More Durable - Blued or Color Case Hardened?

[bgavin]

For Uberti rifles, which finish is more resistant to rust and corrosion?
I'd guess that Blued is the easier finish to touch up for spot repairs.

Thoughts?

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

My rifles all have both except for an all blued Rossi '92,

 

My 1860 Army revolvers and 1873 SAAs have both.

 

I don't see a lot of difference until holster or scabbard wear start to remove the bluing at the muzzles and a few other places.  CCH doesn't show much wear but the colors do tend to fade with time, lots of time.

[Outlaw Gambler]

Brushed Hard Chrome

[Dirty Dog Doug]

I have a Uberti color case harden, it looks soo good but need more attention 

wipe it down after every use 

I let mine sit in a case for a week and go tiny rust pits . then I took my dremil and really wreck on spot of finish 

[Chantry]

Real color case hardening was done after a firearm was engraved to harden the surface of the steel, the colors were a happy byproduct of the initial process.  Trial and error led it to being an art form in getting certain colors.

 

Ruger and probably Uberti use a chemical finish to simulate color case hardening.  Rugers are well known for the color case hardening wearing off.  How long the Uberti color case hardening will last is an interesting question.

 

Personally I would go with what you like better, I doubt either finish is going to hold up over long term use in cowboy shooting.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

The EPA put a stop to Ruger's process to simulate CCH.

This process used Arsenic.

OLG 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

1 hour ago, Chantry said:

Real color case hardening was done after a firearm was engraved to harden the surface of the steel, the colors were a happy byproduct of the initial process.  Trial and error led it to being an art form in getting certain colors.

 

Ruger and probably Uberti use a chemical finish to simulate color case hardening.  Rugers are well known for the color case hardening wearing off.  How long the Uberti color case hardening will last is an interesting question.

 

Personally I would go with what you like better, I doubt either finish is going to hold up over long term use in cowboy shooting.

I have a Uberti  '73 rifle that my wife gave me for Christas 1982.  The blue is fading and getting thin in some places.  The CCH looks as good as the day I got it.

[Utah Bob #35998]

What Chantry said. It depends on the quality of the case hardening. Old school is best but difficult to do.

[Stormy_LaSalle]

12 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

What Chantry said. It depends on the quality of the case hardening. Old school is best but difficult to do.

 

Yes the real bone/charcoal will last longer. I have seen some 2-3yr old Rugers with CCH that just looked "grey", same with some older Uberti's. I personally think the CCH looks better than just blued so I go CCH and if it wears, it is just character on the firearm.

 

 

[Pat Riot]

With color case hardening done chemically Bluing is more resilient on Rugers. I am sure it’s the same with Uberti. 
 

Personally, I would go with blued. It ain’t as pretty but it lasts longer, in my experience. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I did not find Uberti guns to be chemically "colored" to simulate case hardening.  Uberti case may well be thin, but it is Case Hardening.  The "Color" is entirely dependent on the Material in the Kiln. 

[Cat Brules]

 CCH or “Color Case Hardening,” is in my view, a fascinating metal surface-hardening process.  The Brownells catalog sells a few products related to CCH, and over the years, I’ve found those entries interesting reading.

 

And, Wikipedia has some interesting explanations of case hardening.

Below is a link to a Wiki page or two, involving guns, even!  I think you’ll like their write-up.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case-hardening

 

I hope this helps.

 

Cat Brules

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

And remember... true color case hardening can/will fade with extended exposure to direct sunlight.  

 

Also, unlike bluing, CCH provides virtually no rust prevention.  Keep it oiled, or protect it with a thin coat of lacquer... or even wax.

[Chantry]

7 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I did not find Uberti guns to be chemically "colored" to simulate case hardening.  Uberti case may well be thin, but it is Case Hardening.  The "Color" is entirely dependent on the Material in the Kiln. 

What knowledge I have about "true" color case hardening is from books and a few Youtube videos related to high end British shotguns before WWI.  That CCH process was done one gun at a time by very experienced workers.  If Uberti has managed to find a way to CCH firearms economically on a production line, more power to them.

[bgavin]

3 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Also, unlike bluing, CCH provides virtually no rust prevention.  Keep it oiled, or protect it with a thin coat of lacquer... or even wax.

That was what I was looking for... thanks!

[Pat Riot]

16 hours ago, bgavin said:

That was what I was looking for... thanks!

 

I almost forgot...If you go with CCH get yourself some Renaissance Wax to coat your gun to protect it. 
 

It looks great on bluing too. 
 

Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish (65 ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DSZWEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8OwXEb5JZ4JQ3
 

Very easy to use. Use 100% cotton to apply and buff. Tee shirt material works great, just no polyester. 
 

 

[bgavin]

I have both CCH and bluing on my 1873 Uberti.
Thanks for the tip on how to protect the CCH.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 5/19/2020 at 7:02 AM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

The EPA put a stop to Ruger's process to simulate CCH.

This process used Arsenic.

OLG 

So did the original CCH....or was it cyanide?  We used to harden gears with a cyanide process when I worked at Western Gear.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

3 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

So did the original CCH....or was it cyanide?  We used to harden gears with a cyanide process when I worked at Western Gear.

 

IIRC, the Arsenic is what gave the color.

OLG