OT - gun blueing

Mr.BadExample

Mr.BadExample

Joined
Sep 11, 2002
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I inherited a nice .22 rifle from my father, which unfortunately had begun to rust. It has an octogonal barrel, pump action with removable magazine, and a peephole site. Nice little gun. I've blued knives before, but never a gun- should I tackle this with some superfine steel wool and gunblue solution, or just bring it to a gunsmith? As far as I can see, the blueing on the barrel has started to brown, and there are rust speckles on the bolt visible through the ejector slot.
The stock was refinished in a nice blond color about ten years ago, and has held up well. What do you guys think? I'll take some photos tonight.
 
Have it hot-blued, if you cherish it. Should be around $100 or so.

No matter how well you can cold-blue a gun, there really is no comparison, and the hot-blueing will last as long as you do, if you maintain the gun.

(edit: As the following posters said, make sure it is not a rarity, but in that the stock has already been re-finished, I'd presume it is one of those great old guns that have a family history and value.)
 
:eek:I agree with Kismet. Hot blue is much more permanent than cold blue. That said, however - I would evaluate the work of the gunsmith before entrusting it to anyone for re-bluing. There are folks out there who think buffing the hell out of a gun improves it. I'd rather have a discolored gun with sharp markings and sharp corners, than a mushed-over piece that is a nice, shiny blue color. Think hard on this, and have the piece evaluated by an expert before you decide. Buffing and bluing will most certainly destroy its collector value, unless done by an expert restorer. Some would even argue with that point. You may have a very desirable collectors piece, or a plain old shooter. Find out first. :D
 
Just remember,it's only original once.It is however yours to do as you please.If you decide to blue it have it done by a real Gunsmith.tom.
 
Unfortunately the stock was already refinished and is probably not the original color.
I'll check the value of the piece first before I do anything.
Then again, unless it's worth a grand I'll just blue it and go shoot squirrels :)
 
Good luck to you. I don't think wood refinishing is a big deal. It's metal refinishing that really hurts the value of an antique. Keep us posted.
 
I promised photos, and here they are:

It's a Savage Arms .22 S or LR pump action, magazine fed. Pat. 1906

savage1.jpg


savage3.jpg


savage2.jpg


savage4.jpg
 
I would go ahead and get it refinished by someone who knows what he is doing. Thats a real nice Savage.

Ice
 
That's a wonderful piece, never seen one before.

professional restoration, as opposed to refinishing, could be quite costly. A good quality rebluing job could cost quite a bit too.

If you decide to have it done, and the markings on the butt plate start to fade, let me know, before they get too far gone. They can be brought back with a little careful engraving. The buttplate is steel right?

If your the do it your self type, for less than $100 or so, you could buy a tank, and some rust blue solution, and do it your self. All you need to do is heat the metal, apply the solution, boil it in water in the tank, card it with steel wool, and repeat several times until it looks right.Takes longer than hot blue, but would look better on an older gun. You can polish the metal just by careful sanding with automotive wet/ dry paper backed by wood blocks. 320 grit would probably be an appropriate level of finish.That method would tend not to round things off.

Love that sight! It is probably worth quite a bit in its own right!

Congrats on a cool gun!

Tom
 
Had I of inherited something that nice from my father and I cared anything about him at all I would have a gunsmith take care of it.
In my case even not giving a big rats ass about my old man I would still have a gunsmith do it, too nice of a little piece to muck around with.:D

Some things just have a value themselves not mattering where it may have came from and deserve to be returned to their original condition or better. This rifle sure appears to be one of them!!!! :cool:
 
Looks like a Model 1903. Probably worth a couple of three hundred. I would have it done right. Bill Adair comes to mind. Give him a shout. If he can't/won't, I'll bet he can point you in the right direction.

Beautiful rifle. Love the tang sight. Lyman? I think I'll have to find one, now.

I've been meanin' to find a good slide action .22 for a while now. But Winnie 1890's in .22LR are hard to come by.

Brian
 
Thanks for the info, guys. Bill Adair's site was enlightening. There's no pitting on the blued parts, and according to his site they "rust blued" long guns in this time period, so maybe the brown patina is just normal for it, having aged?
It hasn't been fired in eight years. I'm looking to pick up a 1911, so I'll be visiting local gun shops. I'll see if any smiths would take a look at it. I'd rather keep it from rusting further than restore it, as it still looks nice and functions, but if I can get it properly blued for a decent price I'll do it. If I get any work done on it or shoot it, I'll let yas know :)
 
See if one of your local smith's will do an Ultrasonic cleaning. That type of cleaning will remove dirt, debris, surface rust,etc. and will not damage the finish.


Brian
 
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