Rocketman-
It is a lot like the old saying from when I was a kid, "Not all people with long hair are hippies, but all hippies have long hair."
Not all "case hardening" is "color casehardening", but all color case hardening is case hardening. I did not just re-read my earlier posts, but i tried to keep it straight and make the distinction by mentioning "color", "color casing", "CC'ing", and similar terms when referring to the process of color case hardening.
You can case harden a lot of steels, but it does not mean you should CC a part that is to be used in a gun. Typical "modern" steels used in guns today should not be color case hardened. THat is what the original question posted here was asking about. People are CC'ing tool steels for purely cosmetic reasons and winding up with a part with a weak and "undurable" finish, as well as a gun part that has compromised mechanical properties.
