[coolmudrunner]

i have an old remington model 11, based off of a browning patent, and I would like to get it reblued. I did a search without getting much info, so I would like to know how much does it typically cost to refinish a complete gun. This gun belonged to my grandfather and when my dan found it in his attic it was completely rusted. He had the gun ground down before I was born and it still remains in this bare metal state. We shoot the gun ocasionally and I would just like it to look better, and have some protection on it rather than a ton of oil. thanks.

 

[markd]

Depending on what you want done to the gun,
You can expect to pay $125 for just the receiver blued.
How is the barrel?
These guns are not worth much$
Don't know how much you want to spend on it.

Are you handy at all?
You would be surprised at how well you can make a gun look with Brownells Oxpho Blue.

How is the wood?
Let me know if you need any help.
These guns can be a little tricky to tear down.
But most people can do it if they take their time.
AND USE THE RIGHT SCREWDRIVERS!
Mark

 

[Grizer]

Hi, Mark is right about cold blue and screwdrivers. I just reblued a model 11 twenty. Rub bluing in with 0000 steel, (or brass) wool, (several coats) and wiping often with clean cloth, then buff with clean steel wool. The finish you see before you start, (how smooth the steel and no blemishes or discolorations) is how it will look when you finish. Cold blue wont be as durable as hot blue, but cheap and easy, you can do it again when it needs it.
Go to refugeforum.com for teardown, (for browning), but will apply to model 11 also.

 

[coolmudrunner]

Ive got the teardown under controll, here is what it looks like. And the steel is not all uniform, there is rust blotches on it in sposts. I would like to do the whole gun, as the barrel is in the same condition as the receiver.

 

[Grizer]

You will have to buff those spots to a uniform finish, (bright and clean) or bluing will look spotty. A lot of work, but will be worth it.

 

[markd]

Tear the gun down completely.
Start with a 600 grit wet/dry
Work up to 1500
Then steel wool work up to fine.
It takes some time. But very rewarding.
Do the barrel the same way.
If you have a bench grinder you can buy a couple buffing wheels and compound. This will save you a lot of time.
But you can do it all by hand.
Gives you something to do over the winter.
You can actually do it in a couple days.
Clean all parts thoroughly with brake parts cleaner.
Then Oxpho Blue.
I think you will be very impressed with the results.
You will also get great satisfaction from doing it yourself.
Again, if you need any help with the process. Just ask.
There are a lot of great people willing to give you great advise.

 

[Clemson]

I'll be a committee of one here and dissent from the current direction. Cold blue is OK for touchup, but it is not nearly as permanent as a decent rust blue or a caustic blue job. If you are going to go to the trouble of preparing the metal properly, you would be infinitely better off to apply a rust blue like Brownell's Dicropan or Herter's Belgian Blue.

I think I would recommend sending the gun to a reputable gunsmith to have it prepped and blued. It is very easy to remove markings, oval screw holes, round edges, etc., with improper polishing technique. It is likely that you need to have some of the damage repaired from the time when the gun was "ground down" before.

A family heirloom is worth keeping and fixing up. Do it right and you won't regret it.

Clemson

 

[Grizer]

Clemson

Didn't I say that cold blue was not as durable as others?
We are talking about a heirloom worth $200 or so in good condition.

You are correct about being careful, (buffing) and damage that may be allready done.
You are assuming this gentleman can not do it himself. He may be a good craftsman and only need info to accomplish what he wanted in his first post, better looks and less oil. He said he had teardown under control, which means a lot with this gun.
Mark gave good step by step info for the job, and as Mark said he will have a better knowledge and respect for this firearm.
Most of us dont bother gunsmiths with small or routine problems, altho smith's here are willing to give advice when needed.

 

[markd]

If you read his original post he said ( I would like the gun to just look better )
I don't think he wants to invest $300 - $400
Plus another couple hundred for wood.
I may be wrong.
Have you ever used Oxpho Blue?
I have. And I will tell you first hand this stuff works very well.

You would be very surprised at what one can do by hand to bring an old gun back to life.
Just offering him some alternatives.

 

[Grizer]

A big AMEN, Mark, you said it very well.

 

[coolmudrunner]

Thanks for all the info. I think I am going to look up a local gunsmith and see what he would charge for a hot blue. If it is too expensive for me, I fairly confident I could handle the cold blueing. If I mess it up it sounds like im out 30 beans, no big deal.

 

[Clemson]

Just for a frame of reference, Gander Mountain charges $175.

Clemson

 

[coolmudrunner]

Just for a frame of reference, Gander Mountain charges $175.

Clemson

do you mean just for the receiver, or the whole gun? 175 doesnt sound too bad for the whole gun.

 

[JimfromTrafalgar]

cmd,
If you can take it apart, and CAREFULLY polish it to a 320 or 400 grit finish, you can probably get it hot tanked for under $100.
If you have any doubts about being able to do either well, I'd have the job done right by a competant smith. Regardless of resale value, if this is a gun that been in the family, and you want to pass it down, you'll want the better quality result.
Jim

 

[Clemson]

The price posted was for the whole gun from the Gander Mountain website:

http://www.gandermountain.com/gunsmithi ... nishes.asp

I would suspect that the price is in line with most others.
Jim is right, by the way, about metal prep. If you are on a budget and elect to do the metal preparation yourself, you can generally pay a bluing operation to dip the gun. I have done a bolt action rifle that way for as little as $40. A shotgun is a bit more complicated with all the small parts.

If you are not confident in your ability to polish the gun, I think I would let the pros handle it.

Clemson

 

[Bubby]

Cold Blueing is easy.
I'm doing my a-5 light 12 right now.
It was in horrible condition when I started, but after a couple hours of sanding and polishing, It's all uniform. I've put about 5 coats of Birchwood Casey PermaBlue(only brand I could find around town). It's still a little lighter than I'd like it, but it gives it a look of a used gun which was taken good care of. As for tearing it down, I've done my a-5 and my savage 720. They're easy to tear down BUT MAKE SURE YOU USE THE PROPER TOOLS. I'd say go for it, and If it doesn't turn out like you want it, then send it to someone who can do it for you. It's really rewarding to have such a nice piece that you can look at and know that you did it all yourself. As for wood(if you're interested in replacing it) check out www.boydboys.com You can get a great deal there if you're interested in doing the finish work yourself.

 

[sipi]

Hi, I refinished an old solid frame win '97 last winter and learned several things.

Use a sanding block for sanding on the flat surfaces, it prevents dishing screw holes and keeps edges sharp A small block of wood works good, but I found a small rectangular piece of steel works best(about .50x2x3) For sanding rounded surfaces like the top of the rcvr. I used a 1/8" thk rectangular piece of rubber called a squegee(?) as a sanding block. I got mine from an auto body supply house.

for sanding the bbl I carefully held the rcvr in a vise put a long dowel thru the bbl and fastened it to block mounted on my work bench. this allows you to sand the bbl in the same way you would polish shoes using 1" wide strips of sand paper from a roll.

Work thru the grades of sand paper untill all the sanding marks from the previous grade are gone. I stopped at no. 1000 wetordry using a little oil on the sandpaper.

Try sading at 90 deg from previous grade whenever possible,as it makes it easier to see when the sanding marks from the previous grade are gone.

I discovered that some gunsmiths will hot blue a gun mighty cheap if they dont have to take the gun apart or finish the metal. I got the whole works blued for $100.00.

for refinishing the stock just use wood stripper. Cheap foaming oven cleaner to remove any oil in the wood, lightly sand and use one of the comercially avable gunstock finishes.

Its alot of work, but it sure makes for a rewarding Winter project.