doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Can a repro Low/High Wall be case colored?

Read somewhere that the type of steel used in the Miroku made high/low walls is an alloy that can't be case colored. Wondering if anyone knows whether this is true of false. Thanks

PS. Since I've seen the .17HMR Winchester low wall with case coloring I'm wondering how the factory case colors those. I was thinking about Bone/Charcoal method from Turnbull or John Gillette.

I have my opinion of if you can or can't, however you might just want to ask Turnbull this question. Who are you planning to have do the case coloring work?

Winchester offers several of their Miroku made lever guns with case colored receivers, so I guess they can. However, I don't know the process or how well that the colors stand up to regular use. Even the best(Turnbull) case coloring will fade away with heavy use if it is not protected with a clear coat lacquer.

Most likely Turnbull or John Gillete from Classic Guns. Those folks seem to always get it right.

Turnbull regularly does this work to the Miroku made Winchester lever gun reproductions, and it looks quite nice. I think the process Winchester and/or Browning used recently may be one of the modern ones which is not really traditional bone case coloring.

Okay then I think you have the answer you would want, they will give you the straightess dope on the question.

That is correct- in 1878 to whenever WRA dropped the High and Low Walled single shots- mild lower carbon resulpherized steel was used for the forgings- and that analysis would take bone case color hardening with good results (if oxygen was NOT allowed to contaminate the vessel during the pour in H2O--

I am just 'spitballing here" but as the japanese have, since post WW2 rebilding- Electric melt furnaces- and also import all of the ores used in modern steel making, you are looking at possibly a forging (or lost wax investment casting) with; higher points of carbon, also nickel in a higher content range, silicon, chromium, molybdenum and even possibly vanadium. All of which could affect the outcome of the old charcoal and bone meal 'packing box" color case hardening.

I have seen several examples of Doug's fine work- if I wished to have a modern weapon, no matter where in the World it was made, changed from a blued finish to color case- Doug would be my first choice-

Sent Turnbull a email asking the question. I'll let everyone know what the response is.

Here is an uberti action Doug Turnbull did for me

OUTSTANDING- A FINE WEAPON!!