Posted by B. Miller on November 22, 2007, 9:12 am, in reply to "Metal finish?"
Weston -
From what I can determine, it appears that your gun has a nickeled receiver. I, too, had a gun with a similar treatment and assumed that it was an aftermarket adornment. This is a belief held by many to this day and may not be totally correct.
When my gun went to the late Ithaca custom shop in the mid 80's for total restoration, I was asked if I wished to keep or remove the nickel. I opted for removal because I believed it to be a modification. The Ithaca boys informed me otherwise.
They knew exactly where the plating had been done. It was the very same firm in Rochester that removed the plating at my request. They knew who finished my gun and were only unclear on one thing...
They weren't sure whether this was a special order through Hunter, or an add-on supplied by Hunter at the request of a customer. In any case they were certain that the gun was fitted at Hunter after the plating process.
Records would seem to indicate that Hunter didn't offer a nickel option. On this point I agree. What appears to be a valid question is whether guns left Hunter with a nickeled receiver. The old gentlemen at Ithaca assured me that they, indeed, did!
Depression times gave the incentive to offer just about anything to turn a dollar. I would guess that Hunter would honor a customer request even if the work was non-standard. Their records most probably wouldn't include a record of such work.
Too many guns have appeared with this exact same treatment to be anything other than original in my opinion. Considering that the plating process added slightly to dimensions and that stampings and fit are all crisp on the majority of guns, I must conclude that the work was done at least in cooperation with Hunter.