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Defarbed

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Dave I can assure you that a permit must be drawn on a cap and ball purchase in N.J. One of the many reasons on the list im getting out of here this year.....
Good for you. I moved out of N.J. last year for North Carolina. I can tell you that the move was a godsend. NJ laws are legion and growing in every possible way.
And now I can shoot my rifles or pistol on my property any darn time I want and it’s perfectly fine.
 
Good for you. I moved out of N.J. last year for North Carolina. I can tell you that the move was a godsend. NJ laws are legion and growing in every possible way.
And now I can shoot my rifles or pistol on my property any darn time I want and it’s perfectly fine.

Well Pathfinder, welcome from Stokes
 
I met a fellow years ago who advertised an original Charleyville in Uncle Henry's swap/sell booklet here in Maine. I looked it over and told him I didn't believe the gun was original. Then the truth came out. I actually knew the person who had owned it and and de-farbed it for reenacting. People are funny. A few years ago I bought a de-farbed Traditions Crockett rifle, the bad part about that deal was Bubba had coned the muzzle and it didn't shoot well. I had a friend cut it and put an 11 degree crown on it. It shoots now. I always say an education is an expensive thing!
Nit Wit
 
As an old reenactor, the only time we were concerned with farbiness was during the event when visitors were allowed to come thru our campsite and observe 1860's military camp's lifestyle. What we were most concerned about was exposing modern conveniences such as coolers, aluminum cots, beer, modern watches, eye wear, etc. The list is long of items to hide from view. Uniforms were the most important in getting your particular units' impression correct To error was a major farb crime on humanity. When it came to firearms no one was too concerned of the markings as we all had the same and civilians would not get close enough to read the stamps. However, there are factional reenacting units that make 100% defarbed as a part of their impression and they took great pride in that. Hence, the market for defarbiing firearms, etc. Me personally, I could care less. All that mattered is that it went bang when we I needed it to.
 
My point is since it's not a firearm under federal law, once it's imported here and sold does the serial number then matter? I know removing serial numbers from "real" firearms is a no-no.
Not 100% true. The State of New Jersey labels them as firearms antiques or repro. And fid card is required to own or buy one a pistol permit is required to buy a pistol of any type. Now Ny requires you to put pistols on your pistol permit if it’s ever been fired or if you have 2 of the three components to fire it.
 
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I think Marse Swank pointed out that defarbing and artificial aging are different, although some guns get both.

The only gun I have that has been professionally de-farbed is an ArmiSport M1842 smoothbore. I bought the gun new from Blockade Runner, and had them turn it over to Todd Watts, a gunsmith who specializes in defarbing reproduction guns. I think the de-farb work cost about $150 extra, and it was worth it to me. In one of the previous posts, someone pointed out that reproductions are typically overbuilt, too heavy and bulky as compared to originals, and all of the markings on the barrel (known to shooters as "graffiti") are unsightly and distracting. Also, some features are just wrong. The reproduction M1842, for example, has a steel front sight cast integral with the front barrel band. On originals, the front sight was brass, brazed or soldered to the steel barrel band. Anyway, I wanted at least one military musket that was a faithful reproduction, and de-farbing was the most cost-effective way to get that.

So, Todd pared down the stock to the dimensions of the original, stripped off the factory lacquer coating and refinished with rubbed linseed oil, removed the objectionable graffiti, replaced the steel front sight with brass, and attended to myriad other details too numerous to mention. He also tuned the lock while it was in his shop, to have a solid half-cock but a clean, crisp release from full cock. I'll have to recheck, but I'm pretty sure the serial number was remarked on the bottom of the barrel. In any event, there is a lot more to defarbing than just filing off the "Black Powder Only" lettering.

The gun I received looked like an un-issued original. The slimmer stock makes it a real pleasure to handle, and the other effects of the defarbing process give the sense of shooting a real original. It is a much nicer looking gun than an out-of-the-box reproduction, and it is more pleasurable to handle and shoot. It also gives uninformed persons a more accurate idea of how the originals really looked and handled. It was well worth it to me, and I'm not even a reenactor.

Most of the armorer/gunsmiths who specialize in defarbing offer some options regarding how much you want them to do. I thought Todd Watts' standard defarb job on my M1842 was just about perfect.

So, why defarb? The answer is you'll get a nicer looking and more authentic gun that handles better, and is more fun to shoot than an out-of-the-box reproduction.

Notchy Bob
 
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