the bluing on USFA Pre-Wars

[el chango pistolero]

Howdy.    Has anyone here ever seen a USFA Pre-War?    I've been dreaming about getting one, in the form of a Doug Turnbull Cowboy Classic.   Turnbull gets the guns in the white from USFA, then blues and case hardens them.    Turnbull does USFA's bluing/case hardening, and the bluing on the Turnbull Cowboy Classic is the same as that on the USFA Pre-war.

I'm just not sure about how that bluing looks.     This gun has the finish which USFA calls armory blue and Turnbull alternately calls charcoal blue and carbona blue.    Three names for the same thing.    But on the USFA website, the color in the photographs is bluish (and gorgeous), and on Doug Turnbull's site, the color is black.
The USFA pic is at http://www.usfirearms.com/cat/prewar.asp (right column, toward the bottom; it blows up big and beautiful), the Turnbull pic is at http://www.turnbullrestoration.com/cowboyclassic.htm.

Have any of you good people seen a Pre-War/Cowboy Classic, live and in person?    Is the blue blue, or black?

I know, this all sounds obsessive, but I really care about my SAAs, and small details in appearance make a big difference to me as I handle and polish the guns, again and again and again, over the years.      And, for me, this is a very expensive gun.

Thank you all for your attention.

Glenn

[Colorado Kev]

I had a pre-war a couple years ago.  Pictures are worth a 1000 words, but I'll do my best--The bluing looks a teeny bit "brushed"  rather than pure gloss like the standard salt blue, and the color is a little less black than the standard blue.  It is nothing like fire blue on small parts of some old guns.  It's still much closer to black than blue.  It looks like an older gun, that's for sure.

[Sagebrush Burns]

I have a Turnbull Cowboy Classic and it is blue, not balack.

[Camille Eonich]

The blue is blue and Turnbull's case hardening is gorgeous!  I have two Rugers that he did.

[el chango pistolero]

Camille and Sagebrush, thanks a whole lot for your answers.    I just got what I thought was a clever idea, to try to attach USFA's pic of the Pre-War, so you could compare the blue you got to the blue in the photo.     Unfortunately, USFA's pic files, being excellent, are huge, and too big for attachments in CAS City.     If either of you get a chance, could you please look at the pic on the USFA site, http://www.usfirearms.com/cat/prewar.asp ?    This is the blue I'm hoping for, and since USFA's site has better pictures than anyone else's, I'm hoping that means it's the most accurate...but it seems that every gun I order looks different from the picture.

Thanks, and happy Sunday to you.

Glenn

[el chango pistolero]

Thanks a lot for your description, Colorado Kev.    I'm going to try to attach a picture of the USFA Pre-War.    I tried this earlier in another forum, but the attachment was rejected as too large.    Justasec...good golly, it worked!     Kev, did your Pre-War have the same colors as this picture?

Thanks, and sorry for not thinking of this in the first place.

Glenn

[sharps50/70]

Glenn,

Look down 7 or 8 topics and I asked what the difference was between a pre-war and the SSA.  I was told the answer as well as a discussion on the blueing.

Rich

[el chango pistolero]

Thanks, Rich.    I should have thought to read all the old postings before adding a new one (and I will; there's a lot of knowledge in these old threads.).     Who's Banjoman?     He seems to know everything.    Maybe I should have just contacted him in the first place.    Actually, I will.

Take care,

Glenn

[RRio]

Thanks, Rich.    I should have thought to read all the old postings before adding a new one (and I will; there's a lot of knowledge in these old threads.).     Who's Banjoman?     He seems to know everything.    Maybe I should have just contacted him in the first place.    Actually, I will.

Take care,

Glenn

Banjoman is our resident USFA representive. As the sales manager for USFA ( I believe that is correct), he will definitely have the answers that we don't! He is a stand up pard, and we are all happy that he is part of our merry group! 

[el chango pistolero]

Thanks, Rawhide.     I've been reading more of Banjoman's posts...he's obviously a great person to have in the forum.    Actually, there are a lot of really knowledgable people in here.

[Banjoman]

HI folks,
As most of you know, we have 2 types of Bluing.  The Dome Blue is sometimes referred to as a salt blue or a hot tank blue.  Most of todays manufacturers use this type of bluing.  It looks black because it's really a black oxide.   It's perfectly consistent from gun to gun.  The Pre War is done for us by Doug Turnbull and is done in an oven.  Regarding color, I've seen Pre Wars vary from a hint of bluish gray or silver blue to almost a coloration similar to Dome Blue.  This type of bluing is an art and not perfectly conistent from gun to gun.  I have two  Pre Wars done about a year apart, and though close, the bluing is not identical. 
Banjoman

[el chango pistolero]

Thanks very much, Banjoman, for the detailed answer on Armory blue.     I expect I'll have a few thousand more questions for you in the coming months.

Well, maybe one now, please:    exactly what are the "hard rubber" grips made of?     Maybe this should be a separate topic...

Best,

Glenn

[Rusty Johnson]

Here are some photos of my pre war. The color of the blueing depends on the lighting. hope this helps