Was barrel browning an applied finish ?

[kyron4]

Was browning a barrel an applied finish to a newly built rifle, or was it just the result of a natural rusting process due to use and weather over time ? If it was an applied finish to a newly built rifle, when did this become a common practice ? When did bluing begin to replace browning ? Just curious . -Thanks

 

[Rob M.]

Opinions vary but ....what little I know for sure. My thing is NW trade guns so ..... First, yes, browning was an applied finish . In HBCo records say yo have brown stocks and brown the barrels , thats in 1780 . Later , 1810 I believe , they ask for half the order to have brown barrels , the other half blued barrels . These were cheap firearms do this shows when the process of bluing became cheaper .... Many times you'll see rust browning that has taken over the original finish but that can be hard to ascertain at times .

 

[TDM]

I’m sure others that have more knowledge will chime in, but to the best of my knowledge, blueing, fire blueing came first. I’ve heard that examples of browning were used in the 18th century but it’s usually more associated with the 19th century. I don’t know what chemicals were used for early browning but I have read that the barrel would be left outside and urinated on daily until the desired affect was achieved. And during the use of browning and blueing many guns had the metal left in the white.

 

[TDM]

See @Rob M. responded before I could finish typing!

 

[Jason holgate]

Wow