Just purchased a 1894 win 25-35.

[BrentD]

Add to your list, the forearm nose cap (not the barrel band if you have one), and buttplate.

I polish to at least an honest 600 grit but 800 is better. The finish will "back up" a bit to be less polished than you had before the CC process, but better overpolished than under polished. Ditto for rust blue, regardless of the what the internet says.

I would not attempt to polish out every pit. You will loose lines and flatness eventually, not to mention your patience, which then leads to more loss of lines and flatness. Case colors will disguise minor pitting better than bluing.

Are you using a hardwood block or similar behind your polishing paper? Those holes look a little beveled, but that might be the light.

 

[Buckbrush]

Add to your list, the forearm nose cap (not the barrel band if you have one), and buttplate.

I polish to at least an honest 600 grit but 800 is better. The finish will "back up" a bit to be less polished than you had before the CC process, but better overpolished than under polished. Ditto for rust blue, regardless of the what the internet says.

I would not attempt to polish out every pit. You will loose lines and flatness eventually, not to mention your patience, which then leads to more loss of lines and flatness. Case colors will disguise minor pitting better than bluing.

Are you using a hardwood block or similar behind your polishing paper? Those holes look a little beveled, but that might be the light.

Yes I had a block for sanding. But I got in a bit to big of a hurry and did bevel the holes a tiny bit with a felt wheel and buffing compound. I also have the inside screws stuck like no other. I drilled them out and tried a easy out with no luck. Im thinking about just drilling them all the way and welding them up.

 

[BrentD]

Yes I had a block for sanding. But I got in a bit to big of a hurry and did bevel the holes a tiny bit with a felt wheel and buffing compound. I also have the inside screws stuck like no other. I drilled them out and tried a easy out with no luck. Im thinking about just drilling them all the way and welding them up.

I don't know enough about Winchesters to know what the inside screw is, but they must be mighty stuck to not respond to an easy out.

 

[Buckbrush]

They are stuck pretty dang good. It didn't help any the slots where buggered up to begin with. I drilled them out as big as I could with out harming the tapped hole and still could not get them free. Had to use a punch to break the screw head off.

 

[BrentD]

When polishing, do you switch directions 90 degrees between grits?

 

[Buckbrush]

Yes as best I could the 10x zoom makes all the imperfections stand out. In person it's going on a mirror finish. I would say a very fine brushed 000 steel wool finish.

 

[Buckbrush]

This would be a picture of a Kimber k6 factory finish at 10 x zoom

 

[p_ham]

They are stuck pretty dang good. It didn't help any the slots where buggered up to begin with. I drilled them out as big as I could with out harming the tapped hole and still could not get them free. Had to use a punch to break the screw head off.

Have you applied heat to those screws yet?
Penetrating oil?
A gun that old, all the oil gets in the threads and hardens up. You shouldn't have to get too crazy on the heat, straw to blue at the most.

Dumb question- did you try the EZ out before or after knocking the heads off?

 

[Buckbrush]

Have you applied heat to those screws yet?
Penetrating oil?
A gun that old, all the oil gets in the threads and hardens up. You shouldn't have to get too crazy on the heat, straw to blue at the most.

Dumb question- did you try the EZ out before or after knocking the heads off?

Yes I had kriol penetrating oil on it for a week with a heat gun till it was smoking hot several times. EZ out before knocking the heads off. I tried several different things before I even went drilling. But even taking most of the screw out by drill I can't even tap the screw away from the tapped hole. Usually once the screw is drilled I can tap one edge away and get most stuck screws out that way. But no luck with this.

 

[p_ham]

Yes I had kriol penetrating oil on it for a week with a heat gun till it was smoking hot several times. EZ out before knocking the heads off. I tried several different things before I even went drilling. But even taking most of the screw out by drill I can't even tap the screw away from the tapped hole. Usually once the screw is drilled I can tap one edge away and get most stuck screws out that way. But no luck with this.

I would try it again with a propane torch, it's getting heat treated again anyways.
You may have been fighting the screw heads with the EZ out unless you have some right handed ones.

 

[Don Fischer]

I might do something with the barrel depending on how it shoots. Got a 1903 from a close friend when he passed. He'd shot a bunch of corrosive ammo in it and didn't get it cleaned out very well. Result is a bad barrel, if you call it that. Bunch of pits. Well I shot it first with that barrel and it does do right at 1 1/4" so I left it alone and use it as it is. It's got three elk in three shots and couldn't do any better if it had a new barrel. I believe if something work's I shouldn't try to fix it.

 

[Buckbrush]

I would try it again with a propane torch, it's getting heat treated again anyways.
You may have been fighting the screw heads with the EZ out unless you have some right handed ones

Sorry went to sleep. I'll give that a try just been caught up with a late season cow elk hunt and trying to get a 76 rupp nitro running again after sitting for 15 years to get up to the unit with all the snow we have had. Made it up today but I think I'm a little to late all the snow pushed them down lower on all the private land. At least I can get back on this project.

 

[p_ham]

Sorry went to sleep. I'll give that a try just been caught up with a late season cow elk hunt and trying to get a 76 rupp nitro running again after sitting for 15 years to get up to the unit with all the snow we have had. Made it up today but I think I'm a little to late all the snow pushed them down lower on all the private land. At least I can get back on this project.

Can't blame you there, I'd rather be chasing elk too!

 

[p_ham]

Hey @Buckbrush have you made any more progress?