Browning or Bluing?

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Jessesky

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I picked up this sporter today from the gun shop on a whim. It seems to be done nicely. It is light, nimble, and has a nice checkered wood stock with a schnabel forend tip. $350 I couldn’t go wrong.

My question: The barrel appears to be off a Winchester 54 or Winchester 70. Or it could simply be a look alike. It has either been browned to a high polish or rust blued at the wrong temperature. How do you think the barrel has been treated? Blued, browned, or other?

Thanks guys

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How does one "rust blue" at the wrong temperature?? Perhaps you mean hot blue?

From where I'm sitting it looks like it's just worn and developed surface rust. Boil it in water then drop it in used engine oil.
 
How does one "rust blue" at the wrong temperature?? Perhaps you mean hot blue?

From where I'm sitting it looks like it's just worn and developed surface rust. Boil it in water then drop it in used engine oil.
Yes hot bluing * brain fart

Maybe it’s hard to tell in the photo. It’s definitely not surface rust.
 
Hot bluing can turn color like that over time, can start that way if the tanks aren't hot enough, or if the steel has a lot of nickel in it. We would normally turn the tanks up a good 20 degrees hotter with some old Winchester barrels, but some wouldn't take regardless of temperature. Generally when browning or rust bluing, a lower polish is performed. The rust doesn't stick to higher polishes like that.

Oh, and make sure those drilled and tapped holes aren't behind your locking lug recesses.
 
I like it! I've never seen blueing turn that particular shade of color, It looks browned to me. My Security Six cylinder has turned a bit purpleish over a few decades. What chambering BTW.
 
I concur with the nickel content replies. I have a "B barrel" M39 Finnish Mosin with a "plum" colored barrel, similar to your finish. The nickel content is quoted as the reason that series of rifles are that color.
 
A lot of older blued Rugers have turned purply durply over the years.

A few older Remingtons look purple I. The right light. I have a 7400 that’s kinda purple.
 
Jessesky

I had an HK P7 that had a plum slide. Wrote to HK about it and they said that: 1) it could be the metal that they used on that particular slide, 2) it could be in the heat treatment of the slide, or 3) it could be a change in the bluing solution (different formula or weakened solution), or it could be a combination of all three!
 
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