I am considering buying a BP cartridge rifle in as a kit.
It seems like a fun idea, and the rifle is also going to be cheaper this way.

Now they offer two "levels" of kits. One is not really what I would call a kit, and a fully assembled rifle that requires finishing only of the stock and metal.

The other is a dissasembled rifle, though I'm not sure of exactly what work is required.

I can call them on Monday and get clarification.

here is a link to the product: http://www.iabarms.com/new.html
scroll down to the bottom of the page.

The only thing that worries me it the idea of finishing the metal. I really like colour case hardened steel, and after having done a brief search on the internet I have come to understant the very bare fundaments of the process. It sounds easy enough but at the same time extremely difficult to get right.

Here is how I would go about it:

Do the small parts separately, so as to be able to better control the temperature.

Polish and degrease parts to colour.
Pack (tight?) into steel or cast iron box along with bone charcoal and/or bonemeal and burnt leather.

Seal with fireclay(how is this type of clay any different to normal clay?)

Heat - now here's where the guessing starts. I could stick it into a wood furnace, and get the box red (or orange?) hot for the required time(somewhere between 15min to 4 hours) which I imagine depends on the thinkness of the hardening desired and the size of the part.

Prepare a tank of water with a grill near the bottom and an air hose blowing bubbles up through it.

Quench. The bubbles create different cooling temperatures along the metal surface, giving differing colours.
The cleaner the metal, the better the colours.

Ok, now the questions start;

How much "bubble" in the water is too much or too little?

Do you take the part out of the box and drop it in with as little material stuck to it as possible and quench it? Or dump the whole batch in?

Can you damage parts, like hammers and barrels by means of these heat treatments or aren't the temperatures reached high enough to cause substantial modifications to the metal?

Do you plug the barrel and chamber with anything to prevent the stuff from getting inside?

Is there a reason barrels aren't usually case hardened?

Have I missed anything?

What kind of metals can I practice with?

Is this a job for a me or should I leave it to a pro?

I ran a search on "case hardening" in the last 2 years on AR and found that no one has talked about doing it themselves.

Does this mean that it is not advisable?

This is s job for a pro or an advanced hobbyist. Try the Color Case Company. I notice that they don't stipulate that their finished receivers are color cased or chemically treated to resemble color casing like Rugers. Nor do they specify the alloy which is critical to know before attempting this.

You might try Buck Hamlin in Missouri. He does restoration work on double guns and others as well. The color case work he did on a Fox double for me was superb. A buddie of mine has had him do a couple of Lefevers that were also superb. Not sure whether or not he does small parts separately. PM or email me and I'll send you contact info.

I'd just send it to Doug Turnbull and be done with it. I'm sure it'd be much cheaper and easier in the end.

Thanks for the info guys.

Unfortunately sending the parts to the US just isn't an option from here, and can get the factory to do it for me.



I was hoping to do it myself for the simple satisfaction of it.



I am on obstinate bugger, so I'll call the factory up tomorrow and see if they can't talk me out of it, then maybe try and do a trial run on a piece of steel.



If it makes any difference, I'm only concerned with the aesthetic effect of the case hardening, not the hardening of the actual metal. If that might make any difference.

That is why you need to ask about the particular alloy. Not all gun steels will show colors. I can't imagine making that model gun out of something that won't take colors but it could be the case for other manufacturing conveniences. If they give you the alloy and confirm it will color then practice on that alloy or it's local equivalent! Good luck.

Didn't Cape Outfitters used to have these?? How much are the unassembled version? Are the barrels decent quality? Can the action parts be fitted up into a decent action, or is it going to be a sloppy loose affair? If a guy can make a decent rifle out of it I might be interested.



...............just got off the phone. I was told that the quality of IAB Sharps is poor. To many returns. The outfit I spoke with will no longer carry IAB Sharps Rifles. Guess that settles that.

Express, youre on the right track. I do this for some customers and on some of my custom rifles and it's not that hard. Heres how I do it. I may be different than others but I usually get good colors. Pack your parts in canisters with bone and charcoal, tightly. Seal the top with clay, I use modeling clay. When you quench you need to dump the entire contents of the canister in at once. The more charcoal thats touching the metal the better the colors will be. If you are to harden the steel you have to quench about 1450 degrees F. I always put a dab of clay on the hammer notches and any cocking notches that are on the hammer or trigger or sear. I like to quench in cool water that is being airated from the bottom, like you described. The most important part of all of this is, you need to mill a set of blocks (I use cold rolled steel) that fit the inside of the the action. That will keep the action from twisting and moving to much. You also need to drill a bunch of holes in the blocks to keep them from twisting. Another step I like to include is annealing the steel prior to coloring it. I heat it up to 1450 F and hold it for 2-4 hours, then turn off the oven and let it cool slowly, then I polish and degrease. I would only heat treat the action, don't try to treat the bbl, they don't need heat treatment. Color case hardening is very easy and looks real nice when done right. Some steels are harder to color than others. I get my best colors on actions I build out of 8620 steel. On the other hand 4140 is the hardest steel I have tried to color, I rarely get good color. I have had some luck running the 4140 steel thru just to harden it, then I use a torch and put fake colors on. After either method, I always put on a clearcoat, as the colors will rub off with normal wear and tear. Sorry this post is so disorganized, you are on the right track, if you have any questions let me know.

Chad