They changed to cyanide due to cost. Almost every change that Fox did after they started was to reduce cost. Competition for gun sales was fierce and saving a dollar per unit was a big deal.
Several gun makers went to blue actions or cyanide actions to save money. The shame of it was that they lost their 'secret" recipes and when they later tried to do charcoal coloring they had to do it by trial and error. Some never got it right again. Those secrets had been handed down for 50 years from one person to the next and when the chain was broken the secret went to the grave with the last master.
Some like the cyanide coloring and they will get no competition from me when buying a gun. I have no interest in cyanide colors at all. Rather have a coin finish than a bright cyanide colored gun. They are too bright and look like gaudy coloring, by a child. Charcoal colors are much more subtle with hints of color almost like a fine water coloring.
