The Marlin Ballard "kit"!

[GunnyMack]

I gotcha, just a thought.
Horn is really tough stuff to work, after all it's a buffalos weapons and gotta be durable!

[marlinman93]

I gotcha, just a thought.
Horn is really tough stuff to work, after all it's a buffalos weapons and gotta be durable!

Yes, considering how much force they can exert against each other in a fight it's gotta be very hard.

[marlinman93]

Got the call from Al this morning, and he's got my parts and already starting on them! He'll anneal them today and then touch up the polishing and color case them this week.

[Griff]

It appears to be coming along nicely... oughta be a real beauty when done!

[marlinman93]

It appears to be coming along nicely... oughta be a real beauty when done!

Thanks. I hope it looks good, and shoots excellent too!

[marlinman93]

Both buttplates done fairly close now. Not attached in these two pictures, just sitting in position. I like both, but leaning towards the single prong brass buttplate a little.

[marlinman93]

Just got a text message from Al! Including a picture of my completed Ballard receiver! Parts are heading to me Monday morning! As always with Al the colors are spectacular!

[GunnyMack]

That has stunning colors!

[.45colt]

This is the thread that gets better every week!! .

[marlinman93]

That has stunning colors!

Al always does great, but I think this is the best I've ever gotten from him so far! Couldn't have hoped for anything better! Now I'll be anxiously waiting until it arrives and I can reassemble it with it's new parts!

[marlinman93]

This is the thread that gets better every week!! .

Thanks! Hope it continues to get better!

[GunnyMack]

Part of the reason the colors are so great is the mass of the action.
We did case hardening in school, some of the best colors came from the heavier actions.
I did a Mauser 98 that had great colors, sadly when we quenched it it warped at the rear bridge. We tried to tweak it and of course with my luck it broke! I had to anneal it to dead soft, weld up the crack and sent it out for commercial heat treatment. It became a 6mm Remington, boy was that a great shooter- I kick myself for selling it!

[Pat C]

Lot of the reason actions crack or warp is if was originally case hardened and not annealed before doing it again.
Lot of people doing this work today is required .

[marlinman93]

Lot of the reason actions crack or warp is if was originally case hardened and not annealed before doing it again.
Lot of people doing this work today is required .

Al told me he anneals every action prior to case hardening them. I know mine was annealed also as it had a tiny bit of pitting on one side I just couldn't get off. I couldn't feel it, but there was a dark area on the left side and Al said he'd take care of it after he annealed it so it would be easier t polish. Al always goes above and beyond what I ask for, and I trust what he says he wants to do to anything I send him.