Bluing Browning Shotguns

There are times when refinishing and bluing an entire gun is neither practical nor necessary. Partial refinishing may be a viable option and can be performed with a minimum of tools and materials, saving both time and cost. A hunter came to my shop with a really sound looking 12 gauge Browning Pump Shotgun (BPS) that had some nasty, localized rust formations. The rust had caused mottled pitting along the entire left side of the receiver and a few other lesser involved areas.

It was found to be invasive enough to require quite extensive refinishing that I felt I could do by hand. I made up an adaptable tool that would hold select pieces of polishing paper with varying micron grades of abrasive. A short session of buffing indicated it would take lots of elbow grease, but I could see where it would get the job done well. From my assortment of abrasive papers I used numbers 220, 400, and 600 U. S. mesh grade paper. The 400 and 600 grades are quite fine at 30 and 15 micron grade.

Browning polishes guns at a very high micron luster so I did Special angles and notches are formed allowing clips to hold various grits of precut abrasive paper. A variety of pre-cut papers can be used. a final polish with 9 micron 1200 mesh. The metal prepping went very well. The special tool I made really got in there, aiding polishing.

I made sure not to buff into forbidden territory, which may tend to show a slight contrasting finish, but I pre-warned the customer there may not be a perfect match side-to-side on the receiver. That was perfectly acceptable in light of the condition the gun was in to begin with. Getting Down to Bluing A number of gun metals adapt to bluing quite differently. I tested a couple spots with my oftused bluing solution be- Finding a gun like this can really sadden the owner. fore going to my final choice.

Trying spot finishes with different bluing solutions can be very revealing. If one doesn’t work, simply buffing it off and trying another poses no big problem. For example, I tried an older version of Brownells Dicropan "IM" on a sampling of the receiver. This contains selenious acid, cupric sulfate, phosphoric acid, and nitric acid and is highly corrosive. This one has done a good job on most gun metals for me in the past, however, I abandoned it in favor of Oxpho- Blue Creme.

A test sampling on the shotgun metal showed a near match to the original finish. Most cold blue directions are quite basic, but there are a few keys

that may prove helpful. Before applying any cold blue paste or solution be sure the surface to be blued is clean and dry. Oil or foreign material may repel the bluing chemicals. Lacquer thinner or alcohol will serve as a quick and easy cleaner. The temperature of both the metal and bluing solution also plays apart. Temperatures from 75-100 will enhance the bluing process. The warmer the steel, the quicker the bluing solution will react. Use apiece of clean cloth to apply the solution.

Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth almost immediately. Polishing with steel wool at this stage can help things along. Just wipe down to bare metal between applications. To obtain a darker finish with a more even bluing distribution, I apply repeated coats of bluing with a cloth barely dampened with bluing solution with lots of rubbing and pressure. Never apply bluing solution with a dripping wet cloth or a blotchy looking effect could result. A clean, dry cloth follows each application.

If you’ve done things right you should see a really dark, high luster, A special polishing tool, a matching bluing solution, and lots of elbow grease did the trick. matching finish appearing. This is the time to apply a light coat of gun oil with little pressure on the cloth. Keep a light coat of oil on the newly blued surfaces thereafter, and advise the owner to do the same. New bluing can oxidize quite easily, especially if left bare.

Some gun owners have "poison hands", that is, an inordinate amount of perspiration and salt on their hands. These chaps often learn the hard way as their guns become rusty. How and where one stores firearms is one of the keys to good gun care as well. I have had guns brought to me having been stashed away in a carry case after a hunt, with no further attention. I’ve seen guns like this actually rust to the inner surface of the carry case. We gunsmiths have dealt with many such carelessly treated guns.

Humidity between 60- 70% is about right in the gun storage area. Wood gunstocks may undergo changes where humidity gets lower than 40% or over 80% for prolonged periods. Of course, rust becomes a problem with unprotected metals and high humidity. The fewer guns brought in as a result of neglect, the better. But as one is entrusted to me, I treat it as a physician would a patient. The only problem is—a gun can’t tell us just how it is faring. That is for us to determine. AG