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I would like to know if the 73 receiver was always blued or was it caseharded like other Winchester rifles were until around 1905 or so.
Jerry, The 1873 and 1876 was standard with a blued receiver, color cased was an option for about a dollar.T/R
jerry thomas said
I would like to know if the 73 receiver was always blued or was it caseharded like other Winchester rifles were until around 1905 or so.
I will add that it was August 1901 when Winchester ceased case color finishing the receiver frames that were standard (or optional) with that finish.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
I was asking about case hardened not case color . It was my understanding this was done to add strength to the receiver.
A blued receiver were not case hardened as that would affect how the blue would adhere to the receiver.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
jerry thomas said
I would like to know if the 73 receiver was always blued or was it caseharded like other Winchester rifles were until around 1905 or so.
Jerry,
As Bob pointed out, Winchester did not “case harden” the receiver frames. They case color finished them, which left a very thin hardened veneer over the top of soft steel.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Case hardened would not add a lot of strength to the frame since like Bert said its just the surface. Case hardening will give you increased wear resistance but the metal inside is just as soft.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Case color or case hardening is just a rust resistant process in lieu of bluing.
Chuck,
Case Hardening is just like it says. You heat the metal up to red hot and then carbon is added to the surface creating a hard layer. A Hammer is case hardened. You need a hard surface but a softer center otherwise it would bust or chip if you hit something hard. It will help with rust resistance since you have less iron at the surface.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Thanks Bob. I have actually watched the case hardening process and it is a bit of a witches brew to get the colors you want. I was just trying to give a simple explanation. I prefer the look of a case hardened receiver over a blued one.
Bob are there actually 2 processes? One just for color and the other for hardening?
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