GPR Kit

[phillippeters]

I just ordered my GPR kit today in 54. This will be my first rifle kit. At what period did they start using blueing instead of browning? Any comments on building this kit would be helpful.

 

[Halftail]

phillip,
I'm no expert on anything.I can say though I like the Brown on Barrells over the Bluing.
Just my opinion though....for what it's worth. :v

 

[Swampman]

Blueing and left in the white, are 18th century finishes. Browning is perhaps a 19th and definately a 20th, and 21st century finish.

 

[Zonie]

Blueing dates to the days of Armor so the idea isn't new.
Some of the original American guns made in the 1700s still retain traces of Charcoal blueing however it is unclear if this was common or not.
There is also mention of browning on English Sporting guns from the early 1700s.

Seems like I read the reprint of an ad from a newspaper dated in the very late 1700s which mentioned browning being offered by a gunsmith.

The Enfield Rifle from the mid 1800s was blued.

The current color in vogue for a Plains Style rifle is Brown. Of course it is your gun and you can make it the color of your choice however in my opinion, the Browned barrel says "custom" while the Blued barrel says "Factory" to most people looking at the finished gun.

 

[captgary]

Built a GPR q while back, browned the barrel and sealed and finished the stock without any stain.
Have fun and do it your way :thumbsup:

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[Swampman]

Anyone ever figure out what kind of wood they are using? It looks like olive wood??? They used to be some sort of walnut.

 

[boar]

Phillip I used cold blue on my first guns, but found that a browned one would hold up better with use.Hot blue is a differnt story. Dilly

 

[captgary]

Swampman, they call it european walnut, whatever that is. Its about 10 times harder than the maple stock im working on now.

 

[Swampman]

It could be Turkish walnut. European walnut tends to be reddish and rather plain as far as grain goes.