www.brownells.com

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

I saw in Gun Kinks?? where someone had a method of local spot heating then letting it air cool to temper it. I think they used a D cell battery with negative wire clamped to action (broad contact). Positive wire had a nail at the end to hit the spot. Heat a tiny spot red, then let it air cool.

Can't find the original directions anywhere.

Don

If you are carefull you can grind a smll spot through the hard skin with a dremal tool, but the best bet is use a carbide bit.
MC

I tried to stay out of this but sounds like all the advice is from someone who has only
read about it, no offense intended.

I've drilled and tapped a few hundred 98 Mausers and a couple dozen hard Springfields and here is what has worked for me.

After locating the exact spots you intend to drill with 400 grit paper or a small buff on a dremel tool polish these spots to approx 6 mm dia. Then install the smallest oxy/acet torch tip you can find. Ajust to a slight carbon flame. Pack some Brownells heat stop around the locking lug recesses on the front ring, rear bridge does not need any heat protection. Heat polished areas to a dark blue and continue untill black then grey and withdraw the flame, allow to cool, periodically repolish the same areas and when they will remain bright steel color when polished, go through the spectrum of heat colors again. Go through the whole process about 3 times untill you can repolish about 30 seconds after removing the heat and your blue/black colors return, indicating the correct heat to anneal has penetrated deep enough, then allow the whole thing to cool very slow.

On Springfields if you heat the receiver to anywhere near red you will air harden the metal and have difficulty ever getting it annealed.

You should be able to drill with a high speed drill now. If it drills part way then dulls, just resharpen and continue, use good cutting fluid.

Now the important part. Never ever use a high speed tap to tap any gun receiver or barrel. Always use new sharp CARBON taps. They are just as sharp as high speed. The differance is if you break off a tap you can anneal it and drill it out, or just take a punch and bust it up and pick it out. If you break a high speed tap you cannot anneal it and you will be wondering why you ever decided to do any gun work.

Another tip (see why I tried to stay out of this?). When drilling and tapping hard receivers you will have a difficult time preventing the drill from skidding and drilling off center unless you use a good jig. Same goes for tapping, unless you use a good jig the risk of breaking a tap in a hard receiver is great.

Also if the tap quits cutting switch to a new one or break the tip off the tap and regrind for new teeth to engage, if you dont youre about garunteed to break a tap.

Good Luck
Craftsman

I know the metallurgy changed several times on the springfields, depending on serial number. I can try to look up the details if you want.

I can't find the battery trick anywhere.

Don

Most Springfields are case hardened but due to the metalurgy/heat treatment have a very tough to drill core also.

Here is a quote on the subject from Bob Brownell in Gunsmith Kinks II. He is writing the instructions as if you had drilled the holes with a carbide bit, you can anneal for drilling and again for tapping.

"After drilling your four holes, take a piece of abrasive cloth and carefully polish bright an area somewhat smaller than a dime around each hole. With your welding torch turned to a low soft flame, heat the polished area to a blue color. Tip the torch out of the way and immediately polish the are back to a bright color and immediately re-heat the area to a blue color with your torch. Repeat the heating and polishing untill the polished area stays blue rather than staying bright as you polish. Generally it takes about 4 heatings. This turning blue as you polish with the abrasive cloth means that the metal just in that particular area has reached about 600 degrees which is enough to anneal and permit tapping. As only the small area around the hole has been heated, the overall strength and temper of the action has not been changed. And because the hole is already there, the heat will follow the hole surfaces - thus permitting the tapping operation. Bob B "

If you are able to drill part way and then the metal is too hard to proceed, here is another trick.

Get a piece of cold rolled steel about 3/4 " dia. and 6 " long, put it in your lathe and machine the tip to a slip fit dia. of the hole you're drilling. Place the tip in the hole and prop the rod up and heat the rod to cherry red then allow to slowly cool, this will safely anneal the immediate area of the hole with out affecting the rest of the receiver.

Craftsman

If you plan on using a torch to anneal any part of the receiver, TAKE THE ACTION OUT OF THE STOCK!

I had a butcher, claiming to be a gunsmith, do this on a Mini-14 of mine. The moron burned the stock with the torch, then did an inexcuseably poor refinish job on the stock (including not removing all of the burned area!). Since this is fact, not rumor, I can name names in good conscience: Bob Sandoval of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

[This message has been edited by DuaneinND (edited 04-23-2001).]

Griff.

quote:

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I've done many mausers and springfields this way and once you make the tool it is a snap.-Rob [/B]

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Well I'll suggest something much simpler. Chuck the same size drill backwards in your drill press. turn it on and have it running at the speed you'd use to drill. bring the drill rod down on the spot on the reciver you want to soften. run the drill untill the end is red hot. it should take quite some time. turn everything off leaving the drill in contact with the reciver and wait un till cool. viola!! spot annealed!!! the drill should cut through 'like buttah!'

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John Romanowski
Northern Arizona Armory
Home of the 'Poor Man's Magnum'

I think robgunbuilder has an excellent idea, with the ground steel block. Remember, the thing about annealing is not only getting it up to temperature, but making sure it cools as slowly as possible. If you have a torch, something you can do is preheat the receiver body, not much but even a little bit helps tremendously. A trick I use is to wipe a wet rag over the item so you get it wet, just a film. Heat until the film just disappears, and another swipe from the rag makes it vanish almost instantly, but not so hot it hisses when you swipe at it with the rag.