Remington Barrel Steel

[Bill Murphy]

The rebarreled PH, marked V grade on the lug and OV on the flat, was discussed recently. No mystery there. Many replacement barrels were marked V grade for 2 3/4" shells regardless of the grade of the gun they are installed on. The only interesting feature is that the barrels were marked OV for Trojan. Most all Parkers for 2 3/4" shells had 2 5/8" chambers.

[Researcher]

From the April 1897 Remington Arms Co. catalog which introduced steel barrels for the Remington Hammerless Double.

1897 Remington Steel.jpg

1897 Ordnance Steel.jpg

[Researcher]

The text for each grade Parker in the big Remington era catalog describes the barrels in glowing terms, but no steel names.

A1 Special --"The barrels are of high tensile strength to insure safety, heat treated for durability and free from all imperfections."

AHE -- "The material used in Parker barrels must pass severe tests to insure great strength and long life."

GHE -- "Steel of a specially selected high quality is used for the barrels, which are strong, well built and of lasting service."

Seems kind of peculiar to me that while Winchester was touting their Winchester Proof Steel, Remington moved away from the fanciful names on their barrel steel. From a 1940s Model 11 and The Sportsman folder -- "High grade steel is used for action and barrel."

[Researcher]

Fox had a surplus of barrel steel post WW1 which they called Cromax which was believed to be SAE 4130.

That is pretty much an Olde Wive's Tale. On a very high percentage of Fox Chromox barrels one can see remnants of the tube supplier's marking on the bottom of the barrels forward of the barrel flats -- LLH, SB&Co., the D with a three-lobed crown over it, etc. Over the years I've even observed barrels of early post WW-I vintage with vestiges of the FLUID--STEEL--KRUPP--ESSEN markings on the bottom and roll-stamped CHROMOX FLUID COMPRESSED STEEL on top.

[Drew Hause]

The mythology may have started related to the sale of presumed frame steel.
July 1, 1920 American Machinist published an Ordnance Salvage Board Surplus Property Sale of almost 75,000 pounds of “Spec. Shape Gun Steel” from the A.H. Fox Gun Co. with C .15-.25%, Mn .5-.7%, S & P < .06% = AISI 1020
https://books.google.com/books?id=ez...=RA1-PA409&lpg

An occasional Sterlingworth 'SB&Co' mark is likely that of Samuel Buckley & Co., which also supplied Ithaca rough forged tubes.
The mark is a different font than the Sanderson Bros. mark found on Smith and some Ithaca Flues guns.

The American Exporter’s Export Trade Directory of 1915 listed Samuel Buckley & Co. as “chiefly importers” with offices at 16 East 33rd St., New York, 2 Soho Square, London and Liege, Belgium.

[jeffery c]

"Seems kind of peculiar to me that while Winchester was touting their Winchester Proof Steel, Remington moved away from the fanciful names on their barrel steel."

Researcher, that is interesting, they may have been pursuing a different advertising strategy compared to Winchester. Another thought is that though both Ordnance Steel and WPS are terrifically strong alloys, Winchester Proof steel had an edge in UTS/elastic limit and Remington didn't want to underline that fact.
Also, since as stated in the Parker Book, Ordnance Steel was used in this era Parker guns, maybe Remington had standardized on that alloy for the entire line, is another possible explanation as to why they did not advertise the fact of them having Ordnance Steel — it had become sort of a standard thing by then?