Slide color

[Flint]

I have a 3904 with a very reddish slide. Is this a typical variety? Possible the steel did not take the blue properly? (I have seen Rugers like that)
Also: what is the barrel material? Hard chromes carbon steel?

[Echo40]

This is a subject which I have engaged in exhaustive research because I'm quite fond of plum-colored bluing. There's a lot of misinformation out there such as it being the result of using WD-40 as a lubricant/preservative on your blued firearms and that it is the result of trace amounts of silicate dust in investment cast firearms such as Rugers, but both are absolutely false.

In reality, reddish/plum-colored bluing is the end result of bluing salts which have been used too long or otherwise have overheated. The difference in coloration occurs over time and is not immediately apparently when the firearms are removed from the bluing tank or even when they are shipped, hence why brands with a reputation for gorgeous finishes on their firearms such as Beretta, Heckler & Koch, or Smith & Wesson would allow them to pass inspection despite what is widely considered to be an undesirable finish defect being present. In fact, the discoloration typically doesn't occur until months or even years have passed, hence why it is more common on older firearms, particularly those which were produced during wartime in European countries when firearms production was ramped up considerably and bluing tanks weren't as carefully maintained.

Contrary to popular belief, the results are purely cosmetic and the finish is equally as durable/corrosion-resistant as ordinary bluing.

That being said, I would love to see some pics of your firearm and I'm certain that others here would be as well.

[stansdds]

Decades ago I had a Model 39-9 with a slide that had a plum tint to the blueing and my current Model 439 also has a little plum hue. I had an old (1980's) Auto-Ordnance 1911 and its blueing was quite plum. I have seen this plum hue quite a bit with cast steel firearms and parts, so the alloy may also affect the final color.

[Echo40]

Originally Posted by stansdds

Decades ago I had a Model 39-9 with a slide that had a plum tint to the blueing and my current Model 439 also has a little plum hue. I had an old (1980's) Auto-Ordnance 1911 and its blueing was quite plum. I have seen this plum hue quite a bit with cast steel firearms and parts, so the alloy may also affect the final color.

Like I said, a lot of folks assume the same because many blued Rugers turned out with plum-colored bluing over time, but in reality it's merely coincidence.

For example, a large number of firearms produced during wartime in European countries had their bluing turn plum-colored, and I'm talking about firearms which predate the widespread use of investment casting with forged frames/slides.
I've seen firearms from a number of European brands like Beretta, Heckler & Koch, and Walther with plum-colored bluing, yet none of the above used investment casting at the time.

As previously stated, I performed exhaustive research on the subject because I'm fond of plum-colored bluing and wanted to know how it might be deliberately accomplished. After much reading on the subject and correspondence with folks who were employed in the business, I learned that it's simply a result of bluing tanks being improperly maintained, either due to overuse or overheating or both at once. A number of guys even attested that bluing salts have to maintain a precise temperature in the bluing tank, otherwise the finish comes out wrong, and getting it too hot causes miscoloration to manifest in the bluing over time.

That being said, it has been theorized that a number of factors can cause the miscoloration of the bluing to manifest itself at an accelerated rate, so it's entirely possible that there is at least a degree of truth to beliefs like use of WD-40 as a lubricant or investment cast firearms more readily developing plum-colored bluing, but it would merely be a factor rather than the direct cause. Furthermore, it doesn't seem to have any direct affect on the hue of the discoloration, which also seems to be a result of the condition of the tank at the time it was blued.