Rifle Restoration

[SPGuy]

Hello my father in law gifted me a Browning BL22 and I would like to get it re blued and cleaned up...he stored it wrapped in a blanket or sock sheath and not being a gun guy never oiled it before storage or even took it out. Inside barrel looks clean from what I see but outside has lots of small rust spots on the barrel, receiver, and sights. Can anyone suggest a place I can take it? I live in San Pedro next to the Los Angeles Port just for location reference.

Thanks for any help

[freonr22]

Can you use Semichrom? Pics?

[bergmen]

Hello my father in law gifted me a Browning BL22 and I would like to get it re blued and cleaned up...he stored it wrapped in a blanket or sock sheath and not being a gun guy never oiled it before storage or even took it out. Inside barrel looks clean from what I see but outside has lots of small rust spots on the barrel, receiver, and sights. Can anyone suggest a place I can take it? I live in San Pedro next to the Los Angeles Port just for location reference.

Thanks for any help

You'll need to ask around your local area (start with LGS) and see if there are gunsmiths that specialize in restorations. I had a local 'smith completely refurbish my 1977 Marlin 39A. He disassembled the gun completely and sent the blued parts off to an outfit in Idaho and they completely polished all of the parts and reblued them with a deep blue. The sides of the receiver are like a mirror, flawless.

Dan

[wolfmann]

Can you post a pic of it to see what it looks like?
I bought a old shotgun that had only a few spots on it,cleaned up nice with oil and 4 ought steelwool.
A good restoration will cost big bucks then of course lower the value of said gun.

[-hanko]

You'll need to ask around your local area (start with LGS) and see if there are gunsmiths that specialize in restorations. I had a local 'smith completely refurbish my 1977 Marlin 39A. He disassembled the gun completely and sent the blued parts off to an outfit in Idaho and they completely polished all of the parts and reblued them with a deep blue. The sides of the receiver are like a mirror, flawless.

Dan

That's probably Mel Doyle's shop in Plumer, Idaho.

[Pofoo]

I would try working on it yourself before sending it out. There are lots of threads here and vids on youtube on rust removal. Just using oil and bronze wool or a copper penny, can make a tremendous difference.

[Wheellock]

What do you want to do with the rifle? Hang it over the fireplace? Take it to the range? Sell it?

Refinishing is a bad idea if you want to sell it. If you want to go to the range, clean it yourself, touch up the blueing with any of the commercial product available from Brownells or Midway and have fun. If you want to display it, then follow bergmen's suggestion and have it professionally done.

Post some pics, we are a curious lot.

[edgerly779]

There are online companies that blue and parkerize firearms. You are looking at minimum of $100 or more.

[sealocan]

I agree with what someone posted above there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do it yourself or at least stop the progression of the rust from doing any more damage. Most of the time with a little care and gentle elbow grease and some low cost items you can make things look a lot better.

Right now with all this virus Panic stuff going on I would be reluctant to send it out for any kind of work because even if the gunsmith is working there's a possibility that not all of his suppliers and subcontractors are, Etc.

Just watch 10 of the most popular videos on the subject and think about whether it's something you want to take on to keep it from getting worse and then at a later time send it off to a gunsmith, if you think it still needs it. Just my two cents.

[shafferds]

it's the prep work that cost. batch lots are not to bad for blueing.