Case Colored or Blued Trigger Guard?

[semperdog]

I have a AH Fox Grade "A", serial # 260xx, which I am restoring. Should the trigger guard be case colored or blued? If blued, what type of blueing should I have my gunsmith use?

Thanks.

[vaturkey]

Not case colored. I think polished and hot blued, but I think in some cases the trigger guards were carbonia blued. Someone who knows for sure will chime in.

[Researcher]

Sterlingworths seem to have always had blued trigger guards. Whether nitre, carbonia or some other type of blue, I'll leave that to experts who actually know what they are doing. Graded guns are more of a mixed bag. I have a 12-gauge A-Grade in the 214xx range and an XE-Grade in the 293xx range that both have case-colored trigger guards. As I recall my other graded guns all have blued trigger guards.

[Silvers]

Just my opinion here but practically speaking, your choice is rust or hot caustic bluing. Very few are set up for carbonia. And I don't want to get anyone upset but imo nitre "bluing" is total bunk and is way over written about. Basically its a blue-phase color achieved at the temperature of melted potassium nitrate, and it imparts ~ nil protection to the metal. I would go with caustic which doesn't etch the metal as much, and the part turns out with more of a polished look. In any case a restored Fox will never look like an original one, so trying to exactly match what Fox might have done decades ago and has since aged due to hand and atmospheric chem reactions, will probably not create "the look" anyway. Again, all this is jmo. Silvers