Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Perhaps I'll just start calling her "Blue" now.

One of the completed projects I was able to pick up at Gunsmoke Guns in Denver, on our recent trip Outside, was my Browning P35 (the "Hi-Power" as some insist).  Among the work to be done, I requested she be blued.  So imagine my amusement when she came back...blue.

Hi there!

Hee.  Well, I'm sure it's a fine, modern finish, and I don't anticipate getting any further work done, so we'll leave it.  Hell, it'll be something to talk about, especially since this piece is perfect for a "barbecue gun". 

It's good to have her back;  The P35 was the very first gun I ever lusted after, and the very first gun I bought.  If I'm going to carry a full-sized 9x19mm, this is the one.  And when I work with noobs, this is the one gun that everyone loves.  As you might imagine, the work done (trigger/hammer, upgraded sights, extended safety, and ducktail tang) turns a great base gun into a pure joy to shoot.

Click to embiggenate.

So, cool!  Now I'm looking forward to getting some range time with my neighbor;  we've got several things we'd like to wring out, and I can now add my P35 to the mix.  With age I seem to grow more and more fond of bestowing names on things, and I think I may just start calling her "Blue".


3 comments:

Joel said...

Well, it's really a good thing. Handguns are gradually becoming so mainstream that they now come in finishes other than stainless and "blued."

Thanks for the reminder that if I ever get my 1911 re-blued, which it badly needs, I'll try to be more specific.

Kevin Wilmeth said...

I agree it's a good thing; I'm actually pretty keen on some of the fancy finishes. Some years ago now, I had my Marlin 45-70 finished in Robar's NP3, and have been absolutely delighted with it. It's so slick and self-lubricating that I can literally run the gun dry (no lube) without concern. This is a useful capability for an inherently defensive piece that might be pressed into service not just in corrosive environments like salt spray, but because of where I live and visit, potentially in temperatures so cold that some lubricants might well freeze the action shut. :-)

I'd just figured I'd keep the P35 traditional, and invest in the fancy finishes on guns I'm more likely to sweat on or otherwise abuse. (There's another remaining project that Gunsmoke has also had for a long time, that is intended to replace both the 5" 1911 and the Kahr as my everyday gun...and that one I requested up front have a finish as good as the NP3 I know. They assure me that Cerakote fills that bill; we'll see if that's correct!)

MamaLiberty said...

I can see where getting the gun back actually sky "blue" might be a shock. Not sure I'd want to carry it myself... I love the plain stainless steel of my .357 and the dull black polymer of my XD just fine.

My best friend has an identical XD, with hand painted red roses on the grip. She carries only concealed, so I don't know why she bothered. But each to their own. I'm just glad she decided to carry.