[Boats]

It looks cool, but I was under the impression that one couldn't really do anything to effectively darken stainless steel other than give it a matte bead blast finish.

So what is this target gray?

[caz223]

I don't know exactly what you're referring to, but I'll bite anyway.
I assume you mean the coating that ruger is using on their guns.
I don't know if it's the same, but I had a 77/22VHZ finished in target grey. (Ruger 22 hornet bolt action rifle.)
It was beautiful.
I would shoot it off the deck of my old house at targets 50 yards away.
When I went to check them I'd rest the gun's barrel against the deck rail, sitting vertically.
The gentle contact with the soft deck lumber marred the snot out of the barrel.
I only did that when I sighted it in, and only until I noticed it.
It shot HORRIBLY, and I didn't know it was defective at the time, so I traded it away rather than having it worked on under warranty.
The marring on the barrel was very visable, and I took a hit on that, too.
I don't know if it was representative of the breed, but my experience with target grey has been bad.
I'd assume that it's a fragile coating for now.
It looks beautiful in the showroom.

[Jim Watson]

I have heard two versions:
1. "Target grey" is what you get when you run that grade of stainless steel through a normal carbon steel bluing tank.
2. "Target grey" is the natural stainless surface after a very fine abrasive tumbling to remove burrs and sharp edges. It isn't colored, that is just the reflective property of the final surface texture.

Take your pick or dream up something else because Ruger ain't talking.

By the way, there IS a stainless blackening process. It turns the metal a very attractive soft matte black. Looks like the devil when it starts to wear and can't be retouched, though.

[VictorLouis]

I think they should offer it on every DA revolver, and their hunting SA guns.

[mohican]

I think the Target Grey on the Ruger .454 & .480s is also a different alloy of stainless than the standard super redhawk.

I think Ruger had a "tougher" stainless alloy developed for it's two largest handgun applications. I think it is more than a "coating".

[forquidder]

The 454 and 480 calibers in SRH are made from a proprietary stainless steel that Ruger developed for those pistols to hold the increased pressures. When tumbled to shine the guns up that particular alloy turns gray. I'm sure the color change surprised and may have disappointed the engineers until the marketing team took over and made it into a sales feature.

[VictorLouis]

The other gent's .22 Hornet rifle has been out longer than the .454 and .480 SRHs. Still has the same finish.:confused: