What's the consensus on Kibler rifles Steel finish?

[Nazgul58]

Degreased, 2 coats of cold blue scrubbed in with a 3M pad, heated with a heat gun. Scrubbed back to gray after. Holds up well to 3 years of use.

Don

 

[Nazgul58]

Photo makes it look blotchy. It isn't blotchy.

Don

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

You’ve got to really try to make an ugly Kibler.

Love those browned and greyed finishes guys!

 

[Clark Badgett]

I have read that the 1803 Harper's Ferry rifle was required to have a browned barrel and all the other steel parts were to be blued.

Most new rifles would have been blued or left in the white to develop the gray patina and eventually a brown finish.

There was a time period when the US arsenals went through a brown, bright, blued phase. Some years certain parts were required to be bright, then browned and lacquered, then case hardened blue (not color cased). Then they would decide everything was to be bright, then every part was colored in some fashion. It can be hard to track at times.

 

[BR Sorenson]

Kibler's sells it. Black for the steel and brown for the brass.

I've used both on steel. Jax brown takes more work to build up a nice Grey patina. I finaly got some jax black and used it on the lock of my last woodsrunner. It was darker than I wanted. So I rubbed it back. And I'm getting used to it. The rifle is cherry stock and I browned the barrel.
Jax black is pretty much a cold bluing solution.

 

[mrfritz44]

I think you need to first ask yourself what you intend to do with the rifle. Target, wallhanger, hunter?

I chose browning because it's highly durable and my Woodsrunner will likely see snow and rain throughout its lifetime.