Browning vs bluing

I’m getting ready to finish my rejuvenation of a 50 cal TC barrel. Amoung other things, the bluing was gone and replaced with spotty rusting. 99% has been removed and I’m considering bluing when an old friend who has shot BP since way, way back suggested browning instead. After looking at the processes, I can’t find significant differences between the work and personally have never seen barrels with other than bluing. My friend is a true believer in originality and insists browning came long before bluing. Is there any issues I should be aware of with browning that would keep me from doin it?.

Brown is the first step to blue, either is a good finish for your rifle. Do a quality job with what color you find handsome and it is correct for the times. Hawkens where blued but many rifles where browned.

It’s going to come down to your personal preference. But if You were going for an early blueing I’d suggest Kibler’s Jax Black. If you choose browning I’d suggest Laurel Mountain’s browning solution. I use them both, they’re straight forward to use and give good results.

Bob K said:

After looking at the processes, I can’t find significant differences between the work and personally have never seen barrels with other than bluing.

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Uhm, well,
Sloshing a bunch of off the shelf "cold blue" on a barrel, is way different then the hot blue you see on modern arms.
If you really looked at the process of surface oxidation with-in iron content metals as in reference to firearms and the longevity of each method as a presentation vs care(?),,
, you would know what brown is.
Your "old friend",, might just know some stuff(?),,

TDM gives good advice, I have used Birch Wood Casey plumb brown. It can also blue as these show.
64ED00D8-3CD8-42B2-A041-A087E3DA85CE by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
2403B66F-2F84-4AA0-80EB-669B179F6283 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

Blueing was done to armor long before the first guns.
Gun barrels could be left white ( just polished metal) painted, tarred, and fire blued or chemical blue
Browning is a step to chemical blue, but became popular in the early nineteenth century for guns, especially in the south.
Most old guns today are brown, so people like it on their muzzle loaders. However it’s an artifact of age. Unless well cared for white blue and fire blue can all turn brown, and many old guns were neglected and browned.
At one time I thought birch wood Casey was El cheapo, but as above it produces an excellent color. And I’d just as though as any factory hot blue or slow cold brown like Laurel mountain. I’m here to tell you neither one is better than the other. LM will be harder to get a lighter color with
Browning is to my eye the most beautiful finish on a barrel. It can range from a light brown down to almost black. While it may not belong on some style of guns it will look real sharp if you decide to do it on your gun

First time I browned a barrel My dad, who was a construction equipment mechanic and welder looked at it and said’ looks like a rusty piece of steel some one poured oil on’
I was eighteen or nineteen and went from real proud to deflated. Got to my first ml shoot and reinflated when my gun fit right in with them other shooters

Phil Coffins said:

TDM gives good advice, I have used Birch Wood Casey plumb brown. It can also blue as these show.
64ED00D8-3CD8-42B2-A041-A087E3DA85CE by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
2403B66F-2F84-4AA0-80EB-669B179F6283 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

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Getting ready to blue a barrel with BC Plum Brown myself. I have done the smaller parts and they turned out great. Any tips to get a good deep finish like yours ? How many coats and did you boil in between coats or just after the last coat ? I sanded the barrel to 220 in hopes of getting a more satin finish.

Boil between coats and lightly card for five or six cycles.

In my opinion a browned octagon barrel looks great on a muzzleloader. Either on a pistol or rifle.

Phil Coffins said:

Boil between coats and lightly card for five or six cycles.

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Thanks Phil ! That's was how I did the small parts but only took 3 coats to get a deep blue/black finish.

I once considered browning my old CW reenacting-days Euroarms Pattern 1853 Enfield, after a many-years-ago event at Vicksburg, Miss. For 2 days it rained or showered every 30 minutes. Despite best efforts and enduring 100% humidity, I got home and found rust through the bluing near the front sight. So I proceeded to remove old bluing and was preparing for browning, when I noticed how original-looking NO bluing looked. So I left it bare metal, kept it well-oiled inside and out and it still looks great — and inside the barrel shines like new. And it looks like it’s been through the war — well, 45-plus Civil War events — over 30 years. Looking back, never happier than the day I found rust on my barrel.

Here is my first build. I did a patina on brass with vinegar in a closed container, and the barrel I did with vinegar and peroxide and salt. I warmed it up with a heat gun then brushed the solution on with cotton pads. I hung it in a steamy shower a couple times or on the porch on humid Florida days between solution and steel wool carding. I wish I had removed the writing on the barrel first. I may draw file and redo again later. Maybe even sand the lock smooth and brown also at some point.

Those of you who use the LM or BC browning solutions, what do you use for a heat source? I've browned several barrels in the past, but back then I had access to an oxy-acetylene torch and other equipment that I don't anymore. Will a propane torch supply enough heat?

Propane torch works fine. The color case is how a percussion lock was done in the old days and looks the best in my eye. It is good corrosion resistant and hardens the surface against wear.
IMG_0758 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

You don't need any heat for the LM brown/blue solution, clean any wax off very well, degrease a little (instructions say you don't need to degrease but I do anyway) and wipe it on. If you want a fine finish card often with 0000 steel wool and reapply, keep the rust fine and the finish will be fine. Doing it this way the first few applications won't look like you are getting much color, the color will come with more applications. If you want a rough 'used' look wipe it on and let it rust pretty well, wipe on a second coat and let it rust again. Card with burlap or denim works fine too. If you want blue then boil in distilled water after every rust, then card. It will be blue to dark blue if you keep everything fine and don't let the rust get heavy and card with steel wool, it will be black if you let the rust get heavier or card with less than steel wool.