Why are repro. black powder revolvers made with such crappy steel?

Question

I tries taking one apart to clean it, and it seemed to be made of a goo rather than metal. The screws did nothing but strip, I dented the cylinder with a weak hammer blow and even put a barely noticable nick in the barell with a butter knife!

Why is the steel so mild, hasn't pietta ever heard of carbon steel? (even stainless steel would be harder then whatever they use)

are they supposed to be this soft, or is the one I cleaned deffective?

Answer 1

using a butterknife to get your screws out wasn't real bright either. thats why they make screwdrivers

Answer 2

First of all, you have a bad quality reproduction firearm. High quality reproduction arms are made of good modern steel.

Secondly, you may have been using common screwdriver to disassemble your pistol. That means that the "blade" is tapered. Screws commonly used in firearms are not made for a tapered screwdriver blade but a perfectly flat blade. Using a tapered blade is the most common reason people strip out the head of the screws.

Lastly, you should never hit your firearm with a metal hammer! If there is a need to hit it with something, nothing harder than a wooden head or hard rubber head should be used.

Answer 3

Black powder doesn't generate a lot of pressure when it fires. Measured in pounds per square inch. They only need to make the steel hard enough to contain it. Any harder, or by using better steel, and it would be more expensive, thus costing the company some profit. It's all about the company making maximum profits. This generally applies to all companies. It really doesn't matter what is good for you or what works best for you. It's all about maxing out profits.