FA's 18.5" SS medium weight profile is a bughole barrel, I'll guarantee you it will shoot every bit as well as the person behind the rifle. That half pound isn't going to be very noticeable on the overall scale. I'd be thinking about the total weight of the rifle overall if I was going to carry it any considerable time or distance. Nitriding isn't going to give you any considerable gains on the corrosion resistance of SS in practical terms, unless for some reason you just like to store your rifle in a large puddle of saltwater for weeks at a time. You really can't beat that barrel, my personal opinion is that it's the best thing Fulton Armory ever put in their inventory, in terms of barrels. Ask anyone on this site who has bought that barrel about it, and I guarantee you won't hear anyone who has been disappointed with theirs.