Posted: 5/31/2011 12:15:08 PM EDT
| Is it just me or does it seem like 90% of the 1911s coming out now are stainless steel? I rarely get to see any nice bluing anymore. |
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you are right- many people opt for stainless (prefer blue myself) so the companies are responding to the market demands.
from a factory standpoint it is less work/polishing to put out a stainless gun than blued, so it is probably actually cheaper for the company to make a stainless gun. |
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I love blues guns but they don't hold up well. Colt dropped the Blued GC this year. I bought a Combat Elite has SS frame and Blued slide. I have had it 3 weeks the tip of the muzzle is already showing holster wear. While I like it SS wears much better for a carry gun.
I am still going to buy the Blues Series 70 Repro though. 
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It's kinda odd that way.....I prefer blued guns for enjoyment....and for rifles....I prefer anodizing and park.... but for a carry gun....I have to say, stainless is my preference.....particularly with the 1911. I wish Colt would make a Browning Hi-Power...in 40.....in stainless...... That'd be sweet.... |
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I can't stand stainless. It's either brushed and shiny, or it's bead blasted and dull, but scratch prone. I like park, personally. I've been carrying one pistol for almost a year and it's just got a little of the high spots worn off of it. The blued pistol I carried before that had a bunch of finish gone in just a few short months. Stainless makes for cheaper and easier home smithing, but that's about the only benefit it would have for me. I avoid them like the plague. |
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Quoted:
Is it just me or does it seem like 90% of the 1911s coming out now are stainless steel? I rarely get to see any nice bluing anymore. Good bluing is too labor intensive which is why we have all the crap looking matte blued guns. A lot easier for them to machine polish the flats on a stainless gun and kick it out the door |
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I don't know exactly why but modern blued weapons seem to have a lower quality of bluing than the older weapons, and are not as highly polished.
For example I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk made in '70 that is absolutely beautiful. A modern new SBH doesn't look as good. It also seems like the old bluing lasted longer. I like blued, stainless, and the new coatings, but to me a blued pistol just looks better. Jim |
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Quoted:
I don't know exactly why but modern blued weapons seem to have a lower quality of bluing than the older weapons, and are not as highly polished. For example I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk made in '70 that is absolutely beautiful. A modern new SBH doesn't look as good. It also seems like the old bluing lasted longer. I like blued, stainless, and the new coatings, but to me a blued pistol just looks better. Jim Because it costs more to polish a gun well and that is what determines the final finish |
| I guess lower cost makes sense and demand... as far as blueing I agree that the older guns had mch nicer deeper blue... I bet the cost is now prohibitive as well as maybe EPA issues. But occasionally you still see a fairly nice bluing job out there. Where I am (Orlando Florida are) I hardly ever get to see STI 1911s - anyone have opinion on blueing for them? |
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Quoted:
I guess lower cost makes sense and demand... as far as blueing I agree that the older guns had mch nicer deeper blue... I bet the cost is now prohibitive as well as maybe EPA issues. But occasionally you still see a fairly nice bluing job out there. Where I am (Orlando Florida are) I hardly ever get to see STI 1911s - anyone have opinion on blueing for them? They mostly have a bead blast finish with brushed slide flats on some models. The bluing tends to wear pretty quickly off the bead blasted surfaces; most of the used STI Trojans I've seen have had the finish removed on the left side of the slide where thumbs tend to drag against the slide. |
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Quoted: I don't know exactly why but modern blued weapons seem to have a lower quality of bluing than the older weapons, and are not as highly polished. For example I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk made in '70 that is absolutely beautiful. A modern new SBH doesn't look as good. It also seems like the old bluing lasted longer. I like blued, stainless, and the new coatings, but to me a blued pistol just looks better. Jim Old time salt bluing and rust bluing was quickly made cost prohibitive by various EPA regulations regarding the disposition of necessary chemical compounds; the only places that can bear the regulatory cost burden are more thoroughly established shops that are known to do outstanding work, like Turnbull. There's a reason why old blued guns were of such a quality that you felt like you were looking into a black hole, vs. the "black oxide" crap seen on most guns these days that is supposed to pass for bluing. |
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Quoted:
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I don't know exactly why but modern blued weapons seem to have a lower quality of bluing than the older weapons, and are not as highly polished. For example I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk made in '70 that is absolutely beautiful. A modern new SBH doesn't look as good. It also seems like the old bluing lasted longer. I like blued, stainless, and the new coatings, but to me a blued pistol just looks better. Jim Old time salt bluing and rust bluing was quickly made cost prohibitive by various EPA regulations regarding the disposition of necessary chemical compounds; the only places that can bear the regulatory cost burden are more thoroughly established shops that are known to do outstanding work, like Turnbull. There's a reason why old blued guns were of such a quality that you felt like you were looking into a black hole, vs. the "black oxide" crap seen on most guns these days that is supposed to pass for bluing. There are several finishes that look pretty good just maybe not as classic. I have seen some high polished guns finished in Ion Bond and they looked awesome |
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I'm looking to get a 1911 myself, the only thing is, I want a phosphate/parkerized or blued gun, with an identically phosphate/parkerized or blued barrel....
Nobody that I'm aware of (And is also in my price range) is offering a non-stainless pistol with a non-stainless barrel other than Springfield Armory, and even then, only in their "GI" model. When I ask if they can slap a GI blued barrel into the upgraded "Mil-Spec" model, they send me to the custom shop, who says that it's the luck of the draw if I get a stainless or carbon barrel in the pistol and the custom shop won't fit anything other than stainless... |
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OK, Ion Bond might be a nice alternative, but who offers those services, do they change the dimensions of the parts in any significant way, and how does Ion Bond compare to simply blackening stainless?
Finally, I assume the barrel link needs to come off to do these, but, how is it held on in the first place? Pin or rivet? |
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OK, Ion Bond might be a nice alternative, but who offers those services, do they change the dimensions of the parts in any significant way, and how does Ion Bond compare to simply blackening stainless? Finally, I assume the barrel link needs to come off to do these, but, how is it held on in the first place? Pin or rivet? Look up Springer Precision for your Ion Bond info. Does not change the dimensions Much more durable than a simple blackening |