A question of barrel finishes

[bptactical]

Disclaimer- my ML interest is primarily in the "Plains Rifle" genre'.
When I got into muzzleloading at the tender age of 13 it was at the peak of the revival movement- 1974ish and everybody said "Oh it has to have a browned barrel or it just aint right".

Do we know for a fact that browned barrels were the normal finish or do we have an accurate basis to make this statement?
Is the browning we see on original examples the true finish or is a progression due to age, wear, rust etc from the original finish?
If so, what was the original finish?
Blue of some type?
Raw?

Discuss in a civil manner.

[rich pierce]

Disclaimer- my ML interest is primarily in the "Plains Rifle" genre'.
When I got into muzzleloading at the tender age of 13 it was at the peak of the revival movement- 1974ish and everybody said "Oh it has to have a browned barrel or it just aint right".

Do we know for a fact that browned barrels were the normal finish or do we have an accurate basis to make this statement?
Is the browning we see on original examples the true finish or is a progression due to age, wear, rust etc from the original finish?
If so, what was the original finish?
Blue of some type?
Raw?

Discuss in a civil manner.

The questions you asked are good ones but cannot be answered in absolutes. “Sometimes” is a good answer to most of your questions. Timeframe and place change the answers to the questions. What timeframe and place interest you most?  If plains rifles, I’ve seen originals where it appears the barrels were browned from the get-go. I conclude this because I see consistent brown on top, side, and bottom flats. I worked on a Leman barrel that was probably delivered bright. No brown on the flats in the stock; only those exposed. The bore was a mess inside. I estimate it saw hard use for 50 years, enough to rust brown all exposed iron.

[Daryl]

Disclaimer- my ML interest is primarily in the "Plains Rifle" genre'.
When I got into muzzleloading at the tender age of 13 it was at the peak of the revival movement- 1974ish and everybody said "Oh it has to have a browned barrel or it just aint right".
sounds about right for that period)

Do we know for a fact that browned barrels were the normal finish or do we have an accurate basis to make this statement?
no, we do not know that nor is there an accurate basis for that statement

Is the browning we see on original examples the true finish or is a progression due to age, wear, rust etc from the original finish?
many barrels were finished in the white, many guns ordered from the Western Gun Stores were ordered browned or blued

If so, what was the original finish?
brown, rust blued, white

Blue of some type?
rust blued

Raw?
in the white, unfinished

Discuss in a civil manner.

Of course, this is my opinion & observations of "works" written on the subject here and elsewhere.

[borderdogs]

It wasn't a plains rifle but I owned an original 1803 Harper's Ferry rifle that on the outside it was what I called "handled brown" brown from use that is. When I took the barrel out the underside was bright. As a whole it was in pretty good condition with a little wood shrinkage........I wish I still had that rifle!
Rob