Clay Target Q&A
With Russell Mark, Olympic gold and silver medallist
Questions: russell@corporateshootingstars.com.au
Q Can you tell me the advantage of buying a gun with a case-hardened action? I like the appearance of them, but don’t really understand if this process is only for cosmetic reasons. How is it done and does it actually make the gun stronger?
Reg Southby, Victoria
A This is a good question, Reg. Case-hardening is a process in which the gun’s metal action or receiver has its external appearance changed through a chemical or heating process. Originally, the case-hardening was done through heating the gun’s metalwork up and then applying a bone meal and charcoal process to make the metal discolor.
In recent times, the same process has been done using chemicals such as cyanide. Case-hardened metal will lose its color a little over time unless the metal has a quality varnish finish applied at the end of the process. Generally, case-hardening is done during the shotgun’s manufacturing, but standard actions can be given a case-hardened appearance as a customising feature after production. Be wary about who you chose to do this, as I have seen some that didn’t look quite right and no doubt eroded the resale value of the gun. If not done properly, the surface can not only fade, but, worst of all, it can promote and enhance rust.
I believe the process today is purely cosmetic and does not do anything that is necessary to make the action stronger that it needs to be. When case-hardening was originally introduced, it was truly meant for the purpose of hardening soft metal, which, of course, limits the life and safety of the shotgun’s receiver.