Casehardening

A Winchester Model 1873 rifle with Color Casehardened receiver.

 

A Dickson double rifle with Casehardened action.

 

A Colt Single Action Army revolver with Casehardened frame.

Casehardening Colors -  mottled blue/green/brown colors on a shotgun or double rifle receiver, vintage Winchester receiver or Colt Single Action frame. The colors are the by-product of a heat-treating process that incorporates carbon into the surface molecular structure of the steel, providing a hard-wearing surface around 5 thousandths of an inch thick, without making the entire receiver brittle.

The parts to be casehardened are packed in a crucible with carbon-rich media such as bone meal and charcoal, heated to bright orange, about 1800°F, then quenched in bubbling oil. The colors themselves are fairly perishable both from wear and from sunlight. The percentage of original case colors remaining is therefore a quick proxy for the cosmetic condition of the gun.

Guns should never be re-hardened in the vain interest of restoring the cosmetic effect of the colors. Casehardening is a heat process which alters the surface molecular structure of the steel. Rehardening an action can warp it. Subsequent efforts to straighten the metalwork, either by bending or filing can only harm the fine original metal-to-metal fit and adversely alter the workings of carefully aligned internal parts.

 

The Hallowell & Co. Illustrated Firearms Dictionary is for informational purposes only. We do not necessarily offer the items described above for sale. Please click on any of the links below to see what we actually do have available for purchase.


American Shotguns      English Shotguns       European Shotguns      Double Rifles      Magazine Rifles        Single Shot Rifles      Combination Guns

Winchester      Colt      Smith & Wesson        Other Handguns          Antique Guns       New Arrivals             Custom Knives          Other Neat Stuff

 

Who We Are       How to Order      We want to buy your Gun(s)       Recommended Links     Historical Gallery         

Firearms Definitions, Abbreviations & Opinions     Store Photos     Magazine Articles          Home  


Hallowell & Co., Inc. PO Box 1445. Livingston, Montana  59047   USA   Tel: 406 222-4770    Fax: 406 222-4792     Email: morris@hallowellco.com

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 6.   (Mountain Time)   Our inventory is constantly changing. Please bookmark this site and return often.