littlecanoe Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 I have never "really cleaned" up an action yet. I've been a bit afraid to, not wanting to take away from the strength of the metal. If one stones an action and cleans up all the old markings does the action automatically need to be heat treated? If not, how do you tell when heat treating is needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 It is the interior surfaces that "must" have their case (hardness) intact. You can clean the exterior all you want without material loss of strength. It is the places you cannot get to like the locking lug webs that must be hardened the catch is you cannot measure the hardness without cutting the receiver in half. Yu cannot assume that just because a receiver is Hard in one area that it automatically is hard elsewhere. Various methods were used to apply the so-called case hardening. The oldest and most used method was called pack hardening. the Germans packed a material into the areas they wan't to harden. New material was used where they wanted the depth and hardness greatest, re-used material where they still wanted some hardness but depth wasn't as critical. All that said, I like to have mine re-hardened afetr surface grinding because it makes the finish more durable less susceptible to wear & scratching. AND, I KNOW that it is the proper hardness throughout when it is done. Blanchards or Industrial Heat Treating in SLC are good choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlecanoe Posted August 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 My education continues. I was under the impression that the exterior was important in that it took some of the load. So if the lug area is intact and hasn't been tampered with getting the cosmetics "right" on the exterior won't affect the intrensic strength of the action. The exterior would likely be much softer as the amount of material removed to clean up a stamped crest would go through the thickness of the hardened portion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 The crests are remarkably thin. A couple thou. The case is generally thicker than that. Just because you don't mess with the seat area doesn't mean they are right. Many, as supplied, were soft. Many weren't. If I'm taking the time to build a rifle I just have it "heat treated". Many don't, the arguements over this subject are as long as they are many. Suffice it say that it is a matter of personal preference. My prefernce being German is to do it right. Leter models tend to be a bit harder than earlier one. That said, I just fixed the scope base holes on a Zastava action and I've never seen a drill bit cut as quickly as in that receiver. The part that really scared me was how easily the 8x40 tap just "screwed" right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlecanoe Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 z1r Thanks for taking the time to answer some basic stuff. I've gone the quick route up to now but am thinking about finer finishes etc. At heart, I'm a bit cheap! THe price of some of the things that make a project finer put me off a bit. But then I argue on the other side, " the coyote or deer ain't gonna know how nice the rifle was". I probably should have bought savages and been done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 No, Everyone deserves one nice rifle. Take your time, do it right. It doesn't take a lot of money to make a nice rifle. You wouldn't believe how inexpensive some of mine have been. What do you have in mind? What receiver do you have? What have you done so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odies dad Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 What is the typical charge for re-heat treating a receiver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Blanchards charged about $70 last time I checked. It is usually cheaper if you send more than one in. You usually pay for oven time. The ovens are big so you can fit many actions. I always send more than one. It works out to dollars per action that way. But, When building a "fine" rifle, one you may want to keep forever, $70 is a small price, to me anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlecanoe Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 z1r I'm just starting to think more about the whole process. Where I want to go with these rifles. I'm not into the 2000$ top of the line everything builds but would consider a few more $ invested if the results were a little better than what I've done up to now. I don't like to get rid of things so any rifle that I build will likely stay in the safe and be passed on. Hasn't there been a group re-treating before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donmarkey Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Hasn't there been a group re-treating before? It's kind of hard to do seeing that you need a ffl. The transaction would have to been handled by someone with ffl01. -Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts