher tensile s/s steel may blemish or slightly rust but i've never seen it act as harshly so quick ,only the 3cr types , it's bead finished and the blasting could have an effect on things as well , my last barrel was stainless as well and you could see prints on it but they would wipe off , but it was shiny and not blast finished and this barrel is a different grade s/s for sure, the rust doesn't worry me i can control it but it was different to see it's reaction so quick anyway things could be worse.

[marksman]

lucky the problem was on the outside and not in the bore Grandad
lesson learnt

[Larry]

Who was the manufacturer of the barrel blank?

[Grandadbushy]

G'day Larry mate it's a ''New'' genuine Sako barrel and action made in Finland instead of just replacing the barrel i changed the lot i only kept the original stock basically a new rifle one would say

[Grandadbushy]

Yeah marksman lets hope it's only confined to the outside but now i've seen this i'll be keeping an eye on things i normally take good care of all my rifles even though they're work horses ,I've cut an oily rag which i'll keep with it and give it a wipe over each time i use it and that should keep things under control , I clean the bore after every trip even if it's one shot or twenty i like keeping the bores clean, the last barrel i got over 3400 recorded shots before it started to drop one out of bed by about 1'' and the odd 2'', I can remember some posts earlier on this forum about sako selling to another company and there were murmurs about what the quality of rifles coming from them would be , well i have had some issues with all of the ones since the other company has taken over 7mm stock and magazine and the bolt won't pick up the first bullet from the mag, the last 22-250 stock started loosing it's clear coat 1week after purchase and all gone by 2yrs , this is the stock i refurbished this year now this new barrel although it's only minor and can be controlled but for the price you pay for sako hoping to get quality it's heart breaking to even have problems even small ones but the worst part is the first two problems with the 7mm stock and other things and the 22-250 stock have never been addressed by any company or sako themselves even though i had many contacts with them about the issues, since then i've looked at many other different brands and there are just as many brands as good as sako now as i believe their quality control has been down graded if my rifles are anything to go by and i will move onto rebuilding rifles from scratch using good quality components, yes it will be more expensive but i'll get what i want, not buy an expensive rifle and then have to spend more on it to get the bugs out of it, my 7mm would have been the easiest one to fix with a wood stock but they don't make one to fit it so i'd have to get one made and that would put the rifle to a $4000 rifle or better i could have had a very good quality one built for that and this is why i'll be taking that trip for my next rifle when i buy next

[marksman]

the oily rag is a great idea Grandad,
and l totally agree with having a rifle built or customised

as an edit l would like to add that a barrel being lapped does not mean it is match grade, the barrel needs to be air gaged and the action needs to be true
custom actions should already be true that's why they cost so much, its a bit more than l can hand out but l have had good results from having older factory actions done when the rebarreling is being done and IMHO this should be a part of rebarreling to make sure everything is in line
what it costs me is around the $400 plus the barrel

[on_one_wheel]

Stainless not stainproof