Even though I had a propoer fitting screw-driver I slipped and scratched the side of my Marlin Cowboy...Pepto Bismol hasn't kicked in yet as I'm absolutely sick to my stomach over this. The scrath is deep enough that it can be felt. I can't live with it how it is so how would one go about fixing this. The obvious answer is to take it to a gunsmith, but I spent every dime I had on this gun. Mr.Belk, please chime in if you have a moment...thanks all.

Buddy,

Sorry about your mishap, but that is one of the tuition fees in the school of hard knocks, you learn by making mistakes. Look on the bright side- at least it wasn't someone else's brand-new gun you did it to!

Now getting back to the scratch, where on the side of the gun, and how long is it? Feel it with your fingernail, are the ridges the same on both sides of the scratch or is one side more gouged up that the other? What is the finish on the gun- matte, shiny blue, gold plated?

I'm curious to see what the other suggestions are, other than a polish and reblue. Me, I'd get the tiniest ball pein hammer I have (about 2 oz.) protect the rest of the gun by using masking tape up to 1/8" of the scratch, then very lightly tap the material back smooth, won't take much force as you don't want to leave any dents, then maybe a light polish on the scratch by gluing a tiny strip of 400 grit sandpaper to the thin edge of a popsicle stick, but choose the grit based on the finish of the gun, a too shiny strip will be more noticeable than the original scratch, then a cold blue compound on a Q-Tip. I might have a different suggestion based on a more accurate description of your scratch later.

Of course you could just try hitting it with some blue and realize that these guns were meant to be used, and stuff like this adds character to both parties involved......

Regards,

Mark

Buddy---- I feel your pain.

One scratch is really a problem. The only surefire way to fix it is to refinish the receiver. I know you don't want to do that, so the next best thing is to touch it up with cold blue.
Mark's suggestion of tapping down the scratch with a light hammer is a good one, but I prefer to use a small punch with a polished, very slightly rounded, end. With some scratches it's easier to "iron" the edges down instead of tap.

When using any cold blue the important step is to completely and absolutely clean the area to be blued. On a scratch like yours I'd use a QTip and lacquer thinner and really scrub it well and use several applications of the swab and alcohol.

Heat helps cold blues. The correct amount is about 135 F. This is usually about the same temperature as the hot water in your heater. I use a propane torch and wave it over the part until it's just barely too hot to handle.....about the same a the plate in a Mexican resturant.
Apply the cold blue with a toothpick or pipe cleaner only to the scratch. That will avoid the stain that develops around the scratch from cold blue on top of hot blue.

Unfortunately that scratch will be there until the reciever is re-polished and re-blued. Use it as a learning experience and understand that's why a gunsmith has to charge you everytime he works on your gun. He has the risk of doing the same thing to a customer's gun and will have to re-blue to fix it......unless it's an engraved and inlayed collector piece. Then it cost mega-money to replace it.

If I lightly fold and blend the metal back to where it belongs should I still use a polish, if so what kind and grit? The scratch/gouge is vertical on the reciever (perpendicular to the barrel). From the bolt down towards the trigger, I was tightening a scope ring. ( As a side note I have decided to only use allen head/torx screws on my rings from this day foreward. No way would I have slipped off as I did with the traditional slotted head screw.) Iknow everyone has thier own prefence with blueing but 44/40 is readily available to me, is there anything wrong with this? Thanks all.

Buddy, try it without polishing first and see how you like it, the problem you'll have is that the scratch sounds like it runs perpendicular to the grain so it might be made more noticeable if you tried polishing anything. 44-40 works good, do what Mr. Belk suggests about surface preparation, I may not wash my hands before dinner all the time but I sure clean metal before finishing it every time!

Good Luck!

Mark