doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What the hell is Decarbonized Steel?

Daryl: I'd love to harvest a pic of Parker "decarbonized steel" brls. This is the later Parker "Plain Steel" on an 1875 Lifter. It was used for a short period in transition from "decarbonized" to "fluid steel." No idea what makes it "plain."

That really is a good question. There were so many "names" applied to barrel steel that it is confusing. You point out Remington. I know the same could be said of many makers. Meriden adverstised "crystal steel"! Who would think this is a descriptive name for a shotgun barrel steel except some ad copy writer?

It would be great to have some definitive answers. Which reminds me, what ever happened with Zircon & co? I know I sent them several barrels.

Pete

Good question. I have a 1873 Remington hammer lifter that has the decarbonized steel barrels. Wish it had some nice damascus barrels. Paul

There's been a lot of marketing names for barrel (and other) steels and speculation associated with these names. As steels evolved, it was common for steel makers or consumer level manufacturers/marketers to put catchy names on the steel used in the products. Some was based on some factual aspect of the steel or its manufacture, some on nothing more than marketer's perception of what the public might think.

The LC Smith line comes to my mind as the classic marketing labeling. I've often wondered if there were any difference in the steels of the numerous labeled barrel steels in this product line.

The shroud of speculated mystic strength properties has grown and spread over the decades for the names like Krupp, Whitworth and maybe a few others. What's the 'real deal' on how they stack up to todays highly controlled process vac-arc steels common to barrels like 4140? TBD.

While Zircon's work was intended to shed some light into vintage barrel metals, it would not flesh out these questions completely. Hopefully, Zircon will find the time from the demands life and career to continue his efforts to test the samples and provide more insight into our guns.

Interesting timing-check out this thread and pics from the PGCA Forum
http://www.parkergun.org/forums/forum1/4691.html

Rev, I have 5 or 6 photos of the old "cased" gun with decarbonized steel barrels, but they are distant photos that show nothing about the steel. I can send , or rather scan a couple and send them, but they offer no detail.

There is absolutely nothing special about the surface appearance of 89 Remmy hammergun barrels of decarbonized or decarburized steel. I think SGJ has it right that the emphasis on removing carbon arises from the molecular composition of the pig iron which precedes the steel.

jack