Moral-Flexibility.Net

The to-do list for the project is rather long, but featured prominently was the refinishing of the receiver that is the heart of the rifle. I had sworn that no “historically significant” parts would be harmed in the assembly of this rifle, and as a result I acquired a Breda receiver from Districorp some time back. There is undoubtedly some history to the receiver, but as it’s post-war any guilt I feel is minimized.

Breda receiver prior to being reparkerized

Breda receiver prior to being reparkerized

As you can see the original finish has been worn down quite a bit, with bare metal exposed in a few places. While I loved the 50 year old patina that remained on the majority of the receiver, it is a project gun, so I swallowed my guilt and began the process.

Home Parkerizing

The instructions are simple, and confirmed both through my experience with the ‘42 Springfield and the experts at CGN. Degrease the parts being refinished with soap and hot water, then soak the parts in a 1:1 mix of Muriatic Acid and Water for five minutes (on removal they should appear white or grey), then move them to a mixture of the parkerizing solution and water (in this case I used Radocy Parkerizing available locally), after 15 minutes at 180 degrees remove the part and soak in oil.

Breda receiver immediately after being reparkerized

Breda receiver immediately after being reparkerized

The receiver came out really well, a solid uniform black. The other parts didn’t take the parkerizing as well, but are still in better condition than before.