Frankly it is your gun.  Do with it as you please.  BUUUUUUUT...

I would vote against it not from a purist mindset but from a practical one.  One, it costs to reblue in time and materials.  Does the gun shoot any better just 'cause it looks maybe prettier?  Chance are it does not.

All of my guns (The Krags) look like, well, you get the picture.  They look like how old guns should look and a few of them shoot like champions.  The rest?  Not so much.

Go ahead.  Take your guns on a couple of dates.  Get to know them.  Name them.  (Just not Sherlene)  After a couple of deep breaths and a few rounds of shooting the urge will pass to reblue them.

I had a new barrel spun onto the winchester and Turnbull asked if I wanted to have it "aged" to match the receiver.  The answer was no since I wanted it to be what is was.  A new barrel on an old receiver.  Besides that I could not stand to wait an extra week for it due to it was already a month late.

I'm also of the "Don't" mindset.  Like Culpepper stated, it won't affect how it performs.  For me, a deeply blued Krag just don't look right!

"Re-Blue" seems a total misnomer to me, where U.S. Krag receivers are concerned. They were never "Blued" to begin with. They were casehardened, which has a kind of 'mottled color' appearance. In time and from wear, the case-colors can take on a silvery color. This can be mistaken for No Finish.

Most refinished Krags also display a loss of 'line' and sharpness of lettering and numbers.

I like honest patina and use. Krags show a complicated array of colors because the various parts received different and specific Armory finishes.

The 'uniform, shiny, homogeneous, black-blue, finish' is a relatively recent development and never looks good on a Krag.

Don't make a 'Noobie' error - Do No Harm! Be patient and study original Krags to get a feel for how a pristine example appears and how wear and exposure age the finish. With 'Study', your taste in gun appearance may change.

(Photos, FWIW, of a used Krag that has worn finish and patina, but, could be mistaken by a novice as 'needing re-finish'):

FWIW: sometimes, a Krag may show some signs of light surface corrosion (side plate, loading gate, trigger guard, etc.), which may also give a novice an indication that it needs to be stripped and refinished...  but I believe it's normal on a Krag that has seen some action, and so I wouldn't do more than oil her up in that instance.

CigarArsonist wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2016 at 11:01pm:


Throw some pictures up for us so we can see the condition of the krags.    A picture is worth a thou...blah blah blah.

"Re-Bluing" with clumsy fingers.

Now try "1895 car being" - Probably a cavalry firearm, Henry Ford, one of those German guys, or the first "TRANSFORMER"!!!!

kind of like using spritzer bullets!  (I prefer wine spritzer bullets myself)