You can see the pitting in the photos. The third photo shows the most. Look above the groove for the dust cover. I can see it in all three but that is the most dramatic.

Fine steel wool takes cold blue off very easily. I've used in a few times. It goes on dark and then you can steel wool it to get it to match the original color better. It's not the most durable finish. It will look like bare metal which is basically what it is.