Should I buy a self bluing kit for my 30-1?

[nate-dogg]

Hey guys. I just got a M30-1 SN 758xxx on trade and the previous owner appears to have tried to buff out the bluing on the gun and didn't finish the job. Not sure of what his intentions were. I understand this gun is not much of value now.

My question is whether I should keep it the way it is for a shooter or should i attempt to finish removing the original bluing and buy a self bluing kit?

Any tips, pointers, suggestions please. Please feel free to post pictures of past experiences with self bluing kits. Thanks!

 

[patrickd]

I have gotten some very surprisingly good results from the Birchwood Casey cold blue. As for tips. Just as in anything the prep before you apply the bluing is everything. Polish everything well and MOST importantly, degrease degrease and then degrease again. Any oils on the metal will give you splotchy bluing. After you are satisfied with the coverage and depth of color, wash it real good to stop the chemical reaction of the bluing with the metal, dry thoroughly using your wife's blow dryer and then buff it out using 0000steel wool and oil. I have done several old shotguns and they really surprised me at how well they look. Remember the prep work means everything .

 

[Smith357]

With the condition of that one I personally would have it bead blasted then parkerized, ceracoated or hard chromed
.

 

[Jingles]

From the picture it looks badly pitted. If so you won't be able to polish it enough to make it look good blued. It looks like it was soaked in saltwater. If the internals and bore are that bad I wouldn't do anything except maybe trade it in at the next Police gun buy back.

If the internals and bore aren't as bad as the outside I would Cerakote or Parkerize it and shoot the heck out of it.

 

[H Richard]

I would second the bead blast blue finish.

 

[nate-dogg]

Thanks guys for the replies. Bead blasting, cerekote, parkerizing, etc. seems to be the best option, but I'm afraid those routes sound like money pits for a gun that isn't really worth it.. I only have this gun for a value of 90$ I got in a trade so I think I should probably just cut my losses while I can. Even if i cant sell or trade it ill only be out 90 bucks. The enternals are fine and the bore isn't terrible. Some light pitting. I will probably shoot a couple boxes of ammo thru it then trade it back off.

 

[Grayfox]

I've gotten very good results with Blue Wonder. The kit costs around $30. Polish it out real good and be sure to follow the instructions carefully. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Jaymo]

I've seen bead blasted, blued guns that looked good.

Brownell's Oxpho-Blue is a good cold blue.

 

[DWalt]

Bead blasting followed by cold blue or phosphating (Parkerizing) can produce good results. You might also try rust blue, but lots more handwork is required. There is also some spray bluing available from Lauer which has been reported to look pretty good if properly applied. .

 

[JSR III]

Ford's (352) 564-0001

or I'll give you $100 for it.

 

[nate-dogg]

I ordered the DuraBlue Nitre Aerosol Kit from Lauer as mentioned above. I've got my work cut out for me!

 

[steelslaver]

Bead blasting shouldn't cost much. Plug the barrel on both ends, same for all chambers, Remove hammer and trigger. Plug frame openings. You could uses silicon caulk to plug holes. Many auto shops have a blaster, some would probably allow you to watch and say "when" . With glass beads it would probably just take a pass on all surfaces. Unless you turned it over to a complete idiot that just blasted the snot out of it the beads won't remove much metal, just give the surface a bit of texture.

 

[m1gunner]

Thanks guys for the replies. Bead blasting, cerekote, parkerizing, etc. seems to be the best option, but I'm afraid those routes sound like money pits for a gun that isn't really worth it.. I only have this gun for a value of 90$ I got in a trade so I think I should probably just cut my losses while I can. Even if i cant sell or trade it ill only be out 90 bucks. The enternals are fine and the bore isn't terrible. Some light pitting. I will probably shoot a couple boxes of ammo thru it then trade it back off.

Wish you were local, I'd buy it in a skinny minute.

I got one worse than that several years ago. Chambers were so rusted you could not even load it. Way worse pitting on the outside as well. Paid a lot more than you did.

Just some minor prep, and shot it with MolyResin, and it is one of my favorite revolvers now. More than 2 years since coating it, and still great looking, but I used a flat finish, not glossy.

 

[DWalt]

I ordered the DuraBlue Nitre Aerosol Kit from Lauer as mentioned above. I've got my work cut out for me!

It has a very short shelf life after it's been used the first time. Best to use it up on other guns or whatever if you have any.

 

[Drm50]

The gun is a $90 gun? It is not economically smart to invest the
cost of a refinish in it. It is not going to bring the value up to
cover your cost. The only way these refinishes are practical is if
the gun has sentimental value. Putting $150 in a $90 gun to
come out with a $150 gun is nuts. You can always recover your
$90 just by selling as is, as long as gun is functional.

 

[m1gunner]

The gun is a $90 gun? It is not economically smart to invest the
cost of a refinish in it. It is not going to bring the value up to
cover your cost. The only way these refinishes are practical is if
the gun has sentimental value. Putting $150 in a $90 gun to
come out with a $150 gun is nuts. You can always recover your
$90 just by selling as is, as long as gun is functional.

My cost to refinish is less than 20 bucks and a little time. Would not do a Reg Magnum with this finish, but a pitted 30? Absolutely.

 

[Drm50]

My cost to refinish is less than 20 bucks and a little time. Would not do a Reg Magnum with this finish, but a pitted 30? Absolutely.

I was not talking about a home cold reblue, I was talking about
having any type finish, out of house. Any would exceed value of
gun. With heavy pits, even a home blue job would take more
than a little time/ versus value of finished gun. I been there, done that. For a decent cold blue job their is a lot of prep time
and work, unless you have your own bead blaster. It boils down
to your time vs end value. I look at it from a practical standpoint,
not doing a refinish on a gun I plan to keep.

 

[m1gunner]

I was not talking about a home cold reblue, I was talking about
having any type finish, out of house. Any would exceed value of
gun. With heavy pits, even a home blue job would take more
than a little time/ versus value of finished gun. I been there, done that. For a decent cold blue job their is a lot of prep time
and work, unless you have your own bead blaster. It boils down
to your time vs end value. I look at it from a practical standpoint,
not doing a refinish on a gun I plan to keep.

Not a home cold blue at all. A permanent finish, more durable than factory bluing, used on some new, very expensive guns, silencers, and accessories. Cold blue is not much better than a sharpie.

If you are talking about shipping a handgun, it is not worth doing for anything under $750+ in value due to the regs on shipping. It is even questionable buying any new gun from a non FFL due to the cost of shipping and transfers.