Pietta 1873, needing advice

Hrt4me, I use a magic powder called Kasenit. You heat the part to a dull cherry red dip it in the powder, re heat, tip, wear dark sunglasses or welder' s goggles, repeat once, then quench it in water. Comes out nicely hardened, file skips off without cutting. Pretty simple. You will need to remove some residue after the quench. I use a fine wire wheel.

Tommygunn said:

Dave, I understand that you can get sets of properly hardened screws for your Uberti guns. Yea, I know .... you shouldn't have to .... but they can be had.

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Yes, the Uberti screws that I've had to drill out were replaced with hardened screws from VTI Gun Parts.

Jackrabbit1957 said:

I use a magic powder called Kasenit.

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I don't think Kasenit is available any longer. There is a similar product called "Cherry Red" which sells for around $25 for a 2 lb can

Heard the same thing, this is a 5 pounder that was being taken away during a major hanger cleanup where I used to work, it was ask and ye shall receive. Probably last me 10 years.

I dont like how soft the screws are in italian guns (pietta being softer than uberti)...but i have found a way to prevent issues with damaging them. Its a two step process...first off always use the proper screw driver. Hollow ground. I have seen and worked many a gun where screw heads/slots were damages because a regular screw driver was used. Second...as soon as you get a gun..clean it well and GREASE the screw threads with a non-petroleum based grease. I have used the red MOBIL1 high temp synthetic grease and also plain lanolin. Both have worked with great success and i never have had an issue with a stuck screw. Choke lube should work just as well i take it. Same goes when it comes to nipple/cone maintenance. You really want to do it to frame screws (also the wedge screw..that one tends to get stuck sometimes as fouling ends up getting to it due to location)...i tend not to do it to other screws that are on the loading lever and plunger assembly as those have a tendency to vibrate out and get lost and adding lube to the screw threads might help them vibrate out. I assure you that these two practices alone will help prevent stuck and damaged screws. Also take your time and dont force the screws as you could be stripping and damaging the threading on the screw or the frame. And please stay away from using crisco and crisco lube mixes on the screw threads and inside of gun...it turns into a sticky hard glue when its been cooled off after heating...its not like other natural fats like tallows that turn back into their original form once heated and cooled. I have worked several guns that had stuck screws and sticky internals due to crisco and crisco lube mixes getting into the gun and seeping into screw threads.