Brown a shooter?

[Roger Fisher]

Assume that you are building from scratch a smoothbore steel mounted with that cast in engraving on the sideplate and large trikker guard.  Your plans are she will be a shooter (although a backup to your #1 smoothy), rather than a looker.  Would you brown all or part of her for less glare or leave her in the 'white'?  Would it be out of line to brown only the barrel and lock?  Anyone?

Decisions, decisions!!

[northmn]

A little trick I used to do and still do is to fire blue or color the small parts (trigger guards, locks plates (not the frizzen) and buttplates etc) with a propane or Mapp torch and machine oil.  You heat them up to grey and dip them in the oil. It also seems to inhibit rust.  Currently looking at a method of getting more of the old arsenic case hardenend look as that is what they tell me I need on my current project.  I would then brown the barrel.  Aesthetics like metal coloration are really a very personal thing, but I like the metal colored.

DP

[J.D.]

Browning a shooter? My first thought was suntan, but that isn't always possible, especially this time of the year in the norther climes. 

Then I read your post and would agree with browning or a dark rust bluing the barrel to cut glare, on a gun that will be shot.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Roger, I built a Brown Bess years ago and left the barrel and lock polished bright.  I shoot it pretty well, but was always frustrated at times when shooting toward the light (sun) with glare on the breech.  So I browned the musket's barrel - deep and dark and matte - thinking it would improve my performance.  It did not.  My consolation is the fact that the browned barrel is more PC.
Also, my Virginia rifle has a bright barrel, and it does not interfere in the least with the sights or accuracy, m'thinks.

[omark]

IMHO, i would color it somehow, be it blue or brown.  mark

[Roger Fisher]

Roger, I built a Brown Bess years ago and left the barrel and lock polished bright.  I shoot it pretty well, but was always frustrated at times when shooting toward the light (sun) with glare on the breech.  So I browned the musket's barrel - deep and dark and matte - thinking it would improve my performance.  It did not.  My consolation is the fact that the browned barrel is more PC.
Also, my Virginia rifle has a bright barrel, and it does not interfere in the least with the sights or accuracy, m'thinks.

That glare did bother you and that is what I would expect.  Around here most of our shooting is done out of the shade and that is why I usually deep brown 'em, in particular the rifles.  I wonder if an octagon to round in the white has minimal glare compared to full octagon.  Jeez, am I getting fussy in my old age

Now then could it be that you shoot in the bush/shade usually where you are out of the sun instead of in the sun??

[Dave Faletti]

I would brown it.  The barrel can be done with a matte enough finish to not have significan glare if its an issue.

Taylor. 
Were you still fighting glare after you browned it? It would be nice to compare finishes in person.  No doubt people have different ideas when it goes from gloss to satin, matte, and rough as "____".