To blue, brown or leave in the white

[user 33697]

When building a single shot Kentucky, Tower, etc. single shot pistol, how many forum members simply leave the lock and barrel polished in the white rather than bluing or browning? The few I have ever seen left in the white are very attractive with the brass trigger, trigger guard and tenon plates with a tung oil finished stock.

 

[FishDFly]

Do what makes you happy.

 

[tenngun]

Browning was mostly nineteenth century. Blueing and bright seem to be typical in eighteenth.
I THINK that a civilian arm would be kept clean. Including brass and barrel. In the Mountain man days Joe Meek told a story about the boshway, I think Sublett but don’t recall for sure, telling a trapper to clean his gun. After being told several times he asked Meek if he could clean the guys gun for ten dollars
Meek jumped on it, the other guy thought it pretty funny….till he found out the ten was deducted from his wages.
Men didn’t want to look sloppy, even if poor.
Just my gut that tarnished and brown would have been an unacceptable look
I can’t prove that, just an opinion

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Original Hawken rifles were blued, just turned brown with age.

 

[TDM]

Agree with @tenngun and @kansas_volunteer. Browning became popular later than most folks think.