February 20, 2018, 06:35 PM | #1 |
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Savage 99 question
I had a 99 refinished and the lever was blued when I got it back. Looks okay, but I prefer the original rainbow colored case hardened look.
I picked up a mint lever with great coloring. Was wondering if the lever screw and bushing was also originally case hardened color or blued? |
February 20, 2018, 09:35 PM | #2 |
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I just checked my savage 99 and the lever is color case hardened, but the lever screw is blued. However, my rifle is an early 70's production and it may be different for older rifles. Mike Irwin on this forum knows a lot about savage 99's. Perhaps he'll see this and weigh in.
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February 21, 2018, 02:36 AM | #3 |
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Just so you don't try to wrestle with your 99, the levers were hand-fitted to each gun. They are not a drop-in part. Use the lever that came with the gun. In the past, I have flame colored the levers on Savage 99 rifles, but unless you really know what you are doing it can turn out pretty poorly. If you want the color-cased look, there are many people around the country who can color case harden the lever for you. If it is important to keep the original look of it, try contacting CPA Rifles (https://www.cparifles.com/) or a specialty restorer like Hunter Restorations (http://mikehunterrestorations.com/). I have used both for different projects, and there is nothing like the look of real color case hardening to fully round out a rifle refinishing project. One of the members on this forum who recently bought a Savage 99 I restored might provide photos.
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February 21, 2018, 10:21 AM | #4 |
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Scorch... speaking of case color... have you ever seen a 99 receiver case colored? I've got a nice 99F, but it looks like the receiver was cleaned with a scratchy pad at one point, so there are all these fine scratches on it. I've always wanted to color one of my levergun receivers...
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February 21, 2018, 11:32 AM | #5 |
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Isn't the bluing a very thin surface treatment? Wouldn't the case color hardening still be under the bluing?
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February 21, 2018, 01:14 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
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February 21, 2018, 03:48 PM | #7 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
The packing material gives the finished metal a predictable appearance. If the metal were packed in wood charcoal, the metal would be dark gray when it comes out. Mauser 98s made up to about 1950s were carburized by packing in coke and heating to about 1,100 degrees then quenched. The dark gray color of original M98s was the color as it came from the carburizing process. Nowadays, you see coloring added to some firearms' surfaces to simulate color case hardening (Uberti SAAs, Pedersoli rifles, etc), but it is just a dye process. Quote:
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February 22, 2018, 12:54 PM | #8 |
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Depending on the age, yes, I believe they were, and I believe that it was an option to have it either blued or case colored, but I'm not 100% certain about that.
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February 22, 2018, 08:40 PM | #9 |
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My 1952 EG is blued, I am good with that, I bet yours looks good !!!
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February 25, 2018, 12:21 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
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February 26, 2018, 11:31 AM | #11 |
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Yes, sending the lever from your 99 off to have it color case hardened will harden the metal and help prevent wear on the lever pivot and bolt cam surfaces (those are critical points). But since those are already hardened, and the person that reblued it didn't work on the hardened surfaces, you are talking about doing color case hardening just to restore appearance (purely cosmetic). But color case hardening does change the properties of the metal, as would any case hardening.
And no, your Ruger Vaquero is one of the guns with dyed steel. Pretty, but not case hardening.
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November 4, 2018, 05:34 PM | #12 |
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Have been gone a long time.
Not sure if any interest in this after so long. I lost my Dad, and had had a little trouble dealing with that. But I'm back
I watched videos on replacing the lever and it didn't seem too difficult New lever went right in and I fired 10 rounds with no issues. Not sure what a gunsmith would have done to this other than if the lever either hit the receiver too early and didn't lock or the other way and didn't close. I'm liking the rainbow one the best, but will keep both. |
November 4, 2018, 08:46 PM | #13 |
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Sorry to hear about your dad.
Glad the lever worked like it was supposed to. Any problems getting the action back together?
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November 6, 2018, 03:44 PM | #14 |
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No issues at all. The videos are a great tool.
Before I tried installing it, I superimposed the two over each other and I could see the finger grip portions aligned and were shaped identically. I have some nice Grace screwdrivers and was careful not to bugger up the screws. Anyway I like it. |
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