Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors My 1899H Rat

What's the alloy used for receivers, and are they heat treated to any extent? (I'm guessing not, as easy as they are to file, but with some spot hardening at the bolt lockup?) Case hardening an 1899/99 receiver may well do more harm than good, depending on the alloy, but it would look pretty. Short of knowing for a fact what it's made of, it would be wise to consult a metallurgist before having it color case hardened.

how would hardening the receiver be a bad thing? Make it too brittle? I always assumed that the receivers were likely hardened to some extent... now CCH might produce a different RC, I never thought it would be much of an issue.

Don, Don't you or your brother have a factory case colored 1895?

As for warpage... I HIGHLY doubt it. the 99 receiver is really quite thick and they regularly case things much smaller and thinner... such as savage 99 levers or side plates on side lock shotguns. Side plates are for all practicality a 2D object when compared to a Savage 99 receiver. Think of the difference is "warping" a piece of paper compared to a book.

Yep, Steve nailed it. In addition, case hardening only works well on low carbon alloys. The addition of other elements (such as nickel, chrome, molybdenum, etc.) can effect the outcome. That's why I inquired as to whether anybody knows the makeup of 1899/99 receiver alloys.

Case hardening imparts a thin glass-hard skin to low carbon steel, leaving the inside dead soft. This is accomplished by transference of carbon into the surface of the steel through high heat (1450� I believe) in an oxygen-free environment of charcoal that's packed around the part, in a crucible inside an oven. The type of charcoal used will determine the colors one gets, which are merely a side benefit of the case hardening. Most industrial case hardening (also known as carburizing) isn't done that way anymore as the colors aren't necessary for functionality.

It's a means of utilizing cheap low carbon steel for purposes which it would otherwise be useless for. Old guns that have case hardened components (bolts, receivers, etc.) that take the stress of firing get away with it only when headspace is carefully maintained. Allowing a bolt (or breech block) to get a running start upon detonation before it hits it's recess can, in extreme circumstances, result in fracturing. If everything is snug, no worries. Case hardened surfaces make for slick operation (think .30/40 Krag and early 1903 Springfield actions), are tough (due to the soft inner core), and wear well. Once the thin case is worn through exposing the soft core, rapid wear will set in.

In addition to the risk of cracking from inept heat treating, there is a real risk of warpage if the part isn't firmly anchored in a fixture when going through the process. Guys who regularly CC levers (not just Savages) have those fixtures. Even then I'll bet a dollar to a donut hole that if you measured a lever before and after CC'ing you'll find slight discrepancies. I've known LC Smith collectors who've had receivers and lock plates warp slightly when done by big name heat treaters. It is always a crap shoot, but with admittedly low risk if done properly.

Sorry for the long diatribe. It's been a long time since I took any metallurgy classes, so if I got a fact wrong don't shoot me!

Turnbull may or may not do a 99, another outfit in Illinois named classic guns inc. I think...they definitely will do it.