Hey all! Experienced gun owner here, but just about to buy the revolver above. I really like this little guy, but I have two newbie questions that I couldn't answer myself by searching:

-There are two dots painted on the left side of the gun, just below the cylinder. Why are they there, along with the dot near the cylinder release?

-The finish appears to be some kind of coating/paint, as opposed to being blued. Am I right?

Thanks!

You can only blue steel. Your revolver is made from an aluminum alloy. You can annodize aluminum which is a penetrating finish that can be in any color and also hardens the surface. But I don't think that the 360 is annodized. I don't know what the finish is.

Update:

I just looked this up and it is annodized. The annodizing penetrates the surface. A deep annodize will harden the surface and provide protection from oxidation. Annodizing is probably the best possible finish for an aluminum alloy gun frame because of the hardening of the surface.

Indy 500 engines do not use cast iron sleeves in the cylinders. The cylinders are hard annodized instead. This surface is tough enough for an Indy 500 race, but it was not tough enough for the Chevy Chevette engine which rapidly wore out. But it is a very tough surface (for aluminum), and an excellent choice for a finish. It can never flake off as it is a penetrating finish. You can wear through it though, and I don't know how deeply these guns are annodized, so treat the finish with respect and do not use any abrasives on the frame.

Welcome to the Forum.
The dots are not painted, they are the ends of the pins used to hold stuff in the receiver.
Jim