Author Topic: What's up with the new bluing?  (Read 639 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline DalesCarpentry

  • Trade Count: (32)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6111
  • Gender: Male
  • I would rather be shooting!!
What's up with the new bluing?
« on: October 07, 2007, 05:02:25 PM »
I was just thinking about the bluing on my new Remington 700   243 SPS Varmint. When I grew up every gun I ever owned was blued. The thing is it really looked like a blue color. I have just got back into hunting and shooting in the past few years and some of the rifles I have bought the bluing is black not blue. Like the new SPS I have and a Rem 700 Win. Mag that I had. Why????????? Are things done different now?  Dale
The quality of a mans life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence.

A bad day at the range is better than a good day at work!!

Offline totallycustom

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 195
  • Gender: Male
Re: What's up with the new bluing?
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2007, 05:17:36 PM »


-TC-
-TC-

Offline trotterlg

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (36)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3978
  • Gender: Male
Re: What's up with the new bluing?
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2007, 05:19:19 PM »
I've use a couple of Remington barrels for Handi stubbing projects.  I think the finish is some type of Parkerizing process, they sand blast the barrel and then parkerize it I think.  It is not Blued like a Savage or Handi is. It does produce a very nice finish I think.   Larry
A gun is just like a parachute, if you ever really need one, nothing else will do.

Offline Nobade

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1927
Re: What's up with the new bluing?
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2007, 01:12:37 PM »
They are blued, but blasted with some godawful coarse grit first. I have been trying to duplicate that finish, and haven't found anything that makes it as rough as the factory is able to produce. I'm thinking it's either fine steel shot or possibly that new ceramic media, at extremely high pressure.
"Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I'll break the lever."

Offline gunnut69

  • Moderators
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5005
Re: What's up with the new bluing?
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2007, 08:49:38 PM »
Actually what we call 'bkuing' is a chemical blackening.  Bluing as was done many years ago is much too slow and expensive for modern tastes. The cheaper modern rifles and some of the tactical rifles are just blasted before blackening giving them a slightly different hue. I would bet the ceramic is the material used. Steel shot produces a softer, hammered look. A close friend uses steel shot to  prepare steel/aluminum for powder coating.
gunnut69--
The 2nd amendment to the constitution of the United States of America-
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Offline coyotejoe

  • Trade Count: (4)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2937
  • Gender: Male
Re: What's up with the new bluing?
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2007, 03:02:40 AM »
The classic bluing of  old Smith & Wesson revolvers was a slow and expensive process which started with a mirror polish of the steel before bluing. Those guns were BLUE, no doubt about it, they looked like a car with many coats of hand rubbed blue lacquer. That kind of handwork just isn't practical today, much too expensive. So now most guns are given a very coarse finish and dunked in the blue tank to produce what is now called "mat black". Many look like they were finished with about 60 grit sandpaper.
The story of David & Goliath only demonstrates the superiority of ballistic projectiles over hand weapons, poor old Goliath never had a chance.