[Traptinkansas]

What bluing/method did you use? That bluing looks incredible as well.

I use Mark Lee's Express Rust Blue #1. It's the same process (and probably the same product) used by Doug Turnbull Restorations. I have a homemade temperature controlled cellular core PVC stand pipe that I've modified and used for many years now. I use mine to both preheat a barreled action and blacken them after the solution is wiped on with a dampened cotton ball. When you hang a barrel in boiling water for more than a few seconds there is enough latent heat stored in it to cause it to immediately flash dry when you take it out. It stays that way for several minutes and there's no need to use a gas torch. I use tongs or tweezers to hold screws and small parts in front of a heat gun until they are 150-200 degrees Fahrenheit and then apply solution. I boil them in a cheap Mainstays pot from Walmart.

There are pictures of my equipment and the products that I like to use along with links to some instructional videos showing various ways to do it in a thread about an old shotgun I refurbished for a friend:

Old Diamond (Crescent/Stevens) Model 100 Shotgun Restoration

Some people like to build ships in bottles as a hobby. I've always liked to repair and refinish old worn-out, cast aside, and obsolete firearms. Lately, I've been staying busy helping an old friend restore his flood-damaged gun collection. I had shown him the shop equipment I use to anodize or...

www.rimfirecentral.com

 

[Jrblanke]

Incredible job! It makes me want to find a cool project to something similar. I also like the red color stain you chose. It gives it a nice vintage look.

 

[22-45]

Your photography skills are excellent sir. The rifle probably wasn’t that nice when it was new.

 

[2labradors]

Excellent work.

 

[slickshot223]

Very nice work!!!
I was given a gill gun many years ago, is in about the same condition as the one you restored! My goal was not to restore but to clean it up to shoot! Having other more modern 22's, I was fascinated by the slower cycle time of the gill gun! Spent the afternoon shooting!!

 

[Boilerjack22]

Now I’m ashamed with mine, but I have no desire to refinish wood of any kind. So I’ll live with the shame

 

[Traptinkansas]

Very nice work!!!
I was given a gill gun many years ago, is in about the same condition as the one you restored! My goal was not to restore but to clean it up to shoot! Having other more modern 22's, I was fascinated by the slower cycle time of the gill gun! Spent the afternoon shooting!!

I'm sort of the opposite of a gun collector. I've always bought old beat up guns with the intention of shooting them. Ever since they introduced interchangeable replacement parts back in the era of muskets, there's nothing you can do to completely ruin one.

I take a "belt and suspenders" approach to maintaining guns. I view the bluing and finish as the first line of defense against the elements and only use gun oil and wax as a backup. If they get dinged and dented I don't loose any sleep over it. I just fix them up again and keep on shooting!

 

[Traptinkansas]

Now I’m ashamed with mine, but I have no desire to refinish wood of any kind. So I’ll live with the shame

To each his own. So long as it serves its purpose and you enjoy using it, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks you should do with it in my opinion.

 

[bahamajoe]

Cleaned up and ready to reinstall, reblue, or reanodize.

After a soak in Evaporust, I mask off the roll stamps to draw file and shoe shine polish the barrel with 220 grit Emory cloth.

For rust bluing, 220 grit is usually okay. I never use anything finer than 320.

In progress shot during refitting the barrel and action. I usually strip and boil the wood to pop out any dents, kill the mildew, and help eliminate any soaked-in lubricants. I use a Jack Fisher inletting scraper to correct any swelling or warping of the barrel channel afterward before putting on the final stock finish top coats.

I borrowed a Stevens butt plate for these photos. I'm still waiting on a new one to arrive from N.C. Ordnance that I can grind to fit on this one.

I decided to put a matte finish on it

So far my free gill gun has only cost me $24 for a reproduction butt plate. One of my grandsons tried it out and reports that it shoots and cycles just fine and that he wants to keep it.

What a difference, like night and day!

 

[OldRetiredGuy]

The parent to my 762 .22 Short. Nice!

 

[grouseman]

Outstanding! The 'before' pictures are proof again that some people shouldn't own nice things. I love that red colour on the stock.

 

[Traptinkansas]

... some people shouldn't own nice things. I love that red colour on the stock.

LOL! Apparently my grandson agrees and has stepped up to look after it properly on my behalf. If you like that red look, getting it is almost as easy as falling off a log. It's just 1 hour Rustoleum Cabernet. I liked the results too, and I'm not always easy to please.