Talking antique guns? My hubby has a nice little collection of originals, a few repros, he has a parker hale repro enfield, and we both have repro flinters.
We do have some 19 c indian war era bayonets that have some of their bluing. I can't remember without going into the gun safe if any of the earlier rifles looked blue. His oldest pieces seem to be from the late 1830s/early forties. All percussion.
Hubby and I re-enact Federalist period in part cause I told him to buy a repro gun that was not Victorian ( He has a late Lancaster style flinter). I didn't want to reenact plains or nez perce indian women, and there weren't a lot of white women around the camp at the Fur era Rendezvous. And I was tired of the politics of CW events...
In case you might be interested, I have pics of his flinter and one of his most interesting, and oldest guns here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1687016&uid=408952&members=1
LOL! Ya'll were afraid of being traded for a handful of beads and a jug wern't cha?
Just kidding. Nice pics of the Lancaster.
I have a T/C Hawken .50 cal rifle kit
and a matching plains .50 cal pistol.
These and outfits to reenact
the 1830's fur trade in the Rockies.
My understanding is that Bluing for gun metal
was not invented until the 1880's. Hence all gun barrels were Browned.
I've been to a couple of NMLRA Western events.
OBTW I train NMLRA Certified Instructors for the Boy Scouts.
b'shem Y'shua