NRA Sales Rifle

[Johnny P]

What was the receiver finish on the pre WWI NRA Sales Rifles? This one from 1916 looks more like a blue finish than a casehardened finish. Other than rust blue, the only other blue available at the time was heat blue.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2a8g2z5.jpg

[Fred]

Great photo!

[Allen Humphrey]

I thought purpose built NRA sporters were only produced from 1924 to 1932? I would have expected that ALL 1903 production would have been dedicated to military contracts during 1914 to 1918 at a minimum. Someone will probably correct me shortly:)

[Johnny P]

It is not a NRA Sporter. A NRA Life member could order the Model 1903 Rifle or Model 1911 Pistol prior to WWI. Kind of vague on my facts of the rifles, but I believe they were a Special Target with the star gaged barrel but no special polishing like the NM rifles. The rifles had NRA and the flaming ordnance bomb stamped on the front of the trigger guard, and the pistols had NRA stamped under the serial number to indicate that they were purchased and not stolen.

[m1903rifle]

Early NRA sales rifles did not have the NRA and flaming bomb stamped on the trigger guard. I'm not sure as to what point in time that they started, but it had something to do with questions raised as to ownership of the individual rifles. The receiver finish on the rifle pictured is correct and is the same finish used on the standard service rifle.

[Johnny P]

Neither did the later ones, but his one does.

[cplnorton]

Mine has the NRA stamp as well, even thought it was made in 1911. I've been told they could send them back in post 1915 I think, and get them stamped.

Mine is in the 470xxx range, but the receiver looks to be case hardened on it.

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/1911%20NRA%201903/P1190746.jpg


http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/1911%20NRA%201903/P1190702.jpg

[Rick the Librarian]

I saw an NRA Sales rifle in a collection of other rifles a few years ago, and I also wondered about the finish. Here are a few pictures:

3117831179311803118131182

[Rick the Librarian]

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I have three or four of them - some marked with NRA, some not:

[Kragrifle]

Drool!

[cplnorton]

Johnny, I got looking at my rifle. Even though it's a 1911 and the receiver is case hardened. If you look at the trigger housing on mine and your receiver side by side. They look identical in the type of finish. SA must have done some like that between case hardening and parkerizing.

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/Desktop71.jpg

[Fred]

Mine has the NRA stamp as well, even thought it was made in 1911. I've been told they could send them back in post 1915 I think, and get them stamped.

Mine is in the 470xxx range, but the receiver looks to be case hardened on it.

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/1911%20NRA%201903/P1190746.jpg


http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/1911%20NRA%201903/P1190702.jpg

Dool... Slurp...

[Fred]

http://www.jouster.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31185&stc=1http://www.jouster.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31186&stc=1http://www.jouster.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31188&stc=1


I have three or four of them - some marked with NRA, some not:

Man, those are pretty...

[Rick the Librarian]

As you well know, they can get addicting!! LOL!!

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[Johnny P]

Johnny, I got looking at my rifle. Even though it's a 1911 and the receiver is case hardened. If you look at the trigger housing on mine and your receiver side by side. They look identical in the type of finish. SA must have done some like that between case hardening and parkerizing.

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s441/cplnorton3/Desktop71.jpg

The trigger guard and floor plate were niter blued, and just wondered if some receivers were also. The finish on everything is original, and wondered if some were heat blued as it is too shiny for casehardening.

[John Beard]

What was the receiver finish on the pre WWI NRA Sales Rifles? This one from 1916 looks more like a blue finish than a casehardened finish. Other than rust blue, the only other blue available at the time was heat blue.

The standard receiver finish on both Service rifles and NRA Sales rifles was oil-quenched casehardening. The receiver, however, was inspected after casehardening and, if the finish was deemed unsatisfactory, then it was refinished, i.e., blued. But the blue was neither rust blue nor heat (niter) blue.

The finish on your receiver looks like real good casehardening. But I hesitate to make conclusive statements from photos on computer screens.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[Johnny P]

The standard receiver finish on both Service rifles and NRA Sales rifles was oil-quenched casehardening. The receiver, however, was inspected after casehardening and, if the finish was deemed unsatisfactory, then it was refinished, i.e., blued. But the blue was neither rust blue nor heat (niter) blue.

The finish on your receiver looks like real good casehardening. But I hesitate to make conclusive statements from photos on computer screens.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

"But the blue was neither rust blue nor heat (niter) blue."

What other blue was there at that time period if not rust (browned) or heat blue? On the Model 1911 pistols Colt used heat, and Springfield Armory used rust.

[Fred]

Cold Blue?

[Johnny P]

Nope, not cold blue.

[John Beard]

"But the blue was neither rust blue nor heat (niter) blue."

What other blue was there at that time period if not rust (browned) or heat blue? On the Model 1911 pistols Colt used heat, and Springfield Armory used rust.

The blue was identical to the blue finish on Winchester lever action rifle receivers from that period. But I have no idea if it was the same chemical formulation.

J.B.

[Johnny P]

According to the best information I can find Winchester initially used charcoal blue on their receivers, niter blue on small parts, and rust blue on barrels and magazine tubes. Winchester then changed to gas oven bluing for the receivers, before eventually going to hot salt blue. Colt initially used charcoal bluing, then gas oven bluing before changing to hot salt blue following WWII.

Colt had a problem with their WWI Model 1911 finish flaking off, and show below is a Model 1890 Winchester with what would have been gas oven blue with rust blued barrel. It shows the same tendency to flake that the Colt Model 1911 had. It dates to the mid 1920's.

http://i61.tinypic.com/28mk784.jpg

[John Beard]

Somewhere in my files, I have the formula for Winchester blue. A Winchester collector friend gave it to me. It is not charcoal blue. So it must be what you call gas oven blue. And yes, it does indeed flake!

J.B.