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Stopsign32v
08-31-22, 12:26
Bear with me on the cringe guys, I know the title. But in some older military rifles I remember seeing the selector and magazine releases to be a greenish grey color and not black. Or am I just crazy?

Edit: Like this...What is the difference in these vs black LPK?

https://cdn.stamped.io/tr:h-800,/uploads/photos/78965_449269_b5dfd7d0_f660_47ff_b872_347bca21b37e.jpg?
m4luvr
08-31-22, 13:03
Bear with me on the cringe guys, I know the title. But in some older military rifles I remember seeing the selector and magazine releases to be a greenish grey color and not black. Or am I just crazy?

Edit: Like this...What is the difference in these vs black LPK?

https://cdn.stamped.io/tr:h-800,/uploads/photos/78965_449269_b5dfd7d0_f660_47ff_b872_347bca21b37e.jpg?

more than likely the lighting reflects differently on the steel parts compared to the aluminum receiver. also in the past i’ve noticed some gray color on those parts on shrubmasters.
556Cliff
08-31-22, 14:32
More recently trigger group parts, selector levers, bolt catches and pivot and take down pins are being finished with black oxide. Even Colt is doing this on certain parts. These parts were traditionally phosphate finished and that can appear to be more of a light grey/green.
Stopsign32v
08-31-22, 14:52
More recently trigger group parts, selector levers, bolt catches and pivot and take down pins are being finished with black oxide. Even Colt is doing this on certain parts. These parts were traditionally phosphate finished and that can appear to be more of a light grey/green.

That's what I thought. Anyone know where to find some phosphate ones still?
556Cliff
08-31-22, 16:39
That's what I thought. Anyone know where to find some phosphate ones still?

Specialized Armament still has a lot of older stock Colt parts. I go there specifically if I need phosphate finished bolt catches and selector levers.

Having said that, I just received some Colt trigger and hammer pins through Brownells and they are indeed phosphate finished.
Todd.K
09-01-22, 09:19
It’s possible that early M-16s had some parts done with zinc phosphate. That usually comes out a lighter color than the regular manganese phosphate.

Other than that the metal alloy, surface prep, temperature, time, solution concentration, and oil it is coated with after finishing all play a role in the color.
Stickman
09-02-22, 15:21
It’s possible that early M-16s had some parts done with zinc phosphate. That usually comes out a lighter color than the regular manganese phosphate.

Other than that the metal alloy, surface prep, temperature, time, solution concentration, and oil it is coated with after finishing all play a role in the color.

Its not often we talk about these two variables, but the uses were highly interchangeable for quite awhile. Additionally, like the good man says above, there are a lot of other variables which can come into play.