plum barrels

[44whiskey]

am looking at british boxlock. took it outside and barrels had plum color not apparent indoors. what does this indicate. thanks in advance

[Researcher]

I don't know the answer, but we certainly see that from some attempts to reblue Winchester Model 21 and Marlin Model 90 frames --

Single trigger and Frame pre-War 16-ga.jpg (14.96 KiB) Viewed 2742 times

[44whiskey]

thank you for reply. it really does not look bad. hope no bad chemicals under ribs. i dont think it was re blued but have no way to know.

[DarylC]

That's not unusual for British barrels.

[44whiskey]

thanks daryl i feel like its original but am glad to hear is not uncommon.

[Stan Hillis]

Even Fox barrels can turn plum brown. My 1918 BE Fox barrels have become brown.

[44whiskey]

stan ,are they like frame in researchers pic,thanks for reply ps are you seeing many dove yet

[Stan Hillis]

Not exactly the same color, but still a plum brown. And yes, we have huge numbers of doves. This is an area of intensive row crop agriculture. Corn, sesame, peanuts, etc. are grown for harvest. Plus, there are lots of sunflower fields grown just for dove shoots, so there's plenty for them to eat. All the doves here right now are native born and raised. I'm expecting to hear some reports of great dove shoots this Saturday.

[Jim Cloninger]

Good luck on the doves, Stan. I know you will do well with your .410's.
Jim

[Sporrns]

When I bought my AH Parker 16 ga. 0 frame years ago, some moron had cold rust-blued the original Damascus barrels. When I sent them away to be properly finished, I left it up to the gunsmith as to the color and hue of finish on the steel. The gun was built in 1897; in that era many American makers purchased Damascus as well as fluid steel tubes from Great Britain and European makers. The "plum" Damascus finish and hue (I refer to it as 'rose') is characteristically British and can be seen on many English and some European guns from that era. The coloration is very soft and subtle and tends to slightly lighten with time and exposure to the elements. Some very early guns (c. 1875-80) show barrels that are finished very dark, and very closely resemble the true color of a plum. Kevin

[44whiskey]

When I bought my AH Parker 16 ga. 0 frame years ago, some moron had cold rust-blued the original Damascus barrels. When I sent them away to be properly finished, I left it up to the gunsmith as to the color and hue of finish on the steel. The gun was built in 1897; in that era many American makers purchased Damascus as well as fluid steel tubes from Great Britain and European makers. The "plum" Damascus finish and hue (I refer to it as 'rose') is characteristically British and can be seen on many English and some European guns from that era. The coloration is very soft and subtle and tends to slightly lighten with time and exposure to the elements. Some very early guns (c. 1875-80) show barrels that are finished very dark, and very closely resemble the true color of a plum. Kevin

it is not unattractive ,in fact i think it looks good contrasting case colored frame,these are fluid steel, thanks for response.