Does Bubba Blue?

[Echo Bravo]

Hi,

I wanted to get some advice from you guys about re-finishing a Ross MkIII...

I think we can all agree that permanently defacing a rifle of historical significance is a crime... I think we'd all agree that cutting a barrel or stock, or drilling a receiver, or even grinding off historical references and unit marks is all badness...

On the other hand, regular cleaning, stock oiling, and general maintenance is good...

What about refinishing metal... ie re-blueing? where does that stand? The rifle isn't being altered... all markings remain intact... and some would consider this maintenance...

What are your thoughts? Is re-blueing bad as part of the restoration process?

The reason I'm asking... I have a Ross MkIII that I just bought... The metal is decent, and the barrel is full length... I have a nose cap as well, so I was going to try splice a piece of walnut onto the front of the stock to restore it... The unit marks on the stock are all but gone... Here are some pics of the metal finish (sorry to those of you who have been seeing this on CGN alot lately)











Seeing as I am committed to redoing the stock (and re-altering its history)... The sporterizing process was a part of this rifle's history as well as mud and trenches... Should I re-blue it at the same time to make it look as good as I can... or should I just do the stock and leave the metal alone?

It shoots very well by the way... This is 2 groups at 100 yds...



Thanks for your input... I look forward to hearing your opinions.

EB

Information

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[Optimist]

The Ross has come by its patina honorably. I gunsmith, and I'd try to find an issue stock that goes along with the finish rather than trying to match the finish to new wood....

[Jim Tarleton]

If you want a better finish, but do not want to change the metal in any way but color (no polishing whatsoever), just clean the metal with MEK or Brake Cleaner and rust blue over the original rust blue finish. I have done this on numerous occassions, and it works very well. It usually only takes a couple of cardings before the darker patina is back. Maybe you want to stop short of a dark blue, and do only one, maybe two applications. You have the choice to stop at any time.

If you have any questions on exactly how this is done, contact me and I will explain in detail, including which solution to use. It is easier than most people think, and you will NOT be disappointed with the results.

Jim