casehardened frame

[www]

Did Ruger ever make a Vaquero with a real case hardened frame?

 

[gak]

There may be a one-off somewhere but not regular production. All the original, large frame Vaqueros and the first few years of the New Vaquero are chemically applied "faux" CC treatments.
I just noticed - welcome aboard btw!!

 

[GA Cracker]

Seems like there are pictures of a 1999 model in the forum classifieds. I don't know anything about how the treatments are applied but check it out.

 

[rugerguy]

welcome to the Forum, as to your question ,basically no they did not color case harden any Vaqueros, did they try?? we'll never know, as we see now ,they do not offer their "faux" ( inked)?? chemical application any longer, as it did not hold up well in many circumstance.....a FEW , like Turnbull, have a "proprietary process" lower temperature we assume, to "color case" but does it "harden"....hhhmmmm doubt it, as 4140 chrome moly castings that Ruger uses ( makes themselves) is a complex metal and if case hardened, can become brittle, NOT good..........some other companies that do "case color hardening" like Springfield , over here IN Ohio, will not touch any Ruger cast frames to "color case HARDEN"....I 've seen a few that were "flame colored" and did NOT look good at all, nor appealing............I've had a few Vaqueros that we stripped off the "color" and just blued the entire gun, looked really nice.........





disregard the red plastic case..........

 

[gramps]

I had a Vaquero .44 mag, 4 5/8 inch barrel back in 2004 that had the faux CC. I liked the way it shot, but at the time didn't properly enjoy SA revolvers, plus had heard that the CC didn't hold up well so I sold it. Now I have buyers remorse lo these many years later.
gramps

 

[CraigC]

Nope, as stated, only the fake chemical colors. Although Doug Turnbull can fix you right up if you so choose.

 

[jeffnles1]

I have a 1st year "faux" case color Vaquero. So far, it's held up well and I sure don't baby this gun (7,000+ rounds through it).

Jeff

 

[Joe S.]

I got one in 357. While its not bright and crisp it still looks nice. I have seen a few that has faded and look bad but mine still looks nice.

 

[KWYJIBO]

As others have said, if you encounter one, it is not factory applied.

A few years ago, somebody sold one thru the classified forum here. It started as a standard Vaquero, nothing special. But it had been sent to Turnbull for their "case color" treatment, which turned out stunningly beautiful. It then had genuine elephant ivory grips added, and I found it to be probably the most attractive Ruger handgun I've ever seen.

I know there are countless Colt and USFA single actions out there with a similar set-up. To me this one beat them all, because it had the indestructible Ruger internals to last 3 lifetimes, plus absolutely gorgeous exterior.

If I'd had available the considerable price he was asking, I'd have grabbed it in an instant.

Does the buyer of that gun happen to be reading this? Want to trade for any 3 of my revolvers? (Never hurts to ask!)

 

[CraigC]

Ya know, Turnbull has a "Ruger refinishing service" as part of his standard offerings. It's not too bad. :wink:

 

[Asher]

Case hardening or surface hardening is the process of hardening the surface of a metal object while allowing the metal deeper underneath to remain soft, thus forming a thin layer of harder metal (called the "case") at the surface. For steel or iron with low carbon content, which has poor to no hardenability of its own, the case hardening process involves infusing additional carbon into the case. Case hardening is usually done after the part has been formed into its final shape, but can also be done to increase the hardening element content of bars to be used in a pattern welding or similar process. The term face hardening is also used to describe this technique, when discussing modern armour.
Because hardened metal is usually brittler than softer metal, through-hardening (that is, hardening the metal uniformly throughout the piece) is not always a suitable choice for applications where the metal part is subject to certain kinds of stress. In such applications, case hardening can provide a part that will not fracture (because of the soft core that can absorb stresses without cracking) but also provides adequate wear resistance on the surface.

 

[gak]

To me a treatment of some sort, the better (Turnbull, Harton's guy, etc) the better, but something - completes a SA revolver---especially the fixed sights, but Craig's proves also for the adjustables, flattops etc. Those that have refinished their revolvers (frames, originally CC'd or not) in a quality re-blue end up with a very nice piece to be sure, but the standard factoy blue-black--again especially on a fixed sight--leaves me a bit cold. My NV .44 4-3/4 is screaming to be CC'd by one of these guys. May sound like Heresy to some, but even my just "ok" CC'd early 5.5 NV .357 is more special looking than my newer only blued NV. ...but an especially nicely done CC job really picks these things up, IMO.

 

[varminter22]

While I do like the looks of real color case hardening, I've never gone to the expense of doing it.

This Single Six had the factory faux CCH. Had it polished off, engraved, and blued.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I got a few.
45 Colt conversion CH done by Turnbull



357s CH by Turnbull

Faded 5 1/2" 357s CH 357s by Turnbull

 

[cellar701]

I'll add some pics of some of the Turnbull work on a Vaquero:

 

[mike campbell]

I love case colors...I'll play!

 

[gak]

Gentlemen, truly stunning guns.

 

[22/45 Fan]

Case hardening or surface hardening is the process of hardening the surface of a metal object while allowing the metal deeper underneath to remain soft, thus forming a thin layer of harder metal (called the "case") at the surface. For steel or iron with low carbon content, which has poor to no hardenability of its own, the case hardening process involves infusing additional carbon into the case. Case hardening is usually done after the part has been formed into its final shape, but can also be done to increase the hardening element content of bars to be used in a pattern welding or similar process. The term face hardening is also used to describe this technique, when discussing modern armour.
Because hardened metal is usually brittler than softer metal, through-hardening (that is, hardening the metal uniformly throughout the piece) is not always a suitable choice for applications where the metal part is subject to certain kinds of stress. In such applications, case hardening can provide a part that will not fracture (because of the soft core that can absorb stresses without cracking) but also provides adequate wear resistance on the surface.

All of this is correct but fails to note that modern steel alloys or stainless steel alloys can be through hardened and still retain the toughness necessary to withstand high stress levels without cracking. So, case hardening has no benefit in firearms made of modern materials and has been relegated to a cosmetic enhancement, not a necessity.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Well you got that "cosmetic enhancement" correct The way a sixshooter should look :wink: :wink:

 

[Boxhead]

More Turnbull.







I had a "colored" Bisley Vaquero 45 Colt that liked rust more than any piece I have ever owned. I had Dave Clements tweak and blue it. It has since gone down the road.