ruger bluing

[500bfrman]

I just picked up a ruger sbh maximum. This thing is in amazing shape considering its about 26 years old. never fired. Anyway the bluing on this thing is really impressive. Really deep it appears. Is this normal for all rugers even today. did I just happen to get a good one, or has quality faded in the last 25 years, or is this standard even yet today. I was expecting a very cheap blue such as on mossbergs, this compares to the high gloss on brownings. Anyway I am very impressed. however I was disappointed to find the cylinder only rotates one way. this is my first ruger sa, I am use to bfr;s that go either way.

[Potsy]

I think Power Custom makes a pawl that will allow the cylinder to spin in either direction (I had one fitted to my Bisley).
I don't know how difficult it is to install as I had it done when Hamilton Bowen was tinkering with it.
I do know that at the time he charged $60 installed for it and I thought it was well worth it.

[Bass Ackward]

I had a Redhawk re-blued by Ruger and the job was better than the original. Not just marginally, but stand out quality. And this thing had been shot a bunch. Everything (like the recoil shield part of the frame) was well camouflaged with the refinish so that I couldn't tell how much it had been fired.

I suppose that it is like anything else though, it depends on who is doing the job and how strong the bath is.

Realize that there are real finish professionals too. Doesn't say that Ruger is the only concern here. Barrels can be removed, frames welded and then polished up so that flame cutting isn't visible, rust spots the same way, etc.

In other words, if I wanted to get more money out of a gun and the re-blue / refinish (stainless) job would add this value over the price of the job, then I would do it myself or have it done. So it becomes more practical on more desirable firearms.

What surprises me is that there are .... companies out there that seem to find virgin (collectible) guns at a rate far above the likelihood that one would believe they would actually exist. Not naming names.

[white eagle]

I read somewhere that yes the blueing on Rugers has lessened over the years
use to be standard that a deep high blue polish was the norm now I believe that it is a custom shop do only

[curiousgeorge]

Nothing against the blue on the Ruger single actions that I have bought in the last 10 years, but my old SBH from the early 80's looks better to me than the newer ones. Maybe I should say it looks different instead of better. It appears to be glossier and more of a polished blue instead of more of a duller black on the newer ones.

Not in any way complaining about what I see as a "difference", but I do think it isn't the same as the older guns. Maybe it will be better in the long run.

Steve

[Walt]

I don't know if the blueing itself has changed but the metal finishing is not as refined as it used to be unless you get one of the special finishes that some peices have. The same could be said about Colt, S&W, Remington, etc. etc. It takes a skilled person to do the good finishing jobs. Instead of paying that guy for his skill they matte the stuff today and try to make us think there is something special about a sand blast job!

[S.R.Custom]

I don't know if the blueing itself has changed but the metal finishing is not as refined as it used to be...

Walt's got it. The bluing process at Ruger hasn't changed in forever. What has changed is the level of metal prep.

The bluing process at Ruger is good ol' hot caustic, black oxide tank bath as made by Du-Lite. (We use the same stuff here at the shop.) That deep luster you see on the old guns is a meticulous polish, buffed to 1500 grit or better, then blued. The polish you see on the current production guns is maybe 600 at best. But generally speaking, most of the stuff today just gets a bead blast or a "fine" grind, and they call it good. Into the bath it goes.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, these are the muzzle ends of two guns we did here at the shop. They both went through the exact same bluing bath. The difference is the prep. One is a fine bead blast, the other a 1500 polish. Guess which one we spent more time on...

[Char-Gar]

Why in the world would anybody want a cylinder to revolve both directions?

[MtGun44]

For ease in loading a single action. If you screw up just a hair, you get the chamber
past where you can get a round into it and can't back up that hair, so have to run all the
way around again to load it.

Bill

[bearcove]

Why in the world would anybody want a cylinder to revolve both directions?

+1, one way is good for me.

[500bfrman]

because I want it that way. Is that okay? I consider it a matter of convenience. I can't really believe it cost that much more to put on there. I know many on this forum, this is the only place I meet them, but I know there are many that have never made a mistake. I however have and sometimes I spin the cylinder too far and need to go back just a little bit. I don't really want to go all the way around, but if you do that's great I hope you really enjoy it. Whether my way or your way is better or not isn't really an issue is it? You like one way I like two, I'm not really into the my way is better. [smilie=s:

[Heavy lead]

The free spinning cylinder is something I would've never thought I would want, until I had one. Kinda like a cell phone. I'm with you 500bfr, a good upgrade.

[bearcove]

Don't remember anyone saying one way was better. But it seems some are very sensitive about it. Maybe someday I'll make a mistake and look at things differently...