The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Hello, new user here. I just picked up a P-64 today and noticed that the slide is a plum color instead of standard black. I looked all over these and other boards and got a little bit of info but I'm still a little lost...is this considered a desirable attribute or is it considered inferior? What's the frequency that this occurs? And finally, what kind of grips would look good with this color? Thanks a lot.

Have any pics?

Plum slides, frames and parts on anyfirearm are the result of the bluing process not being exactly right.

I think they look pretty cool, yes show pics.

Welcome to the forum.

This is all I have right now. Will post more when I get home.

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Weak! It shows fine for me, I'll try again soon. Regardless, it kind of changes my grip options. My buddy makes custom grips and I'm meeting with him to decide on a style and color. Any ideas what looks good with plum?

Mine is plum as well. I think the standard black grips look good but if I were going custom, I'd take a pic of the gun and play around with the colors of the grips in Photoshop or some other image program. That way you can see exactly what it will look like before committing.

Yep, I have a few that are "plum". In fact I prefer those myself. It is due to the bluing process but I like the color and kept out a couple for my own CCW guns as well as a few of the standard black. Doesn't affect the guns but some people want one or the other it seems.

No pic here ether

+1 Curly1....Plum slides, frames and parts on any firearm are the result of the bluing process not being exactly right.

Found this on the RugerFourm.com

There are six reasons for guns to turn "plum". First is the temperature of the bluing salts, which must be maintained at exactly 292 deg F. If the temperature is lower, bluing won't take properly. If the temperature is just a few degrees too high, parts will turn plum. Second is the concentration of the salts. Because water boils off, the salts tend to get too concentrated so bluing tanks must be equipped with a water replenishment system to keep the salts to water ratio at 10:1 (10 parts water for one part salts by weight). If the mixture gets too concentrated, parts will turn plum. Next is "time in the tank". If parts are left in the bluing tank too long, they will turn plum (1/2 hour is normal). Bluing salts do "wear out" so they must be replaced fairly often. When salts start aging, gun parts turn plum. Last is the alloy. Some alloys require special additives to the bluing salts or the parts will turn plum no matter how well you maintain the tanks. In most cases, parts will turn plum right out of the bluing tank. When alloys are the cause, it may take several years for the plum color to show up.