Savage.....blueing vs. matte finish

[small gamer]

Well today I picked up one of the last pre accu-trigger Savages my local shop had, a 111 in 30-06. It is nearly the twin of my Savage 11 in .243 which I bought three years or so ago. The .243 is my trigger time range fun/lighter game gun, the 30-06 will be my moose rifle. The .243 is blued, the 30-06 matte. Other than eliminating glare off the barrel, why would Savage change to a matte finish? Any other advantages, or any disadvantages of matte?

 

[mosinmaster]

Cheaper.

 

[sgt.rock]

more labor to make a shiny blued barrel vs. just giving it a bare matte finish that is easy to "churn out". Not to say that a matte barrel is no good, just that it is easier to accomplish , therefore cheaper to produce. I personally like matte finishes if I am going to use the gun for rough purposes. Bluing holds onto oil nicely, but requires more care to keep it looking it's best.

 

[small gamer]

Ok. Thanks guys.

 

[Calum]

My Savage 11 in .243 has the matte finish and I prefer it over the blued finish. I find it more durable and easier to take care of.

 

[jjohnwm]

Matte or polished are just different levels of finishing the surface of the steel. The term "blued" refers to the chemical treatment of the steel that gives it that blue-black colour. It's got nothing to do with the level of shine on the steel. You can have highly-polished blued steel (like a Weatherby MkV) or matte blued steel (like most of today's crappy rifles). But, as stated above, it's way cheaper to do a matte finish before bluing the steel as opposed to applying a high polish before bluing.

 

[small gamer]

Good info. Thanks all.