Refinishing Sporterized VZ.24...Rust Blue vs Cerakote

[mrh477]

Good evening folks,

Yep, another Mauser question (sorry!). This is my first major gun project so I apologize for the wealth of questions I have, and I do appreciate the wealth of knowledge shared on the forum.

I've got the stock situation under control so now it's time to consider the metal. The hot bluing (I believe that's what it is) is not in terrible condition but there's enough wear on it and mismatching parts that I'd like to refinish the entire rifle. I've been reading on here for a while now and have talked to the folks at Brownells. From that I've narrowed it down to what I think are the best finishes I can do on my own--rust bluing and cerakote. I don't have an oven big enough for a barreled action so if I go the spray-on finish it will have to be one that doesn't require an oven.

I was leaning towards rust bluing because I like the way it looks and I like the idea of using a classic finish on an old rifle. That said, it is my go-to hunting rifle so durability and weather resistance are important, as is the option to touch up the finish if it does get damaged.

I assume that I'll have to take everything down to bare metal for either option (if I'm wrong please let me know). So here's my first two issues:

1. The barrel nut to receiver fit is not super-tight. There is a small gap and I'm worried about rust forming inside it. Would cerakote be thick enough to fill in that gap? And if I rust blue, how would I prevent unwanted rust in there and inside the receiver for that matter?

2. The barrel (an old Norwegian Kongsberg I believe) has a machined finish that would require a decent amount of sanding to completely smooth. Is that going to be a problem? Is there any chance I damage the heat treat on the metal by removing too much?

Any general thoughts on the two finish options? I'm still leaning towards a rust blue if possible but if it's considerably more difficult then that may sway me.

Thanks!

 

[mrh477]

Looking closely here you can see the gap between the barrel nut and receiver. If I rust blue the rifle how will I clean this out between applications? Do I even need to?


Here's the finish on the barrel. I assume I'll have to sand it all down completely smooth to get a good finish with rust bluing?

 

[jtburton]

Rust bluing requires the surface be sanded to about 400 grit to give a good finish. it will not hide pitting. It is fairly durable as far as wear goes, but it is a rust finish and will not give much rust protection. Cerakote is a ceramic+epoxy finish that does best if it can be baked in an oven, it may even require baking, I am not certain on that. It can, however, cover small imperfections, but is only a few thousandths thick. It also give excellent rust protection where it is applied and is quite durable. If you want all weather durability I would go with Cerakote, if you can do the metal prep, and are careful to keep it oiled, then rust bluing is an attractive finish.

Jim
gunsmith in Alabama

 

[BBBBill]

Properly applied Cerakote over a freshly Parkerized base.

 

[mrh477]

Rust bluing requires the surface be sanded to about 400 grit to give a good finish. it will not hide pitting. It is fairly durable as far as wear goes, but it is a rust finish and will not give much rust protection. Cerakote is a ceramic+epoxy finish that does best if it can be baked in an oven, it may even require baking, I am not certain on that. It can, however, cover small imperfections, but is only a few thousandths thick. It also give excellent rust protection where it is applied and is quite durable. If you want all weather durability I would go with Cerakote, if you can do the metal prep, and are careful to keep it oiled, then rust bluing is an attractive finish.

Jim
gunsmith in Alabama

If I do rust bluing, will I have to completely remove the machining marks/finish on the barrel?

 

[rangervoss]

If you hot blue, it will look pretty muck like it does now. If you want the machining marks out, you must sand or buff prior to bluing. However the metal looks prior to bluing, it will look the same after you are done, just blued. So to answer your question directly, you do not need to remove the marks but you do need to remove the finish. It will look like a stainless steel gun when properly prepped