Author Topic: WWII finish on Savage built Enfield  (Read 580 times)

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Offline Steve P

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WWII finish on Savage built Enfield
« on: September 06, 2007, 09:54:06 AM »
I have an Enfield built by Savage during WWII.  It is US Property marked and has a drab green finish.  The gun does have the refurbish designation on it, so I would like to refinish the barrel/action, etc with correct finish.  Anyone know what this is?  Does any of the KG finishes come close?  When baked on, the KG finishes are really nice.

Steve  :)
"Life is a play before an audience of One.  When your play is over, will your audience stand and applaude, or stay seated and cry?"  SP 2002

Offline trotterlg

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Re: WWII finish on Savage built Enfield
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2007, 12:59:45 PM »
Paint on a Military rifle!  You could go to hell for doing that kind of thing.  The rifle was Parkerized from the factory.  Larry
A gun is just like a parachute, if you ever really need one, nothing else will do.

Offline gunnut69

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Re: WWII finish on Savage built Enfield
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2007, 10:32:48 PM »
Not hell exactly but at last a really BAD place!! It likely was parkerized by savage.. I haven't  had mine out of the vault in such a long time, I simply don't remember..
gunnut69--
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Offline Steve P

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Re: WWII finish on Savage built Enfield
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2007, 09:46:33 AM »
It does appear to be parkerizing.  Here is an article I found on the colors.

"Other Ml rifles manufactured during this era which have seen service, have been observed to be of gloss black or dark green finish. It is believed that the gloss black is primarily a result of repeated cleaning with solvent and oil-soaked rags which gave an almost polished effect to the finish. The frequently encountered, dark green Parkerized finish is believed to be primarily a result of the compounds present in the Parkerized finish chemically reacting to the Cosmoline used for corrosion prevention during long term storage. Observations of original Garands manufactured by Springfield and Winchester indicate a change in the finish color from black to a translucent gray during the late summer of 1944. The Parkerizing process used to finish Ml's of post World War 11 manufacture appears to have returned to the charcoal black finish. If the rifle has been stored in Cosmoline, a green tint may be noted.
So, what color Parkerizing is original? Most "as new" Garands are charcoal black. Original finishes of gloss black, black with a noticeable green tint, dark olive green, a light, almost translucent gray, and translucent gray with a green cast have been observed. The variables mentioned above and more than fifty years of use and storage make it impossible to give a specific answer. However, one thing is certain; the argument among collectors and aficionados will continue."

M1s were being done at the same time frame as this Enfield.  Only way to get close will be to re-Parkerize it.

Thanks for your help.

Steve  :)
"Life is a play before an audience of One.  When your play is over, will your audience stand and applaude, or stay seated and cry?"  SP 2002