Plum color on prewar cylinders

[dlidster]

Interesting. I have one (6275nn) that I'd swear is not a reblue. No dished screw holes, all stamping sharp, case hardening on hammer and trigger show virtually no wear. It's really pristine. Yet the cylinder is plum-colored, as is the ejector rod. (And, yes, all the numbers match.)

 

[JSR III]

Browning and bluing of gun parts is a controlled rust process. As others have stated, nickel does not rust so therefore high content nickel steel does not always take the bluing or controlled rusting process well. When you ad to the mix, heat treating, improper temperature, weakened bluing salt solution from over use and 100 years of age, it is not unusual to see different parts of a firearm take on different shades of blue or even plum.

There are a gazillion firearms that have taken on this color change and not all are refinished.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Regarding Plum colored parts on old Rugers:

Ruger had a lot of trouble at first with bluing their Investment Cast parts. They tried a lot of solutions, but they were really poking around in the dark. Finally they went to a research group in Columbus Ohio. The report came back saying there was an excess of silicon in the steel. The silicon had to be kept to a very low level to prevent the plum color from happening. It turns out that Ruger had been adding silica to the alloy to help it fill the molds better. When they reduced the amount of silica they added, the problem went away.

And yes, in some circles, plum colored parts are desirable on old Rugers.

Flat Top 44 Mag Blackhawk. I forget just when it was made, but it was very early, while they were still producing the Flat Tops.

 

[Oyeboteb]

Interesting. I have one (6275nn) that I'd swear is not a reblue. No dished screw holes, all stamping sharp, case hardening on hammer and trigger show virtually no wear. It's really pristine. Yet the cylinder is plum-colored, as is the ejector rod. (And, yes, all the numbers match.)

Yes!

I also have an M&P, serial 2450xx, which appears to be original Blue, matching Numbers and so on, yet the Cylinder is a little "Plumy" in some Lights.

I was even going to start a thread asking about this, when I see someone beat me to it!

 

[Hammerdown]

Yes!

I also have an M&P, serial 2450xx, which appears to be original Blue, matching Numbers and so on, yet the Cylinder is a little "Plumy" in some Lights.

I was even going to start a thread asking about this, when I see someone beat me to it!

Hello Oyeboteb
Ford's custom Gun refinishing can make that cylinder look right again I had them re-blue a model 27 cylinder only, and it matched the gun's bluing perfectly when they got done with it. Regards, Hammerdown

http://www.fordsguns.com/

 

[Gray]

Hello- I have a 29-2 S-318XXX- the barrel and the cylinder are the plum color, the frame is darker blue. I'm not seeing obvious signs of refinishing because the roll marks/logo look and feel crisp. This thread is obviously of interest because I have come across similar info in the past as to why my gun would have such coloration. I'd certainly love to think it is in original condition with an interesting variation vs a refinish scenario.

- Gray

 

[dlidster]

Hello Oyeboteb
Ford's custom Gun refinishing can make that cylinder look right again I had them re-blue a model 27 cylinder only, and it matched the gun's bluing perfectly when they got done with it. Regards, Hammerdown

Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing - Ford's Desert Eagle Sights

I can't speak for Oyeboteb, but I have no interest in refinishing the cylinder. The gun is in almost perfect condition. The color variation adds character that I rather enjoy.