Remington was one of the first in the U.S. to manufacture Bessemer barrels:
Fire-Arms Manufacture 1880, U.S. Dept. of Interior, Census Office
The earliest use of decarbonized steel for gun-barrels is generally credited to the Remingtons, [E. Remington & Sons] who made steel barrels for North & Savage, of Middletown, Connecticut, and for the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts as early as 1846. About 1848 Thomas Warner, at the Whitneyville works, incurred so much loss in the skelp-welding of [Twist] barrels that he voluntarily substituted steel drilled barrels in his contract, making them of decarbonized steel...The use of soft cast-steel was begun at Harper's Ferry about 1849. After 1873, all small-arms barrels turned out at the national armory at Springfield were made of decarbonized...Bessemer steel until 1878, and afterward Siemens-Martin steel.
Bessemer, Decarbonized, "Mild" or Plain Steel mostly refers to the same stuff; though "Mild Steel" is more commonly Low Carbon, Low Alloy steel AISI grades 1005 through 1025.
Industry standards for Bessemer are 55,000 - 70,000 psi, with an average of 63,000 psi. The higher number likely represents hammered or cold rolled steel.
Lots about Decarbonized Steel down about 1/4 here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dnRLZgcuHfx7uFOHvHCUGnGFiLiset-DTTEK8OtPYVA/edit Robert Mushet adapted the Bessemer Process in 1856 by adding manganese (
speigeleisen) and established the Forest Steel Works in Darkhill, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire possibly producing the first Carbon Steel.
He also experimented with tungsten, titanium, and other alloys and established the Titanic Steel Works in 1862 for production of his Titanic Steel.
William Siemens established the Sample Steelworks to develop the Siemens-Martin Open Hearth process in 1865, and his steel was in general industrial use 1870 - 1875. P. Webley & Son began using Siemens steel barrels about 1880 and reported excellent results.
The Remington (hammer) Model of 1889 No. 1 with Decarbonized Steel was offered until 1908.
The Remington No. 3 Model of 1893 single was listed with Blue Steel and No. 9 Model of 1902 with Special Steel.
The No. 9 hang tag (courtesy of David Noreen) states: The barrels of this gun have been THOROUGHLY TESTED and are guaranteed for all standard brands of Smokeless and Black powder, when properly - but not excessively, loaded.
The maximum load was 3 1/4 Dr. Eq. of Bulk or Dense Smokeless powders.
It is assumed the
Remington Steel used on the A Grade Hammerless Model of 1894 starting in 1897, K Grade (Model 1900) Hammerless, and Model of 1894 Hammerless Grade F.E. Trap Gun (introduced in 1906) is similar to Marlin Special Rolled Steel and Winchester Rolled Steel. The April 1897 Remington catalog stated Remington blued steel barrels are manufactured in our own works and the Sears catalog No. 112 c. 1902 states the K Grade has fine Decarbonized steel barrels.
The 20g Model 17 introduced in the 1920 Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. catalog was listed with Remington Steel barrels. In 1926 the barrels were "Remington Highest Quality Steel"
Later Remington Arms Co., Inc. catalogs did not specify the barrel steel.
Remington introduced
Ordnance Steel for the (Model 1894) Hammerless Double in the April 1897 catalog. Later catalogs stated the Remington Ordnance Steel tensile strength was 110,000 psi.
In 1909 Remington offered an Ordnance Steel barrel in place of the regular Remington Steel barrel on the Pump Action Repeating Shotgun (later No. 10)
and Autoloading Shotgun (No. 11) for an extra $6.75.
