Bluing Vs. Browning

[wetzel]

Here is a question that I was hoping to get some good input on.  Bluing Vs. Browning a barrel.  I am currently building a Jacob Dickert rifle.  It is a gun I am planning on keeping to use at the rendezvous shoots, and a little hunting.  I am about halfway through my carving, the engraving is done, which means I will be working on the barrel soon.  What are your opinions about bluing and browning?  I'm looking for ideas on period correct appropriateness, along with durability, and any other opinions or suggestions as well.  What I have heard is that browning was first documented around 1790, so I could probably use either.  Just looking for your input.  Thanks in advance.

[keweenaw]

This has been discussed many times before.  The problem in coming up with a "correct" answer is the assumption that prior to the references of brown versus blue we are assuming that all bluing was blue and that the term wasn't being used to simply indicate a darkened metal finish. Just like the term coke in Georgia is generically used to refer to any soda pop.  Another thing t remember is that there are very few printed references on which to base a judgment.   There is no doubt, based on examinations of original barrels out of their stocks by others, that some revolutionary period rifles had charcoal blued barrels and that some had bright barrels.  Not all that many of us charcoal blue.  My only thought on what you should do is to do what you want.  One thing you can be fairly sure of is that the original guns when new didn't have heavily pitted barrels from the browning like some fellows like to do today.  Personally if I'm building a 1770's vintage rifle I'll preferentially charcoal blue it or rust blue it.  For 1790's rifles I prefer a slick plum brown or a smooth rust blue.

Tom

[Glenn]

I am only beginning the longrifle building era of my life but as long as I've been around them and other firearms I have so far arrived at this thought; you either decide you want to go period-correct, or you decide what looks best (to you ... worry about pleasing yourself first, if not exclusively), or you choose what finish is the most durable for the climate the weapon will be used in.

As for me, living, shooting, and hunting in the Gulf Coast area, I'm going to use what I think is the most durable, or rather, the most protective.  Appearance and being period-correct will be taken in to consideration thereafter.

[wetzel]

I agree with you guys about doing what makes you happy.  It seems as if I could go either way and be okay.  So what do you guys recommend for durability?  Which finish is more durable and what process and chemicals do you use to achieve it? 

[wetzel]

I agree with you snyder about the heavily pitted browned barrels.  I might ruffle some feathers with this, but I have never thought the idea of intentionally aging guns, shooting bags, powder horns and other acoutrements is quiet right.  During the periods we are trying to recreate these items were not a couple hundred years old.  Maybe I'm wrong though in my thinking.

[Leatherbelly]

 Rust blue. Durable and beautiful. Taylor did my early Beck with a rust blue and it turned out awesome.

[camerl2009]

I am only beginning the longrifle building era of my life but as long as I've been around them and other firearms I have so far arrived at this thought; you either decide you want to go period-correct, or you decide what looks best (to you ... worry about pleasing yourself first, if not exclusively), or you choose what finish is the most durable for the climate the weapon will be used in.

As for me, living, shooting, and hunting in the Gulf Coast area, I'm going to use what I think is the most durable, or rather, the most protective.  Appearance and being period-correct will be taken in to consideration thereafter.

bluing or browning does not protect anything

[Daryl]

The Brits called rust bluing, "blacking" and used it on Marine's muskets by the early 1800's, I believe.  Any neutralized oxidation of the surface, browning, or rust blueing seems to protect the metal better than a non-oxidized surface.

[John Archer]

If durability is what you're after, rust bluing is regarded as a more durable finish than browning. The protection to the underlying metal is provided mainly by the oils applied to rust bluing or browning. The oxides themselves provide minimal protection at best.

John.

[Rasch Chronicles]

Fellows,

I was thinking, even if everything was bright finished before they got around to figure out Browning, wouldn't you thing that it would brown, blacken, blue, after a few years anyway? Unless it was coddled and really taken care of.

I think about all the steel and iron objects that are old, but handled regularly. They all develop that smooth brown to grayish black oxidation/patination. Old door knobs, handrails, lathe chucks, wrenches, sprockets, the more I think about it, the more examples come to mind.

I can imagine that an early 18th century gun barrel that was used regularly, might just have a fine browned finish by thetime the Revolution got under way!

Just thinking...

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
The Best Turkey Hunting Tips!

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Albert, as you say, it depends on how well you take care of your guns. Bright early 18th century guns owned by the Brittish aristocracy apparently had tinkers who travelled around form estate to estate and fixed and polished/oiled the sporting guns....  I am sure some Americans probably kept their guns pretty bright as well. Not everyone was living on the frontier like a settler or longhunter...... Those in the settled East and cities might well have sporting guns or display pieces with bright barrels etc.   I wonder id their are any originals in collections that have barrels that have been kept bright for the last 250 years???

[Daryl]

Finished barrels are evenly coloured - normally, not mottled as a bright, not polished non-finished barrel would get quickly.

 Taylor has a bright barrel on is Virginial and even though cared for, the barrel is stained around the vent. A day or two hunting and that stain would spread and show up elsewhere for sure.

Militayr personal boned and polished their steel with bone and steel impliments to burnish a bright shiny finish so-desired by their commanders.  Such was the burnishing, that parts no longer fit, "barrels were worn thin and bent by constant rubbing" such that "orders to not use the steel ramrods for burning and polishing were issued, but fell on deaf ears".

[Glenn]

As far as protection goes, I read an article once several years ago about browning ML barrels.  I don't recall everything it touched upon but I do recall the author stated his process of protecting the rust-browned coating on the barrel was to wipe it down with the automotive-grade carnauba (or carnuba ... whatever ... LOL) wax that is used on the modern (and soft) base-coat / clear-coat factory paint jobs.  I recall it was pointed out the wax itself is relatively clear, easily covered well, and was preferred by the author because it sealed the rust brown coating but also allowed it to look natural and would last a while. 

I guess you can say this was a "coating for the coating" ...

My only issues with this idea is that it would be fine for a rifle used exclusively for the range, but if used for hunting I know the scent of the wax, however slight, would be all too easy for deer and other game to pick up.  Of course, this no doubt also applies to petroleum-based, linseed-based, and cooking oils.  Maybe even beeswax has a scent of it's own, I don't really know.  I use Hoppes regular oil on the barrel surface but I wipe it down well before I hit the deer stand/blind (or tree).

I've also heard of folks in this area of the country going armory-bright then spraying a coat of clear urethane on the barrell afterwards.  Some folks may not like this option on our type of firearms but again, the best person to please first is yourself.

Anyway, these are just a couple of other options I've run across folks using in the past.