Kutter:

I like your approach.

"It avoids the annealing & rehardening steps but still provides
for a soft surface to engrave while leaving the inside and wear surface areas case hardened."

I like your approach. I have read on this Board and in books I have that the the outer hardened skin is in fact quite thin. It would certainly avoid many pitfalls to NOT anneal the entire action body.

"A gray/antique type finish can then be applied to the parts and will take nicely to the soft outer surfaces."

How is this finish applied?

Please tell me more about your process. You can always PM me at mgruber(at)state.nm.us. if you'd rather not post it here.

Thanks in advance.

The only constant in life is change.