Remington Cylinder Blues

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi, I bought a iused Pietta '58 Remington that I have screwed up in molding the holster the end result is that the weapon's whole barrel iand cylinder became so pitted that I wore off the bluing and barely got the pitting off.

So the gun looks like it was in a long Confederate cavalry action, and now has become my reenacting gun, never to have more presure thanfloral foam wads will provide .

The problem is the spare cylinder .. there does not seem to be any form of serial # on the cylinder itself. The problem is that I would like to pick up another gun, but the cylinder must mate ...and I have heard there are 'old' and 'new' that are different and will not work on the opposing serial numbered guns ...

My present gun is serail # R40057XAnd the date of manufacture seems to be 'CB' (i.e. 2007).

Has anyone run into this and can tell me what serial numbers will match my cylinder?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Another out of the box thought ...

I had planned to just get another '58 Remmie to shoot competition with ... but I have begun to rethink rebluing ...

Is rebluing a gunsmith-level job or should I even try to take it on ... remember that Cablelas has these on sale for
$179.99 to $199.99 ...

TTFN,

[Major 2]

First, minor pits on the exterior will not diminish your usability.... certainly at BP load levels.
If you like post a photo, I can't imagine the gun being pitted to bad just from wet molding.

You could, Cold blue or even use a Browning Solution... or leave as is, many like the aged look so well, several Manufacturers & importers offer it at an additional cost New In Box.... USFA , Cimarron, & EMF to name a few.


Next your circa 07 Pietta is in the range of the later guns with the slightly wider bolt notch so a new gun on sale from Cabela's
should have no issue with your extra Cyl. in that area....

[Raven]

Hi WADD

I agree with Major 2 on this one .......unless you left it for a month or two, outside while it was raining or in the sauna, it just can't be that bad.
Your in Sacramento.......take a drive to Susanville ( take the long way along the Feather River just for fun)
Let a young gunsmith at Lassen gunsmithing school do the job. You will get good work, and inexpensive as well.
When you get there talk to John Martin, Andy Faircloth, or the "Chief" they will take care of you.......Garraunteed!!

If you want to call ahead the gunshop number is 530-251-8809 ask for the guys I mentioned.

Raven

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Major 2,

I agree with everything you say .... but that leads me to my quandary ... the pistol is definitely usable ... and deserves a less ignominious fate ... but then again the Yankee part of me says that Cabelas sells the same gun for $179.00';probably far less than the rebluing costs of the gun ...

What to do?

Raven,

I appreciate the Susanville link: I am sure that I will use it ... but right now my decision is whether to spend the God-knows-what-cost for rebluing verses picking one up at Cabelas in Boomtown for the 179.99 ... again, what to do?

But I will call them anyway... who knows, I might be surprised (as Judy Tenuta used to say, 'Hey, it could happen!)

[Major 2]

Well to me it's a no brainer.... two guns vs a pro re-blue ? ...two guns WIN !  buy into the Sale !

I'd defarb the present gun , polish and use a combo of cold blue & browning solution card it out and have
the look of well carried tool !

[Raven]

Wadd,

You might be peasently suprised at the cost of student work. And if we won't support starving student gunsmiths there won't be any starving professional smiths.
If you call ahead and go on the right day you might find a student that needs the project and your cost will be the gas to get there.
Besides if you can't afford student work you can't afford the new gun.

Remmember there are qualified gunsmith instructors overseeing the work.
Your lucky, to be close enough to drive there
Raven

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Raven,

I looked on the site of a well known gunsmith (whose name will go unmentioned) and the cost for bluing a gun was $500.00.

So I could buy two '58 Remingtons for the cost of one bluing ...

But I will call up your friends Monday (I am hoping they are not at work on such a beautiful California Sunday).

And if the price is right (i.e. ridiculously cheap), who knows?

TTFN,

[Raven]

Hi Wadd,

My friends are the Lassen Community Colledge Gunsmithing School.

The guy charging $500 dosen't want your work. In our shop it wouldn't cost more than $150
and the school will be much much less.

Raven

[Wolfgang]

Well to me it's a no brainer.... two guns vs a pro re-blue ? ...two guns WIN !  buy into the Sale !

I'd defarb the present gun , polish and use a combo of cold blue & browning solution card it out and have
the look of well carried tool !

Yep . . why pay for blueing it . . . strip it with vinigar yourself and have a well worn gun.  See my favorite pair ( of the many that I have) down a bit on the left at :

http://www.drburkholter.com/cf6.html   

[Cookie]

Yep . . why pay for blueing it . . . strip it with vinigar yourself and have a well worn gun.  See my favorite pair ( of the many that I have) down a bit on the left at :

http://www.drburkholter.com/cf6.html   

Wadd, I did the exact same thing as you. I didn't quite seal my gun when I was wet molding a holster and stripped off half the finish. It looked HORRIFIC. 

So, I stripped off the rest of the finish and bought myself one of those Birchwood Casey bluing kits. The results were much less than pleasing. 

BUT... after week or so the crappy bluing had worn down into a really nice "antique" patina. So I kept it that way. One blue gun, and one antique gun.

Plus I shoot gunfighter or double duelist and its a handy way to know which gun goes in which holster. (My grips are shaped for each hand.)

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Cookie, Major 2, Wolfgang and Raven,

A man has to know his limits (seems like that was a quote somewhere).

I have sutured flesh, catheterized with a gentleness that I have been complemented for, and discussed Shakespeare while I cleaned a literature prof's bum for the nth time (he could not help it if he had a dysentery like problem) ...

But when it comes to bluing guns, I am an absolute putz.

If someone would like to step up and do the job, I would be ecstatic and send them the Remington and extra cylinder. I tould not have to be perfect ... just do what bluing does best; protect the gun gun from any mote tarnishing ....

[Curley Cole]

This is a "kit" gun I got from EMF in the late 70's. I wanted it to look old, so I did the cold blue and it turned out pretty good.

the second pix of it sitting on top of a pix of Doc Hollidays gun and they are a pretty close match.

can't hurt to try it

curley

[WaddWatsonEllis]

So, are you saying you would like to blue it? If so, PM me and we will work out a price ....

TTFN,

[rifle]

The Dicropan IM from Brownells is fairly easy and no special tools really needed. It's a professional type modern rust blue.
Clean the gun.....heat water to boiling......heat gun in nthe water(hang it with wire to stay off the bottom of the pan).....take it out and it dries right now since it's hot.....apply a liberal amount of the Dicropan IM(looks just like cold blue solution)and put the gun back in the boiling water for five minutes.......five minutes or so take the gun out of the boiling water and hang it to dry(dries fast).......when the gun is dry rub it vigorously with degreased 0000 steel wool ....... rub it hard.........what is left on the gun is the bluing.........repeat several times till it doesn't take anymore bluing.  Dry it.......oil it. Done. Durable blue/black finish. Looks cool. Not always perfect but....never irritating to the eye.I guess it has to be done with a steel...not aluminum pot/pan. The Dicropan IM comes with instruction sheet.
The blue/black color fads over to more black usually over night but ,depending on the steel,it sometimes stays blue/black.
It is a good way to make a gun look exactly like a well cared for old gun. If it doesn't come out perfect (or you stop short in the repititions of applying solutions and boiling and rubbing with steel wool ) it looks like a well cared for old gun. Durable finish too.
Easy to do.

[Freedom]

hear is my Remington....I wrapped in vinegar soaked rags when I first took it out of the box....I shot it 6 times and left it uncleaned for a while to try and get a patina...well the finish or lack-there-of still hasn't done much or gotten worse.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi Freedom,

I have had two offers of inexpensive rebluing from gunsmiths ... now I just have to make a decision and send the gun to them ....

TTFN,

[Indian Outlaw]

Laurel Mountain Forge Barrel Brown & Degreaser is a *lot* cheaper and will make a fun project for you. I am browning a revolver  right now and it is mega fun.

[rickk]

I have browned a few BP single shot guns using the Birchwood Casey brand "Plum brown" browning kit.

Nothing to it, works well, gets even better with age and use.

Degrease the barrel with Alcohol, heat it on a kitchen stove to about 150 F or so, paint the stuff on with a cotton ball, let it sit for a while until the barrel cools, wash off with water, lightly steel wool it, repeat a few times until you are happy with it, apply some ballistol and you are done.

They do have a bluing kit as well - never tried it, I assume it works the same way.

Rick

[WaddWatsonEllis]

HI,

I just got my '58 Remington back from Raven at Raven's Roost/Kirst conversions ...

He was able to reblue the gun and it looks brand new!

Thanks Raven!

And, as Paul Harvey used to say, that is the rest of the story ...