I have a Browning A-bolt w/ a matte (blued?) finish.  I was bedding it this weekend & got the bright idea to use Goo Gone to remove the residue from the plumber's putty.  Well, work distracted me & I left it wet for a couple of hours.  When I returned, the bluing was completely gone in a few places.

Can anyone help me out w/ fixing this thing?  Is this something I can fix or should I just take it to a 'smith & get it redone?  I do NOT want to change the dimensions of this thing (thick coating) because I spent so much time in the bedding/prep of the stock.

Thanks!

Scrub it with 4-0 steel wool.
Clean it very well with solvent.
Heat it up a bit 225-250
Apply Oxphoblue with a clean rag
Let it sit a few minutes.
Apply more Oxphoblue with 4-0 steel wool
Polish/blend with the steel wool.
You've done all you can do at that point.
If it doesn't look right send it off for a hot blue ob

Awesome, thanks!  Did some reading/videos on oxpho-blue & just ordered some.  Looks like it will work just fine.

Oxpho blue in the liquid has worked well for me plugging old screw holes on tapped barrels.  I think it likes older softer steels better than the harder ones.  I only have done a few jobs with it though so I'm no authority and stand to be corrected.

I might skip the steel wool though and use a clean toothbrush.  Might save the texture of the original finish.  You said matte so I'm assuming there is some texture or bead blasted finish.

If "goo-gone" removed it  paint is far more likely than blue.