Is it hot blued or Rust blued

[Bill Holcombe]

Stumbled upon a GH that I can't afford yet but has a nice price on it. Its a 12g on a 2 frame made in 1908 I believe.

It has a skinny little butt pad that I don't think is factory and the stock has been refinished. Checkering is original, and it has some of the nicest look Dam patterning I have seen, except for the light bluing treatment. The pattern looks like it is perfect and someone just wrapped the barrel in dark blue/black celaphane.

So the question is, if I ever get my finances straight, is there a way to tell if it was hot blued or rust blued?

Oh yeah the tag has the annoying only shoot black powder loads written on it.

[Steve Havener]

If you can clearly see the contrast in the pattern the barrels have most assuredly have been rust blued. Hot bluing will normally provide a uniform black color or a very faint Damascus pattern may be evident.

What do the inside of the barrels look like? If they aren't pitted, the ribs are tight and have been blessed by a competent gunsmith familiar with classic doubles the barrels are quite useable with low to medium chamber pressure ammunition such as that sold by RST.

I really don't understand what you mean by the "wrapped in cellophane" comment.

[Bruce Day]

That GH was designed for smokeless, proofed and patterned with smokeless powder by Parker, and likely has never shot black powder Smokeless powder quickly became favored over black powder by 1900, and by the mid 1890's many matches were requiring the use of smokeless powder.

Many Parker patterning tags from 1891 on show use of Wood's powder , a bulk smokeless, as the powder used.

[Bill Holcombe]

Bruce I am guessing you meant "never shot black powder "?

The celolhane comment was just about how thin the bluing is.

[Dean Romig]

That GH was designed for smokeless, proofed and patterned with smokeless powder by Parker, and likely has never shot smokeless.

Shouldn't that be 'and likely has never shot black powder.' ??

[Bruce Day]

Yes. Sure. Mea culpa.

[Bill Holcombe]

So here is the question then, if I get my pennies saved up and the gun is still there, will I be able to remove the bluing without damaging the damascus pattern or will I likely have to send the gun off to have the barrels redone?

[Dean Romig]

The barrels will very likely need to be refinished correctly to bring out the Damascus pattern.

[Bill Holcombe]

Thanks Dean. Was just curious since the pattern is very visible and it is basically like someone tinted the barrels.

[Steve Havener]

Depending on the steel/iron used to make the barrels and the blacking process used a black/gray or black/silver color is quite normal. You really need to post a photo for a good evaluation but if the pattern is strong and the colors are pleasing I say leave the barrels alone. Look at some of the barrels on Dr. Drew Hause's Damascus knowledge web site and in the photos albums on this web site they may help you.

[Bill Holcombe]

Thanks, the other concern I have regarding saving up for this particular 1908 GH, is the choking. It is choked full and full. I shoot skeet and Dove with the occassional Quail hunt mixed in or round of trap. I know F/F it would probably be a great trap gun but not certain if it would be practical to have a F/F shotgun to actually shoot.

[Steve Havener]

Absent of opening up the chokes spreader loads will help open the pattern usually by about one constriction of choke ie. full chokes with spreader load will shoot about a modified choke pattern. It also wouldn't be a crime to open up the chokes of a gun as you have described to get chokes more suited to your shooting.

[Leighton Stallones]

I do some barrel browning and I would suggest leaving them alone. To remove the rust blue it would also remove the pattern underneath. Then you would be looking at a whole new browning job.

[Bruce Day]

Sounds like what you want/need is a VH 20 ga. Save your money to about $4000 and get a nice one. Cheap guns, cars , whiskey and women prove the adage that you get what you pay for.

[Bill Holcombe]

I guess it is possible they aren't blued. The colors were similar to this picture from Drew's website.

I may have incorrectly assumed they were blued due to the dark coloring as opposed to the bright color of most restored damascus barrels.

[Bill Holcombe]

Thanks Bruce, appreciate the advice, but I have always liked and preferred 12s to 20s. Even as a young kid I liked shooting a 12 more then my dads 20ga browning A5s.

If I do save my $$$s I will probably just hold out for a 12 D grade. I already have a VH, but want my next Parker to have more engraving on it.

[Bill Holcombe]

HEre is another pic from http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/17428644
showing restoration of a damascus barrel, so I guess it is possible the barrels weren't blued at all.

[Leighton Stallones]

KIng, I have had barrels turn out very similar. If they re browned and then boiled in water without the tradional logwood, they will have ablue color similar to that. I doubtthey are factory, but they look fine to me.

[Bill Holcombe]

Sounds like what you want/need is a VH 20 ga. Save your money to about $4000 and get a nice one. Cheap guns, cars , whiskey and women prove the adage that you get what you pay for.

BTW Bruce, I don't know that I would classify any Parker gun as cheap :bigbye:
the ones that have some imperfections just give us something else to work on :)

[Brian Dudley]

Restored Damascus barrels will look many different ways. From smith to smith and even maker to maker. If you can see pattern, they were "properly" done.

[Dean Romig]

I don't know that I would classify any Parker gun as cheap.


It's all relative. There are thousands of "cheap" Parkers in comparison to the relatively few highly valuable Parkers.

[Bill Holcombe]

As are our collecting budgets. Anything over 1k is a big purchase for me. I have 1 2k gun and I doubt I will ever pay 4k for a gun. Unless they find oil on our land.