Turkish Grenade?

[dwesson445]

I was talking the other day with a guy who'd built a 6mm-284 on a Turkish action. His 'smith had drilled out the receiver to accept a large ring barrel and recut the threads to match.

I was always under the impression that most receivers were surface hardened, and that once you cut through the outer layer you were into "soft" metal.

Anyone know if the process hardens the steel completely or if it's a surface hardening?

 

[Backwoods]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the surface hardening on many older military receivers was more for wear resistance than additional strength. Too hard would be brittle, the soft core was where the primary strength was.
But I think(?!) that the mauser actions were heat treated clear through and then tempered for strength clear through also.
I would think that the issue in this case would be whether the gunsmith in question bored out the receiver ring to a point where it would be too thin. My copy of Bolt Action Rifles by De Haas is not at hand so I can't even guess how much ring is left for strength. I wonder why they didn't turn and thread the large ring barrel shank to fit the small ring action. Not sure how much help the above is...but it's free!

Don in Ohio

 

[Mike Irwin]

Backwoods,

No, the surface hardening/soft interior is very much an integral part of the strength of the entire gun.

A tough outer layer and a maleable inner core make the action usable with higher-intensity cartridges without adversely affecting the action.

Essentially, you've got an outer shell that allows the action to retain its shape, and an inner core that gives it enough spring to bounce back from the shock of firing.

No outer layer, and the action stretches.

No inner core, and the action shatters.

No inner core was a problem with the "Low Number" Springfield 1903 rifles made at Rock Island Armory. A new heat treating method, combined with people who were new to the job, resulted in many rifles that had "burned" steel, or essentially were heat treated way too deeply.

What the gunsmith did is very likely going to result in a prematurely crapped out rifle.

In the worst case, it could result in a split receiver. Hopefully the barrel itself is strong enough to contain the cartridge.

I would not be surprised in the least if the barrel were to get progressively looser each time the gun is fired.

In my opinion, the gunsmith should NEVER have done that.