I'm about pull the trigger on a new rifle ( ;)) and am trying to choose between an M1A Loaded in Stainless or Chrome Moly. Is stainless worth the extra money?
Possibly depending on the quality of the chrome moly and the stainless.
A 41v50 Crome Moly may be better than 416 stainless given the higher risk for brittleness than other grades of stainless. (ones with a lower sulphur content).
However, if it is a high grade stainless compared to say 4140 CM (the most common ordnance grade steel) then the stainless is better for wear resistance and vice versa.
Either way, stainless is more rust resistant (not proof).
There are a lot of variables that go into this, so it is not cut and dried unless you know exactly which type of CM vs which type of stainless and also how they were treated.
If you are looking for a combat weapon, then I recommend chrome lined CMV steel.
A good article
http://obermeyerbarrels.com/steel.html
don't look at me. i like chrome lined. :---
I haven't found big differences in the two for competition use. I have had accurate barrels that were stainless and accurate barrels that were CRMO. Right now my most accurate barrel is a CRMO, but when it is shot out I will buy whichever seems like the best deal at the time.
My point is that a barrel is a consumable. With moderate loads it should have acceptable accuracy for thousands of round. But that doesn't mean that it will be maintain its highest long range accuracy as the throat lengthens and the muzzle wears.
A chrome line barrel is a good compromise for those that require longevity and combat accuracy.
i realize there is a substantial difference in wear from .556 to 7.62, but I compete with a 1984 M16 Colt upper on a AR lower with Jewel trigger at 4.5lbs. This chrome barrel has in excess of 7000 rounds through it and still shoots well better than I do. When I do my part, it will place all rounds through ragged hole at 25M. It pales in comparison to a chro-mo match barrel, but plenty good for Rifleman purposes.
I also have stainless barrels and they are in-arguably easier to clean. I'll go with what JM says. Look for a deal on either and go that way. So long as it comes from a good maker, the difference will be negligible and for thems who shoot a lot (in other words, they did not say "yes" when Dragonwood asked if hey ever considered instructing :'(), you will wear either out sooner or later anyway.
Just for reference:
The M14 EBR that is pictured in my avatar will shoot around 2/3 moa with 168 Gr GMM or my reloaded equivalent even after the barrel gets hot.
It is a chrome lined barrel.
One thing to keep in mind is that the stainless barreled M1As have a heavier profile barrel, and weigh quite a bit more. If it's a field use rifle, I would greatly prefer the GI profile chrome moly barrel for much better handling and carryability. Preferably chrome lined, but if not it isn't the end of the world. The extra cost from having to replace the barrel twice as often is not hardly worth considering when you add up the cost of all the ammo it is going to take to shoot that barrel out. Whatever you choose, enjoy! The M1A is a great rifle.
Make sure you hold them both, I was going to shell out for the stainless steel until I held them both. Balance on the carbon steel was perfect, the stainless was uncomfortably muzzle heavy for me.