Bluing on a 725 Pro Sport

[Joff Duck]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here, and have just introduced myself on the relevant part of the forum. 

Could I ask a question regarding the quality of bluing on the action of the Browning 725 Pro Sport..? I have done some research online and find concerns about the poor quality finish, (which apparently rubbed off quite easily), from 2016 and 2017, but from no later. Does this mean Browning have since improved the quality of their bluing, or does nobody worry about it any more? Is it just something you have to put up with, if you buy a Pro Sport? 

All responses gratefully received! Thanks v much. J

 

[Steve1066]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here, and have just introduced myself on the relevant part of the forum. 

Could I ask a question regarding the quality of bluing on the action of the Browning 725 Pro Sport..? I have done some research online and find concerns about the poor quality finish, (which apparently rubbed off quite easily), from 2016 and 2017, but from no later. Does this mean Browning have since improved the quality of their bluing, or does nobody worry about it any more? Is it just something you have to put up with, if you buy a Pro Sport? 

All responses gratefully received! Thanks v much. J

Hi Joff Duck

I own a 2017 Prosport and it’s gets quite a lot of use and abuse and my bluing is perfect, not heard of this issue with Prosports before, how many have you come across and is there a common place on the gun where the bluing rubs off?

 

[Joff Duck]

Hi Joff Duck

I own a 2017 Prosport and it’s gets quite a lot of use and abuse and my bluing is perfect, not heard of this issue with Prosports before, how many have you come across and is there a common place on the gun where the bluing rubs off?

Hi Steve, I read about the issue on a few old forum threads by googling - and by watching the chap at Premier Guns in Derbyshire who reviewed the gun on YouTube. Apparently any wear occurs around the front of the action, and underneath it, if it is carried on the shoulder. J

 

[Westward]

It's not confined just to the ProSport. Finish wearing thin on black action guns is pretty common, typically on and around the top lever and the action bottom. You could think of it as patina... 

 

[Joff Duck]

Thanks Westward, much appreciated. I like the idea of patination. I honestly wish I could be so relaxed - I've just got to convince myself that it's ok to wear off on a gun costing nearly £4k. 

 

[Mike]

I nearly bought a nearly new Pro Sport in June, the one with an adjustable comb. When you lifted the comb up the wood where it had been cut had not been stained and was white. The finish on the stock and fore-end looked as if had been applied with a yard brush one should expect a much better finish with a gun of that price.

I had an older version and the bluing was ok on that but I did remove the tru oil finish on the wood and did it properly.

 

[Joff Duck]

Crikey. Thanks Mike. I'm very new to all this, and probably sound a bit naive - but I used to ride motorbikes, and all the new bikes I bought were spot on. No issues and no poor quality finishes - both Japanese and British.  Maybe I'm just expecting too much from a £4k gun....

 

[Mike]

Crikey. Thanks Mike. I'm very new to all this, and probably sound a bit naive - but I used to ride motorbikes, and all the new bikes I bought were spot on. No issues and no poor quality finishes - both Japanese and British.  Maybe I'm just expecting too much from a £4k gun....

Not at all Joff, I expect perfection too but a few gun dealers out there are just after a quick sale and the quality varies between manufactories.

ps the last British bike I bought was a 2nd hand 1959 Velocette Venom. £35 in 1966.

 

[Joff Duck]

Ok thanks Mike. I'll have to look carefully at any likely candidates. Such a shame because I love the look of black actions. 

My last bike was a Triumph Speed Triple 1050. Beautiful bike, but scared myself witless.

 

[Westward]

Thanks Westward, much appreciated. I like the idea of patination. I honestly wish I could be so relaxed - I've just got to convince myself that it's ok to wear off on a gun costing nearly £4k. 

I've seen worn away blacking on Perazzis. My mates Summit Ascent has the blacking worn thin as well.

I was joking about the patina really and I would honestly never buy a black action gun precisely because it wears off.

I'd hazard the guess that a black finish is cheaper to produce than silver, and I very much get the impression that cost savings in manufacturing, even in Japan, are being applied at the expense of quality- and not just by Miroku/Browning. Certainly my experiences with quality issues on new Berettas were bad enough that I'd never buy another.

 

[Mike]

I've had three black action guns, Renato Gamba, Kemen, Pro Sport. The worst was a Blaser F3 to be honest, a mate with very sweaty hands had a go with it and his fingerprints were very visible when I got home and cleaned it. Silvo took the worst marks off. If I had known he had a problem he would have got nowhere near it.

The Gamba and Kemen just had slight wear on the action and I think they were both about ten years old. Pro Sport was ok.

 

[Joff Duck]

I've seen worn away blacking on Perazzis. My mates Summit Ascent has the blacking worn thin as well.

I was joking about the patina really and I would honestly never buy a black action gun precisely because it wears off.

I'd hazard the guess that a black finish is cheaper to produce than silver, and I very much get the impression that cost savings in manufacturing, even in Japan, are being applied at the expense of quality- and not just by Miroku/Browning. Certainly my experiences with quality issues on new Berettas were bad enough that I'd never buy another.

Thanks Westward. At the moment I think I'm moving away from any guns with black actions....! 

I've had three black action guns, Renato Gamba, Kemen, Pro Sport. The worst was a Blaser F3 to be honest, a mate with very sweaty hands had a go with it and his fingerprints were very visible when I got home and cleaned it. Silvo took the worst marks off. If I had known he had a problem he would have got nowhere near it.

The Gamba and Kemen just had slight wear on the action and I think they were both about ten years old. Pro Sport was ok.

Thanks Mike.  Did you have the Pro Sport a long time? I'm concerned that the blacking will rub off in a year or two, once the warranty has run out - and I have read that Browning will not re-black it under warranty anyway....  

 

[ColinD]

All black actions will wear, even the bluing on the Barrels with any gun will wear if you handle them enough.

Especially by grabbing the barrels and swinging them over their shoulder.

Something I don't like seeing at sporting events as you constantly ducking out of the way of someone's gun who's waiting their turn to shoot and who's bobbing about talking and looking around 

 

[Mike]

Thanks Westward. At the moment I think I'm moving away from any guns with black actions....! 

Thanks Mike.  Did you have the Pro Sport a long time? I'm concerned that the blacking will rub off in a year or two, once the warranty has run out - and I have read that Browning will not re-black it under warranty anyway....  

I shot the Pro Sport for a couple of years the blacking was fine. The fore-end wood had very figured wood and actually had three hairline cracks which a local furniture factory repaired for £20.

 

[ColinD]

Shooting m8s DT10 forend cracked around the release catch area not so long ago. 

That's mostly the problem asking about any guns drawbacks, you tend to only hear about the negatives.

Lots out there with no problems at all you never hear about 

 

[Joff Duck]

All black actions will wear, even the bluing on the Barrels with any gun will wear if you handle them enough.

Especially by grabbing the barrels and swinging them over their shoulder.

Something I don't like seeing at sporting events as you constantly ducking out of the way of someone's gun who's waiting their turn to shoot and who's bobbing about talking and looking around 

Note to self.... avoid swinging guns over shoulders. Thanks Colin.

I suppose I should be sanguine about buying a gun. It won't be perfect forever, but it will always perform better than I ever will.

 

[vmax1010]

Worn blacking on the action makes the gun look like it's been well used and will probably affect resale value hence I always go for silver actions, just look at an old  425 gti some look like they've shot a billion rounds, good guns though

 

[Joff Duck]

Thanks VMAX, that makes good sense. I'm veering away from any gun with a black action. 

 

[MJJ]

Thanks VMAX, that makes good sense. I'm veering away from any gun with a black action. 

A lot depends on how you handle them. Apart from one, all mine have black actions and are virtually as new except one, which looks like a silver action. That was like it when i bought it, yes it had a hard life.