doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com longevity of receiver finish - case vs. coin?

I am considering a new Ugartechea, and while I prefer CCH I am concerned it wouldn't hold up for long on a gun that is used a lot (sporting clays, hunting). Am I correct to assume a coin finish will not change appearance with use, but the CCH will fade?

Thanks,
CHAZ

I think the Uggie boxlocks I've seen were either CCH or nickel plated. That warm yellowish silver is the indicator.

If what you are comparing is indeed nickel plating vs. CCH, the nickel plating will be essentially a permanent surface. It can wear thru, but it would be much more, many times more, durable than CCH

If it's what I think of as a traditional coin finish of casehardened steel, polished to the desired shine, then it will be very durable, but it can change by abrasion and acids/salts from your hands, but it will be very durable surface

Looking at the grade IV, or 257. Both list CCH or "coin finish." I don't know what their definition of that may be?
Thanks,
CHAZ

I think their sidelocks have the traditional coin finish, not nickel like the boxlocks. At least the pix I've seen of them appear to be bare hardened steel polished up. It should be very durable, but cleaning and wiping down with oil after a day out should be done to prevent any long term etching and graying from your hand acids.

All surface finishes wil wear or discolour. A lot will depend on what they are lacquered with . Old fasioned gun lock varnish will wear so needs to be re done reglarly . I know form experience that the St Ledgers currently use a lacquer the you virtualy need an angle grinder to shift.

Hi all, Spanish CC are not bone and charcoal. The colors are chemical and do wear off, much depends on the acid your hands produce as to the speed of the wear. But it will wear off.

As most you you know, a coin finish is a term that can mean anything from polished metal to French Grey, depending on who is the maker and how they term it.

To me, I like a coin finish, much more durable, shows off any engraving better and always looks good. CC to me when they start to wear/age looks dirty and dingy.

I do have a couple CC guns and treat them with a lacquer. Here's a link discussing CC protection:

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=251881&page=1

Best of luck to you!

Greg

Agree with Greg.....the prettiest case colored guns are those that have had it worn off. The soft grey that is left is a much prettier platform for displaying the engraving that the mottled colors of CC.

This may be misinformation, so please correct me if you're a metallurgist.

I thought CCH finish was the most durable structurally and perhaps 99% of the hardening remains long after the color from the bone and charcoal has faded away.

Is this true? That CH is still there, even after the color has left the case?

I love 30% CCH with its nice blue grey if we are talking aesthetics.

Unless you are 19 years old and are handling your gun with shooting gloves made from sweat soaked Scotchbrite, you probably won't appreciably wear off the case colors in your lifetime.

I say if CCH is the receiver finish you prefer, go with that, lacquer it for protection, take reasonable care of it, and enjoy it. It may show some wear when you are 90 years old. Chances are, you will too.

Keith,
Respectfully, I disagree. I think the avid hunter that is more interested in hunting than babying a gun can wear thru case colors in short order. Especially if he is in the habit of carrying the gun by the reciever. Can he wear them off all over the gun? Probably not in his lifetime of hunting and cleaning. But he can surely silver the bellie of a gun. I've done it in less than 10 yrs. I also think that not all case color oxides are created equally.

Interesting, down here in Spain, shooting in summer at 40 deg C, over a 100F, you sweat, my Perazzi is I suppose a french grey finish and the sweat from my hands has caused small corrosion around the safety, my case colour hardened AYA�s have not. best, Mike

I'll agree with Chuch that not all CCH is created equal, and some does seem to wear better than others. Mike's AyA's are a case in point. One gun I own, my meat rifle... a flintlock muzzleloader, has taken almost 30 years of perspiration, sunlight, rain, snow, black powder residue, boiling water and scrub-brush cleanings (sometimes several days after shooting...shame on me), and it still has very vibrant case colors with only a hint of wear. I've definitely carried it more miles than any firearm I own. I have not taken any unusual precautions such as lacquering. That's why I'll stick to my guns and advise Hoof to go with his preferred action finish, maybe use the lacquer and try to avoid abusing it without getting anal about it. I really don't carry my guns with a sweaty paw wrapped around the receiver very often. Like Rookhawk said, a casehardened gun with some honest wear has a certain appeal too. In answer to his question about CCH, it all remains after the color is gone. Only annealing or physically removing the thin carburized surfaced, colored or not, will make it go away.

I should add that the AYA�s were case coloured by St Ledger in Birmingham, UK, best