Woodsrunner, brown or blue?

[Martin S.]

What have people done with their Woodsrunner barrels?

Brown them or blue them?

Which is more historically correct?  I had heard blueing before 1800, but I am not sure of the time period of the WR.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[A.Merrill]

I would go with brown barrel and a blued lock.   Al

[PIKELAKE]

I used Oxpho blue on my barrel and lock and then rubbed both back with a Scotch Bright pad. This process leaves a nice almost "French gray" look.  It is not brown or blue..... but I like it.   JZ

[Mike Brooks]

Which is more historically correct?

Probably left bright.
 Not a look I care for. I'd pit the $#*! out of it and knock some divots in it and generally do evil things to the surface until it looks the way I like it.

[JPK]

Mine got Oxpho blue on the barrel and color case hardened lock, all screws are fire blued. I made a new rifle and wanted it to look new. It will become battered and rusted on it own.
68E83786-8D68-4762-85E4-2585FF10C917 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

[Daryl]

I agree. Use the dang thing. Here's one that was built maybe 12 years ago. It's getting some patina.

[Mike Brooks]

You guys won't live long enough to put the patina on a gun that I can get in a week.

[Clark Badgett]

You guys won't live long enough to put the patina on a gun that I can get in a week.

Send one to a Kentuckian and have him hunt one damp ML season. Make sure all oils have been rubbed off prior though.

[Kmcmichael]

I’ve aged them like the on on top. Browned them but my favorite is the hot blue on the bottom. Hot blue will be my choice on. Personal guns for me from now on.

[bnewberry]

I went for gray and polished and left in the white on my Woodsrunner.

[Austin]

You guys won't live long enough to put the patina on a gun that I can get in a week.


Challenge excepted! Wayne says my outfit is like sending your puppy to the pound 😂

[Dwshotwell]

After a week in the Michigan deer woods. Full disclosure, it wasn’t bright to start with - I had chemically grayed it a bit.

I cleaned it off a bit after the season, but I wondered as I did how much to clean it to avoid damage.

[Daryl]

Wipe the metal dry and oil.

[Mike Brooks]

This is a good look. Brand spanking new and fresh off the bench. I don't have to wait 200 years to make it look right.

[JTR]

That is a good look!

[Austin]

That’s really neat Mike!

[Gaeckle]

Mike, that's an art. I like it 👌

[TDM]

I like a polished grey finish. Mine don’t turn out as nice as Mike’s, but they work for me.




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[P.W.Berkuta]

For my taste I like a new build gun to look new not beat up to look old. If I buy something that is beat up I try to make it look better so why would I want a new beat-up gun? I will not try to pass off a beat-up gun as an old original as some people would. If you like that look then go for it - it's not a look for me.

[Daryl]

Different strokes for different folks.

[Dwshotwell]

Setting aside personal preferences - I think I read somewhere that both browning and bluing were available as an option, based on an advertisement from, if I'm remembering right, the 1780s. Does that sound right?

IF we were trying to be historically correct as to what was possible, are either browning or bluing correct, but probably less common than bright? Does it vary by time period?

[Mike Brooks]

Different strokes for different folks.

Yup. And I've made a living at it for multiple decades.

[Crow Choker]

While I like the looks of both a browned and blued barrel, my eye looks more favorably on blued firearms. If given the choice of buying the same model of a rifle off of a table or from a builder, wood and everything else identical, given the choice between blued or browned, I'd take the blued rifle. Just how my 'strokes' are laid out. In respect to building a rifle or buying a new one that has been intentionally 'aged', I'd pass on that. If I want a 'beat up' looking rifle, one that looks like has paid it's dues in the field, I'll seek out and buy one that has. JMO and 'strokes'. Reminds me of guitar builders and/or manufacturers building models of popular guitars owned/used by famous guitarists that look like they have 'alot' of miles on them with no oil changes. Why buy something beat up looking? I like to keep my guns and guitars new looking as much as possible, I don't super baby em, but take care of em. Just my strokes!

[Pat_Cameron]

You guys won't live long enough to put the patina on a gun that I can get in a week.

BUT..It will be HIS patina, HIS history, HIS memories. The Patina will be earned!

[Scota4570]

Here is a Woodsrunner with a browned barrel, and browned then boiled lock.