Re: Spencer CF repro block: Do these need to be hardened?
Tim,
I asked S&S almost this same question at the Fall national and was assured that the breechblocks were hardened. While shooting my Spencer, the firing pin carrier shattered into four pieces, and I had S&S to remove it for me, then replaced the carrier with a new one (for an additional $25 I might add). They said how they had never seen this happen before with any of their parts? In showing the shattered part to a machinist, he suggested it was evident that the part had been hardened but it was hardened to the point of becoming brittle, and should have latterly been heat-tempered to reduce the brittleness. One significant difference between the S&S breechblock and the one from Buffalo Arms, while the S&S breechblock is supposedly hardened with Casnit, the BA&Co breechblock is color case-hardened. I might add, the BA&Co breechblock was just $9.95 more than S&S, and was $187.50 including USPS Priority Mail shipping. Shall I say which is now in the rifle?
First Cousin (7 times removed) to Brigadier General Stand Watie (1806-1871), CSA
1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles | Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1862-66
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