blueing the barrel
 

How is the barrel 'blued'? I've got an older rifle that could use some of this 'blue' stuff. Can it be done at home, or do i take it to a gunsmith?

RE: blueing the barrel
 

not all 'smiths do bluing....but most contract it out to someone.

You can cold blue it at home but I've never been impressed with the results. I'd also recommend that the action be blued with the barrel so they match.

RE: blueing the barrel
 

If it's anything other than small scraches like screw driver marks on screw heads it needs to be done by a gunsmith (hot blue) if you want it to look good. It will run you naywhere fron $100 to $250 depending on if you simply want a bead blast or all the way up to a "mirror" finish.


Another option that you can look into if this is a hunting rifle is parkerizing. It's a flat black finish that is an actual molecular bond between the chemical and the steel. It is more durable than blueing. That will run you in the neighborhood of $120.