French Gray Finish

[Harp98]

Is this just cosmetic or does it protect the gun?  Has anyone done it on a blued contender pistol?

Thanks

Harp

[7bru]

hello harp98, I have a bf pistol built by eben brown in the french gray finish. The finish looks like a middle of the road between a ruger super redhawk and a dull remington boltaction stainless.

I have not had a blued gun done.

I had this gun built in late 2000 and i have carried hunting, shot it at the range and groundhog hunted with it in every field condition. I havn't had any problems with rust at all. I don't really see a advantage over ss but would be good for a blued gun.

the only reason i had this gun done in french gray was because it was a custom gun. the cost was only 75 dollars. you can't switch barrels on this gun so it would stay as one piece unlike my addictive problem i have with my contenders. my #1 barrel in contender switches calibers every 3 mos. bru

[Graybeard]

I might be wrong on this (heck I've been wrong before - once back in '58 when I thought I'd made a mistake but hadn't)  :-D I think it's just an E. A. Brown name for an in the white metal finish. Meaning no protection. I think it's bead blasted with fine beads and left in the white with no real coating of any kind to protect it. Purdy but not overly practical in bad weather.

[bgjohn]

Congratulations Graybeard. You're not just wrong but wrong AGAIN! I just bought a used BF with the French Gray finish. It's 12 years old and still looks like new. Doesn't look like "in the white" to me.
JM

[7bru]

well put bgjohn. wrong again gb. I like the finish. it works. no corrosion. its not on a safe queen gun.  BRU

[Graybeard]

OK now I've been wrong twice in my life. Not bad for an old fart like me.  :-D

From the EAB website:

A soft looking, hard gray-metal finish which is superior to stainless steel in its corrosion resistance, wearability, and operational "slickness". We prepare the exterior metal surface by blasting with a blend of very fine aluminum oxide and glass bead media. This base surface preparation is actually what causes the deep "French Gray" look after plating is complete. The actual French Gray surface is a two-part metal plating process that bonds to steel at the molecular level. The result is a hermetic seal that protects against corrosion while beautifying the firearm it’s applied to.

[bgjohn]

Pretty smart of you Graybeard. You just wanted to pull our chain. I should've known you were too smart to be wrong.
JM :lol:

[Graybeard]

I have to do something to get a rise out of you guys from time to time. I know how well some like to try to catch me messing up.  :-D What fun would it have been to have just posted the excerpt from Eben's site to start with?  :eek:

[Harp98]

Does anyone have a picture of their gun done in French Gray?



Harp

[bgjohn]

Does anyone have a picture of their gun done in French Gray?



Harp

Look on E.A. Browns web site. www.eabco.com
JM

[Thebear_78]

I had a blued 24" 45/70 barrel cut down to 18" and french grayed.  It looked really good.  I was very impressed with all the work that I had them do.

[bgjohn]

I had a blued 24" 45/70 barrel cut down to 18" and french grayed.  It looked really good.  I was very impressed with all the work that I had them do.

You had E.A. Brown do the work? How long did it take them?
JM

[singleshot]

Complete Encore pistol in French Gray.
http://www.members.cox.net/edelong1/EABCO 22-250 CUSTOM.JPG">

[Harp98]

Those are both great looking guns.

Harp

[Thebear_78]

I was very impressed with both thier work and turn around time.  I had them cut and recrown the barrel, reinstall the front sight and french gray the barrel.  It cost me $80 to get all the work done and I had the barrel back in 3 weeks.  I actually had the barrel back several days earlier than expected.  I guess the wait until they get enough items together before they do a batch of french graying.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.