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Can any one advise as to what was the Factory Bluing process for Pre War STD Grade Model 70’s
Thanks in Advance
Gary
November 5, 2014
Online
Hi Gary-
Beginning in 1936, Model 70 receivers were finished with a polished (not bead blasted matte) carbonum blue (also called “charcoal blue” or as the factory said “machine blue”). Net result was that the blue finish on the receiver looked a lot like the rust blue finish on the barrel. The bottom metal did not take this finish all that well, so many survivors are browned out, but when intact are unmistakable…
Aorund S/N 22,000 (1941-ish) they changed to Du-lite (hot salt immersion) blue for receivers and small parts. Barrels were still rust blued. This is when they started bead blasting receivers (type I-4). There’s a lot of parts overlap, but that’s the basics of it. I’ll attach pics of a Type I-2 (S/N 11162) with charcoal blued receiver and a Type I-4 (S/N 43430) in hope it helps. Both guns have rust blued barrels)…
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
I agree Ted, as Lou is always on top of the model 70’s, and have helped us all out!
Very informative.
Thanks, Lou!
Tony
Louis Luttrell said
Hi Gary-Beginning in 1936, Model 70 receivers were finished with a polished (not bead blasted matte) carbonum blue (also called “charcoal blue” or as the factory said “machine blue”). Net result was that the blue finish on the receiver looked a lot like the rust blue finish on the barrel. The bottom metal did not take this finish all that well, so many survivors are browned out, but when intact are unmistakable…
Aorund S/N 22,000 (1941-ish) they changed to Du-lite (hot salt immersion) blue for receivers and small parts. Barrels were still rust blued. This is when they started bead blasting receivers (type I-4). There’s a lot of parts overlap, but that’s the basics of it. I’ll attach pics of a Type I-2 (S/N 11162) with charcoal blued receiver and a Type I-4 (S/N 43430) in hope it helps. Both guns have rust blued barrels)…
Best,
Lou
Lou, bought my first Mod 70 yesterday at an auction. 1952 vintage. The buttplate needs replaced or re blued. What does the blueing look like? The barrel or the receiver?
November 5, 2014
Online
Hi Chuck-
First off congrats on getting a pre-64 M70!!! Personally I like them, even though “collecting” them is a challenge… 
As for finishes circa 1952…
Receivers were bead blasted (matte) and Du-Lite blued, as they had been since the type I-4 pre-war guns (circa 1941).
Winchester gave up rust bluing barrels in about 1946 in favor of Du-Lite blue, although IMHO some of the early post-war Du-Lite (I think they’re Du-Lite!!!) barrels have a “softer” finish than the “hard” (more shiny/reflective) blue that followed…
By 1952 they tend to have a “hard” black colored blue finish. Kind’a like your LGS might do for you, except Winchester polished the barrels on belts (not buffing wheels) that left distinct circumferential polishing marks (that usually get trashed when a gun is buffed up on a polishing wheel by the LGS). Unlike the rust blued barrels, where the breech and muzzle were covered during the hydrochloric acid vapor treatment involved in rust bluing, the Du-Lite blued muzzle faces were blued. Factory rust blued muzzles were not… As far as I know, the rifling was also blued during the Du-Lite process, but that was probably all gone by the time the assembled rifles were test fired/proofed at the factory… Proof marks (applied after test firing) still weren’t polished over and blued…
The post-war stock finish, while still sprayed-on lacquer, was also a little different… Supposedly due to differences in the pre-war/post-war composition of the lacquer, according to Roger Rule. Also a little “harder” (more reflective)… Still prone to flake off if the wood got wet…
I’ll try and post a couple of pic of early 1950s Model 70s… Not sure if the difference will show clearly (they sure do in-hand)… One thing to note about my pics is that I “desaturate” the barrel stamp photos in Photoshop (meaning convert them from color to B&W). Still, if you compare the surface reflectance of the pics in my earlier post to these, I think the difference shows… 
If you have a specific query, I can either try and take detail photos or dig around in my saved photos for something clear-ish…
Hope this helps,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Lou, the rifle I bought looks like the second one. It has shinny blue on the barrel and matte blue on the receiver. It is missing the hood and the 4 screws for the scope mounts. It has an early sling but I can’t remember who made it? My question is what does the bluing look like on the butt plate? The butt plate is the worse part. The wood looks dried out. I will put some oil on it.
Started ordering loading tools and parts.
November 5, 2014
Online
Hi Chuck-
After the early 1940s, butt plates, bottom metal, sling swivels, etc. were finished with Du-Lite blue. They all look pretty much the same. One “mistake” people make in re-bluing butt plates is to polish the outside edge (making it smooth and shiny). The factory didn’t pay much attention to that edge and often the relatively coarse sanding marks are visible from when the plate was ground to fit the stock.
Here are three probably original finish butt plates dating from the early 1950s, with varying degrees of finish wear, but no rust/pitting.
Hope this helps,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Thanks Lou. I’m not sure what I will do with the butt plate. I may just live with it as is. I really don’t want to mess with the rifle.
The sling is a leather Straight Shooter. From what I can find it is period correct. Some say it is a 1907 type similar to what went on the 03A3’s. I will probably remove the sling and studs when I start load development so they are out of the way of the front rest and rear bag.
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