Poor Browning 725 Bluing Quality

[Geordieboy]

Hi everyone

Just thought I'd let all and sundry know something about the poor quality and service from one of our most well known Gunmakers.  Friends of mine (AAA) shots are now shooting Browning Pro-Traps at English Sporting with good results.  Good gun with good triggers and a large spec for the money.  However, as they have began to use them, the Bluing has started to come off on the forend and the action.  Quite significantly so.  Back to bare metal.  I know several shooters who own Browning 725's and they ALL sport this poor characteristic.  A friend of mine has has his sent back to be reblued, and whilst using his spare it also lost its Bluing.  Trying to send this back, Brownings response is they aren't taking any other guns back in under warranty with this issue, blaming the owners on having acidic sweat.  Now I own a Miroku and a Perazzi, and this really isn't my beef, however if we don't push back on the gunmakers about such quality issues they will only continue to cut corners and in the end deliver very poor products.  

Has anybody else suffered the same fate as my friends above?

 

[Salopian]

I think it may well be a very common problem, I wonder what Trading Standards have to say?

 

[CharlesP]

It's a bit surprising a process that's been used successfully for centuries has become a liability for one of the most famous firearms manufacturers in the world. A bit like the currently reported issues with Beretta 692 models which can apparently simply break in two!

 

[Geordieboy]

Hmmm, I'd hear some shockers about the new Beretta 692 lately as well.  What is going on?  Are these top Manufacturers ready to drop Quality in favour of fashionable guns and just churn them out in the hope that 2 years shooting lifespan is an acceptable time frame for a gun to last?

They can all B**ger off it thats the case.  I'll buy the last of the Mk 38's out there and shoot with that for the next 30 years.  They won't be getting my money any time soon.  The savings I'll make will ultimately be spent in shooting and i'll become a better shot.  

Rubbish really and we shouldn't stand for it.  Remember, these are guns that are failing within weeks and months.....not years.......and Browning aren't fulfilling their contract by taking them in and repairing them under warranty.

I for one won't buy either a Beretta or a Browning until I hear that they have cleaned their acts up.

Dreadful.  :angry:

 

[Doctor Lecter]

sign of our times  , throw away society / times   not many things are built to stand the test of times these days !     cosmetics  / gimmicks  all important  . manufacturers  are cutting corners in all walks of life   profit margin all important .    ah well I will stick with miroku   top draw quality for the money .      :wink:  

 

[Jonny English]

I have a grade V 725, so silver action model, but the blueing on my barrels isn't anything amazing, it seems to be very thin.  I shot with a friend at the weekend who shoots a blaser F3 and his finger comes off the end of the forend and it has removed the blueing where his finger sits, so its a problem with even some of the better "German engineered" brands

 

[Geordieboy]

As a lad and the son of a Gamekeeper, I shot Hundreds of thousands of pellets through my beloved Weihrauch HW 80 Break Barrel air rifle.  Sweaty palms in summer with blood from rabbits and crows and pigeons and I FORCED my hands down on that barrel EVERY time to reload.  After 3 years, the Bluing was fading, but she wasn't back to bare metal!  

 

[Cosmicblue]

Is it really blueing or some sort of black enamel finish I wonder?  My 1st gun was Browning UltraXS Titanium Prestige and the barrel finish was darker/more glossy than conventional blueing.

 

[Salopian]

It could be that the blacking process has been adapted to embrace health and safety issues with some of the chemicals traditionally used in the blacking process?

There are a number of different types of processes used over the years by gunmakers to obtain a hard wearing finish to barrels Beretta and Kemen have both used a process called Black Chroming which is hard wearing , but difficult to 'patch repair' .

Best quality 'Blacking' is a slow labour intensive process and may be profit prohibitive ?

 

[Wonko the Sane]

The older Beretta that I have (or had) is black oxide finished not black chrome.  Very different processes.  

Best quality 'Blacking' is a slow labour intensive process and may be profit prohibitive ?

I think that may be the understatement of the year so far!   :clapping:

 

[schmokinn]

Is it really blueing or some sort of black enamel finish I wonder?  My 1st gun was Browning UltraXS Titanium Prestige and the barrel finish was darker/more glossy than conventional blueing.

Really i have one and it just seems to be normal blueing to me,just new ones are not made to the same standard.

 

[westley]

Perhaps they need to consult Wiseman's on how to black barrels  ???