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Winchester 94 big bore 375
dodge69
Member Posts: 954 ✭✭
Could somebody tell me how long they made the made the Winchester Big Bore 375?
Comments
I know Winchester made some guns that were nearly impossible to take a blue or you would end up with a different color than the rest of the gun. My guns serial number is BB010950 no safety. I would think the gun is near the first of the production of the Big Bores maybe 78 or 79.
I have never sanded out pits, but I have buffed hard with some courser grits. I have draw filed flats on octagon barrels.
In this case I would strongly consider degreasing the unit and do a spray and bake finish, your pits will help with adhesion.
added I once bought a Belgium Browning BAR in 30-06. The left side was scared bad with road rash as the result of falling off the roof of the truck at about 35 mph. I buffed it out, though I did take a file to it in a few places to start with. I did bead blast it, then hot salt blued. Wonderful satin blue/black finish. With the Leopold 1.5 x 5 set on 1.5, I could see half of the barrel in the scope, the low glare finish was nice on sunny days when shooting at running rabbits.
As a side note, that rifle would shuck brass so hot that you didn't pick it up right away without gloves. Have shot plenty of other autoloaders where the brass was very warm, but not too hot to touch.
added2 The reddish/purple "failed" blue jobs were IIRC some Winchester's, Krag's and Springfield's. The salts we used were the stuff from Brownell's. Some steels needed extra time and more salt to raise the temperature. High nickel content. I glass beaded the Browning, no clue what the glass beads were, the machine was at the shop my dad's worked at the airport. When I sold the rifle (not into autoloading rifles), the new owner just loved the matt blue/black finish.
Sandblasting it with course sand. Will give it a overall mat surface. That will blend in with and obscure the pitting. You can than either Parkerize or paint over the bare metal. And it won't look, half bad.
Having one myself, an early one also, I had found out long ago that loaded ammo was hard to come by, and $1.50 plus per round. I do load my own now but rarely take it out to use it.
I would take the advice of the prior posts, sandblast the metal, and refinish according to what you like.[;)]
Please let us know more about the final outcome for I have a 30 30 winny that I am thinking of...[:D]
This entire gun has to be blued so I will wait and see what I end up with. If it looks that bad a little naval jelly and a green scrub pad will put me back to where I am on the receiver.