# Rebluing a shotgun



## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Anyone know of anyone that does bluing on shotguns. My gunsmith does but charges $150 and if I can find someone that does decent for a reasonable price I may have up to 3 to reblue.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

"Decent re-blue" is a oxymoron.
Personally I have never seen a re-blue I liked(and believe me, after running a gun shop for many years, I have seen thousands of re-blued guns).
I have never seen a re-blue that didn't look just like a re-blue.
I have never seen a re-blue that didn't reduce the value of the gun. 
Oil 'er down, put 'er away and spend your money on ammo.

PS, if you just have to cover it up, look into some of the camo finishes that you can apply or have professionally applied. Most are removable and you can easily restore the gun to its original condition.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

Interesting; so you'd never re-blue a gun? I've only blued muzzle loaders but I always figured if done right it would look new again - guess not.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have had a couple of factory reblue jobs done and the rifle or pistol looks like it is brand new. I personally don't believe that most gunsmiths have the equipment to do the job right. They can do it and get OK results but not factory.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

I tried to self-reblue my 870 that I've had since I was 12. It was a pain, and time consuming, and that gun rusts quicker now than it ever did before. I'm sure there are those with the proper equipment, but I am definitely not one of them.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Kwalk3 said:


> I tried to self-reblue my 870 that I've had since I was 12. It was a pain, and time consuming, and that gun rusts quicker now than it ever did before. I'm sure there are those with the proper equipment, but I am definitely not one of them.


You were probably using cold blue that you can buy in the local sporting goods store. I used that once on a Ruger MK I 22 and decided that I would never do it again. I sent that one off to Ruger years ago and for $15.00 they reblued it back to factory condition. Now they want $80.00 or so to do it.

To do it right you need a couple of tanks, the correct chemicals, and a propane or gas stove to heat up the blueing tank to get the chemicals to work on the metal. It just isn't worth it to try to do it yourself.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

Yep. Got it at cabelas, took a whole night following directions exactly and it was still a disaster. Not a simple task to do correctly.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Well, I guess I shouldn't say "ever" cause I have seen some work out there that was pretty darn good. You will see some nicely done re-blues especially on collectible grade firearms that was done to trick the novice buyer, but even after close examination the re-blue will be apparent. I have even seen some really nice case color work that although nice, never is quite like that original factory work. 
Of course I think LostL just wants his guns to look nice again and there is nothing wrong with that. 
I have several old guns...my favorites...that show wear and tear and nicks and dings from many years use in the field, they are what they are and I wouldn't change a thing about them. 
I guess what I am saying is that once you re-blue or refinish your gun, it will simply be another old gun...think long and hard...your old favorite shotgun will NEVER be the same!


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I actually reblued a couple of guns as a teen but I don't have the gear anymore. These aren't collectibles by any stretch, they're just plain jane Remington 1100's and 870's for hunting use. A decent job would be fine for me. I just can't manage to camo up a hunting shotgun. Too much of a purist I guess.


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