About the brass

[thorr1965]

On your every day target rifles or the one you shoot the most do you clean and polish up your bass or just leave it looking aged.

 

[Bob McBride]

I never touch my brass as I like the patina much better than the shine, but 'different strokes for different blokes' as they say in Old England. Do what pleases your eye.

My old Pawpaw used to say, " The only things a man has time to make 'shine' is his bore and his sweet corn".

 

[TreeMan]

I like the patina!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Never touch the brass on the long rifles. Its different for the Long Land Pattern. That is lightly polished to a satin finish, but not bright. I guess I'm a poor excuse for a British Grenadier.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Depends on which gun, some need shine others need aged.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I hit the brass with some Never Dull when it starts to get dull looking, but just every so often.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I prefer the patina look my self.

1. Why fight it?
2. Looks great.
3 Polished brass gets all kinds of micro scratches unless you treat the piece like plutonium every time you handle it.

I am not that careful.

 

[azmntman]

Have never "polished" the brass but do wipe it off once in awhile (with just a damp cloth, no solvent). Mine look old like I like em!

 

[Art Caputo]

I leave my brass alone....I like the aged look.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I worked hard for the money used to pay for my now 15 year old truck and my accumulation of rifles. It's a simple matter of pride of ownership to keep them all shiney and clean.

 

[CJoeJ]

My suggestion:
If you like to shine them, stay away from duraglit and brasso and similar silver polishes as they are acid based and will tarnish soon after polishing even if you clean them with alcohol after polishing. I have had great results with 'plastic' polish (like they advertise to polish head lights). Since it is not based on acidic cleaning of tarnish it will last for an extended period. I have used it on Sterling jewelry and had it last for over 3 years tarnish free.

 

[tenngun]

I worked hard for the money used to pay for my now 15 year old truck and my accumulation of rifles. It's a simple matter of pride of ownership to keep them all shiney and clean.

Old guns have patina, and I let my tarnish be. I don’t rub dirty patches on it, and do wipe them off when cleaning, but that tarnish.
But old guns are old.
So I wonder. What did they look like at the builders shop, and after bought.
Did they let them tarnish, or keep ‘em clean.
Why have brass if you wanted dark.? Don’t want to flash some one in the tall timber off of shiny brass.... Horse puckies even very polished brass won’t ‘flash’ except at very perfect angles and a bit of timber makes it more likely an enemy will note bird flight patterns in front of you more then a flash.
I haven’t polished my brass yet but have been thinking it might be right

 

[FishDFly]

It depends.

If a rifle has rather plain wood, I leave the brass as is.

If the rifle has above average wood, the brass gets polished.

"It's a simple matter of pride of ownership to keep them all shiney and clean"

As it should be.

 

[Carl in France]

I mever treat it any differently to the rest of the metalwork and it ages nicely.
If you want shiney then polish it. I am happy with clean oiled and in perfect servicable condition.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

As I portray a gentleman of the period, I wear clean small clothes, tailored waist coats and breeches, change my stockings when soiled, and my staff keeps my shoes and buttons clean and polished. My fine rifles are kept in the condition I received them in, reflecting the pride of craftsmanship of the builder. I keep my wicks trimmed and my home ready to receive guests.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Bob McBride]

I wash my truck, my tractors, my shovels and guns but don't polish any of them. Its been 30 years since any of my shiny bits got REMF’d. I just shoot and have them out way too much to keep them ‘as new’. I can, however, appreciate the attractiveness of shiny wheels, glossy green tractors, and chrome-plated shovels neatly hung in their proper place. Polish or patina? Do what compels you.

 

[oldwood]

Have more important things to do than hand polish brass.........oldwood

 

[toot]

if you want to antique / patina your brass, when done cleaning your gun just take a dirty cleaning patch on your brass and you just added years to your brass. try it.

 

[Intosomthin]

I purposely wipe my dirty swab patches on all the brass, but i rust browned an "in the white" barrel as well as a blue one, beat the hell out of both stocks, half sanded them and finished them. I guess it all depends on if you want aged er out of the box new

 

[Billy Boy]

On your every day target rifles or the one you shoot the most do you clean and polish up your bass or just leave it looking aged.

A hitch in the army 50 years ago cured any misguided urge I might have to polish brass..