1911Forum banner

Stainless 1911s

8K views 82 replies 56 participants last post by  Ramirez0311 
#1 ·
If stainless is so prone to galling, why do companies still produce them? I mean, I understand its corrosion-resistant properties...but with all the advancements in firearm coatings, why would anyone choose stainless if it galls? If its the shiny aesthetics, why not just go hard chrome?

I'm just curious because I came across a pre-owned EB Kobra Carry for a good price...but its stainless, and everyone always talks about the horrors of galling so I'm hesitant to purchase.
 
#80 ·
Two of my 1911s are stainless. One is a Wilson and the other an Ed Brown, both are over 15 years old and galling has never been a problem. I bought them because of being carried in a high humidity environment and they were more rust resistant than other finishes at the time.
 
#81 ·
There are a multitude of different recipes for different alloys. From what I'm seeing, lots of forearms are using 416R stainless, it has different properties than some of the early stainless used.

I recently build a 1911 from 1911builders, a stainless commander. Both the slide and the frame are 416R stainless. I cut the rails and fit the slide and have had no problem relating to friction or galling between the slide and frame.

I'm not sure what kind of stainless was used earlier, but I read something a couple years ago that said the 416R was found to eliminate those problems.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top