NRA Sales Rifle

[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.

[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.