Rescued & Restored M1 Garands
- Thread starter Pocketfisherman
- Start date
I note that their parkerizing solution is zinc based which produces a grey color. A manganese based parkerizing yields a black color which is more like the original finish on the Garands. Either type will produce color variations depending on the composition of the steel being parkerized and the strength and temp of the solution. I recently did a batch of Garand and M1903 Springfield parts with the manganese park and saw colors ranging from deep black on 3 Breda Garand receivers to dark grey on a M1903A3 trigger guard and lower band.
My previous job on 2 1950s era Springfield receivers and an IHC receiver produced a deeper black on the Springfields than on the IHC. Winchester receivers always turn out on the grey side, except on the rear heel where they will show a deeper black if they were lead pot annealed at time of manufacture.
There is a great deal of debate on just what color of finish is "correct". Most of the US arsenal overhauls in the 1950s/1960s used the zinc based parkerizing. I've used both the manganese and zinc kits from Shooter's Solutions in the US. They make an excellent product. Unfortunately they will not ship to Canada because of HAZMAT restrictions. When I am "roosting" in the southern US in my RV I normally order some to bring home.
