Blued Finish to cover imperfections?

[Comyn]

I had an interesting discussion with a Bass Pro gun counter employee a few weeks back. I was looking over a Stainless Steel Taurus Millenium Pro G2 and asked if he knew whether or not Taurus planned on offering a blued slide finish. He said something I've honestly never heard before: that most gun companies give blue finishes to the guns that have imperfections in their stainless steel finish, basically a covering up. He said this is a common practice and suggested that it's the only reason we have a large quantity of blued guns on the market.

I'm hesitant to believe that a lot of the guns out there are only blued for this reason, and I know Glocks have a very particular finish that's completely different from bluing. Has anyone heard this before, and if so how widespread is it?

Disclaimer: Yes, this is my first time post. I registered a few weeks back because of the giveaway, but have enjoyed the discussion and the newsletters since. Looks like I might be hanging around for a while.

Additional disclaimer: Yes, I'm actively considering a Taurus for a carry weapon, and yes I'm aware of their terrible reputation in the past. But I have a full-size PT809 that I shoot regularly, that I thoroughly enjoy, and haven't had a single issue with. So there's that.

 

[GlassWolf]

I can see a company doing this if they don't really have tight QA.. otherwise they'd quickly get a reputation as having blemished guns. If you want a particular gun in a dark finish, I'd recommend having it cerakoted. much tougher finish and much deeper black (or any color you want really) than bluing.
I don't typically buy stainless or nickel plated/chromed guns, myself. I don't like shiny reflective surfaces on a weapon. I always go with a black or dark finish unless it's a safe queen show piece. For a carry gun though, not a fan of bright shiny guns. Brushed stainless looks nice.. really don't like two-tone guns. Anyway, there is a LOT of demand for dark finish firearms.. especially for tactical look or a desire not to be noticeable for a carry piece. Mostly, I think your sales guy was full of it. I have a friend who works at sportsman's warehouse. He's in archery, but is a dictionary on firearms as well.. but he's stated many times that most of the people behind the counter of the firearms section don't know squat about guns, and don't even own any. Positions are given at that store by cronyism instead.

 

[festus]

bluing doesn't always take for Stainless
usually best for normal steel.

Tenifer coating is what HK uses to blacken stainless

 

[GlassWolf]

yeah I forgot to even mention that. true bluing only works on carbon steels.

 

[S&W645]

Colt has been known to coat a stainless slide. Winchester during WW II actually did a light blue bluing on some of their M1 Garand parts because regular bluing did not work.