Quote Originally Posted by RWO
Winchester tried several different finishes on the post 64 94's. They had ductile iron receivers. I have never heard why, but it had to have been a cost saving device.

Standard production hot bluing didn't work so they tried black chrome. It looked OK but was not durable enough. They ended up electroplating the finished receivers with iron. This allowed them to be blued just like everything else on the production line and solved the problem.

Aftermarket refinishers usually polish off the thin iron plating without knowing about it. Brownells claims their Oxynate 84 stainless steel bluing salts will blue the ductile iron receivers, but I have never seen one so finished.

RWO
So they cut cost making the receivers and then had to plate them so they could be blued? That must have saved a heck of a lot.