Newbie Gun Recon. My 44 Mag.

[FlHunter23]

I have taken on the task of reconditioning my Ruger 44 mag carbine. This will be my first attempt at such a project and im documenting it so everyone can follow along. Wish me luck.

Heres the gun in its original state.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1344.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1345.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1355.jpg


I've got it stripped down to the bare stock. Don't mind the dirty carpet we haven't gotten around to replacing it yet since we've moved in.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1363.jpg

[TrophyTracker]

Sounds good man. If you want help with the reciever, I can hook it up with a bake on finish. Let me know

[FlHunter23]

here I have filled the sink up with a couple gallons of hot water and added a chemical called Rip It that comes in a powder form. I used a paint brush to wet the stock down. I did not use gloves but would recommend doing so. You will know every cut you have on your hand if you dont.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1365.jpg

You can see the polyurethane finish is starting to peel right off after only about 3 minutes. The streak down the center is where i brushed the poly off. You can tell the old stain is also coming out by the color of the water. I rubbed the whole stock down with a green scotch brite pad making sure to go with the grain.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1366.jpg

I rinsed the stock down with warm water and did another application of Rip It to see if any more stain would come out and rinsed again. The white specks is trash that was in the sink prior.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1367.jpg

[FlHunter23]

Here i filled the sink with fresh warm water and added the Brightener. It comes in powder form also. I tried to take a picture so you could see what it would do, but you can barely see it. If you look half way down the butt and at the grip you will notice its a little lighter in color. I tried to do stripes down the stock.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1369.jpg

I let the brightener sit on the stock for a good 10 minutes and then rinsed thoroughly and dried with a towel. Heres what i got.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1370.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1371.jpg


I let it dry out and it looks a lot lighter than original. Gonna have a lot less sanding to do.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1375.jpg

[FlHunter23]

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1376.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/Ruger%2044%20Mag%20Carbine/HPIM1377.jpg


Now im just waiting for some time to sand her down and ill report back when i get to it.

If you want to use any of the chemicals i used you can order them from http://sunbrite.stores.yahoo.net/ripit.html Look for Rip It and Brightener.

[FlHunter23]

Sounds good man. If you want help with the reciever, I can hook it up with a bake on finish. Let me know

Whats that do dude? Im new at this. I was gonna sand the barrel and reciever down and reblu it. I gotta figure out how to take the mechanics out of it first. I got the manual online for it. The barrel and receiver is one whole piece i think.

[TrophyTracker]

Bake on finishes are almost like powder coating. They won't rust, and are pretty strong. Put a magnet on the reciever to make sure that it is steel, and not some type of aluminum like the Ruger 10/22 is. If it is indeed steel, then by all means blue it. That will keep the project 100% yours. If it is not steel, then you will either have to use B/C's Aluminum Black, paint it, or bake it.

The wood is looking good so far!

[FlHunter23]

I checked it with a magnet. everything on it is steel except for the trigger housing.

[FlHunter23]

I got the stock sanded and stained today. Ill try to post some pictures tomorrow if i get around to it. I sanded on the barrel and receiver for over an hour today too. I cant get all of the pitting out of the top of the reciever but it looks a little better. Also on the barrel theres black specks all over it that i cant seem to get out. How bad is this stuff gonna show up when i go to blu it? Where can i get the bluing kit and tru oil locally? I started with 120 grit on the barrel.

[TrophyTracker]

On metel, I start with 220grit, and steel wool. The steel wool gets rid of the tiny scratches made by the sanding. They make a bluing remover and stripper, that saves a lot of work. I think Wmart sells it in the Sporting goods dpt. still.

The black spots are from oxidation, and are hard to remove, but if you blue deep enough, they will not even show up. The place to check would be Nordics, or Gander Mtn. At Nordics, they will be on the shelf under the Mathews bows, in the middle of the store. Make sure you keep a light coat of oil on the metal until you are ready to blue it, as surface rust will attack it constantly. You can remove it before blue time with a cleaner/degreaser like Breakfree,etc.

Try to get a bluing cream or paste if you can. The finish comes out much more uniform, and stronger.

[FlHunter23]

I went 120 400 and 1000 on the stock and the barrel. Thats all walmart had. Couldnt find any bluing kits. I started out wet sanding the barrel and then just went to dry sanding it with the 400 and 1000. The rust was coming back quick. Ill give it a good wet sand with the 1000 grit before i blu it. It looks good other than the spotting and some pitting. I havent seen the cream but ill definately check into it. Hopefully i can find the bluing stripper. Theres a bunch of cracks and crevices i can barely get into around the reciever and the iron sights. Ill have to make a trip to gander tomorrow for some supplys. Thanks for the tips.

[TrophyTracker]

No problem. It is a time consuming process to get it right. I go with strip,water,oil, degrease,water,blue,water,oil. If I need to do it again, to darken it, I then degrease again,wipe down with water, and then blue again,followed by water. It takes practice, but it is great fun once you have the right stuff. I have a shop set up that allows me to do it all pretty streamlined.

Throw me a text if you run into any snags.

[FlHunter23]

I sanded it down with 120 400 and then 1000 sandpaper then i put one coat of Minwax special walnut.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1391.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1392.jpg

Then i put 3 coats of Tru oil. I should have put a couple more coats but i always get in a hurry and rush things.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1410.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1412.jpg

[FlHunter23]

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1413.jpg

Heres the barrel after i blued it. It didnt come out perfect but hey it was my first time. I couldnt get all of the pitting out on top of the receiver but it looks 10 times better. Theres also a couple spots i should have went back over with some more paste.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1408.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1405.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1409.jpg

[FlHunter23]

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1403.jpg

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv118/Shoffman18/HPIM1404.jpg



I got it back together but i ran out of room on my camera so ill take some pictures later on. Im still waiting on the butt plate and front sight i ordered.

[TrophyTracker]

Nice work Sam, what Blue paste did you get?

[FlHunter23]

The Birchwood Casey perma blue kit. 17 dollars at gander i think it was. It looked horrible the first time i blued it so i sanded it all down again. I found some 100 grit sand paper and went to town on it and got a lot more pitting out. I went 100 grit the length of the barrel and receiver, 120 the length of the barrel again and then crossed it with the 120 again followed by 400 and 1000 across the barrel. It was a real pain in the rear end trying to get it right with the gas system, sight posts, and receiver attached that cant be removed. I blued it 2 times if i remember right. I would like it to be a little darker but im satisfied.

Almost forgot i wiped it down real good with the steel wool provided in the kit. I did this before i blued it, between coats while rinsing and final rinse real light.

[TrophyTracker]

If you do it again, try heating the metal with a hair dryer to about 90deg.(Warm to the touch) before adding the Blue. It helps open the pores of the metal, and allow the blue to take.

[FlHunter23]

Yeah dude i gotta do it again. I was gonna bring it to my buddies to show him the work i did to it and when i got it outside in some good light it looked really bad. I brought it right back in the house. I think i messed up putting that 100 grit on it. You can see where i sanded it the length of the barrel. I gotta get some more sand paper and hit it hard. I wish i had a lathe to put it in. Its not dark at all in the light either. I got a heat gun i can try on it. I want it really dark. Ill hit it one more time with the paste and heat and if it dont come out like i want it maybe try another product. What a bummer.

[TrophyTracker]

The heat is the key. That and rubbing in LOTS of paste. I use G96 blue paste. It isn't made anymore, but I bought a case of it. Running it on a polishing wheel mounted to a drill press between coats helps get it where you want it, and gets rid of scratches from sanding. It takes a lot of practice to cold blue worth a darn, but what you have done so far is good. I keep the sandpaper use to an absolute minimum, and rely mostly on steel wool, and B/C blue remover.

[FlHunter23]

I got to get me a shop and some power tools bad. I don't even have a vice. Im gonna get a bench setup in my shed soon. When I was bluing the barrel it did seem like the areas that had a ton of paste on it came out looking better. It was just a pain to try to get an 1/8 inch thick coat on the whole thing. I divided it into two sections when I blued it. It also kinda seemed like the bluing was coming off when I wiped it down with oil. Ill give it one more go with the paste and heat. I may try the liquid if that don't work. Id like it dark but if I can at least get it uniform illl be good to go. I was gonna put rubbing compound and polishing compound on it with a high powered buffer but I guess I lost the pads for my buffer and the compounds when I moved. I had scratch remover but it didn't have that gritty abrasive stuff in it and would only hide it. Trial and error I guess. Ill figure it out. Prolly put a couple more coats of truoil on the stock since im gonna break it down again.

[FlHunter23]

Screw trying to blue it i think im gonna just try using duracoat. Parkerizing sounded good too but i dont have a big stainless pot.

[TrophyTracker]

Duracoat is Off The Chain. Look at Brownell's at their Bake on finishes. They have some good deals, and they are great products.

[FlHunter23]

Duracoat is Off The Chain. Look at Brownell's at their Bake on finishes. They have some good deals, and they are great products.

I was gonna order the duracoat kit from their website. Ill check out the the brownell site first. maybe they got something better. do you know if they sell the duracoat at gander?

I got the butt plate in the other day. When I ordered it they said it came with the hardware. All I got was a washer that didn't fit anywhere. Ill have to check brownell for the screws. Im sure I could find something at the hardware store. I hate waiting for stuff to come in the mail even though it feels like christms when a package finally arrives.

Do you have any tips on installing the front iron sight. It looks like a puzzle piece.

[TrophyTracker]

A tiny ball-peen hammer, available at a craft store like Jo-Ann or Michael's, and a 1/4in. flat headed punch are all you need. Make sure there is no corrosion in the dovetail on the bbl, and if there is, use a small needle file to remove it. Once this is done, try to clamp the bbl down so that you have both hands free to work. Line the sight up so it is flush, and see if it will fit without filing down anything. If it won't fit, HAND FILE the sight dovetail down, not the bbl slot. Do it little bits at a time,checking the fit often. Once you have it right, just put a piece of leather or folded cloth up against the sight, and tap it into place with the punch. That's it!:D

[FlHunter23]

I had a hard time tying to get the old sight out. I ended up cutting it in half with a cut off wheel and knocking it out. Ill put the new one on after the duracoat. Thanks for the tips. Looks like the new sight is gonna need to be filed a bit.

[TrophyTracker]

Here is a link to the stuff that I use. I found out they do still make it!:)

http://www.g96.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=g96&Category_Code=Gun+Blue

[FlHunter23]

I ordered the duracoat the other day. I'll keep that in mind if i ever try to blue a barrel again.

[FlHunter23]

I got the duracoat on the other day and im very impressed with it. I degreased the barrel and airbrushed it right over the bluing. Seems to be sticking real good and its the finish i was looking for. Ill try to get some pictures posted soon.