I guess the main question to be answered here is "What is the Purpose?" of the case hardening. "If" it is unnessesary for the integrity of the gun, then it is of little consequence, whether it is "Cased" or "Colored". On a piece of heat treated carbon steel hardness starts to be drawn (tempered) @ about 300/350°F & the higher it is heated the more it is drawn (Softened). When a tempering temp just below the critical temp has been reached it is "Almost" as soft as in the fully annealed state. My personal opinion is the makers put that "Hard Case" on their guns for a purpose, I don't want it destroyed on "Mine". My questions I had for Oscar, which unfortunately did not reach a culmination, was that while he stated he was quenching from a point below which martensite is formed, the temp he listed would have been above that temp, for the high carbon "Case, Only", although the low carbon core would have been below it's critical temp.
