doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker VH & VHE Receiver Alloy Composition

Shotgunjones, thanks, that is what it looked like. Next time I am there I will ask them for another deminstration.

L.C. Smiths, the frames and most of the other parts were made from 1020 steel. I would guess most of the other manufacturers used the same.

I may not get correct answer to my question but I have learned a lot by posting this question. Thanks to all who contributed. With kind regards.

I just finished talking to couple of guys at Turbull. They said it is not an alloy. It is just old hard iron. I really don't know what it means.

"Old hard iron..."? I think you got much better answers here.

I agree. It may not have much carbon, but there certainly is some mangenese. It's a forging after all.

1020 Steel, showing the properties of http://www.metalsuppliersonline.com/research/property/metals/819.asp


Chemistry Data


Carbon
0.17 - 0.23

Iron
Balance

Manganese
0.3 - 0.6

Phosphorus
0.04 max

Sulphur
0.05 max


General Information


Principal Design Features

1020 is one of the very commonly used plain carbon steels. It has a nominal carbon content of 0.20% with approximately 0.50% manganese. It is a good combination of strength and ductility and may be hardened or carburized.


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Applications

1020 steel is used for simple structural application such as cold headed bolts. It is often used in the case hardened condition.

"It is just old hard iron." This is an answer they give you when they don't know. Underneath that .003-5 case is nicely machined steel.

Lt. Col. Brophy's fine book on the specs. for L.C. Smith shotguns calls out the AISI grade for different parts, also the respective heat treatment, resultant hardness expected, etc. I wish someone had done this for Parker, Ithaca, etc. All these fine older American doubles were "double fitted"- the first fitting- soft fitting or "in the white", the final fitting after the case hardening process- so a somewhat ductile lower carbon machinable steel was required- and AISI 1018-1020 was used.

The old "bunkum" about barrel steel grades, other than imported Krupp Flustahl (fluid steel) and Whitworth Fluid Compressed steel barrels=- Parker using terms like Vulcan, Titanic, Acme, Peerless- Smith with Armor, Nitro, Crown- etc- when neither company made their own Nitro proof steel barrels, was just good advertising-- Hunter Arms. marketing lads were way ahead of their time- if you'll notice all the aforementioned barrel steel grade names have FIVE letters- as did Kodak and Zerox-- huumm.

EDM is right about old "Hank the 1st." Ford and the AISI 6150 Chrome Vanadium steels used first in European race car engines-another reason he developed the Rouge River complex and his own steel mill perhaps.

Winchester broke away from the older "double fitting" when it brought out the great M21- by using AISI 4130 and 4140 they were able to machine the components after hardening-- The M21 may not have the "cachet" of the other older American doubles, but as the now late M. McIntosh once said- they are "Hell for stout"--