Aftermarket Handguns Finishes?

K

Kframe

New member
Hi everyone, I'm thinking of sending off a finely beadblasted blued revolver for coating/plating in the near future.
Criteria:
Non-reflective finish. (Not necessarily dark or totally matte, just not "glitzy".)
Very wear resistant.
Very corrosion resistant; against sweat, humidity, etc.

I kinda like some of the "white" finishes, like NP3, hard-chrome, satin nickel....
But, I kinda like the looks of dark coatings too. Like Bearcoat, Roguard, Enduracoat...

I'm looking for personal experiences with these finishes, in regards to appearance and durability. Also interested in prices and customer-service of the coating/plating companies.

Thanks, -Kframe
 
Kframe: Here is what I tell all my gunsmithing customers. The most durable finish on the market is hard chrome. The finish is actually harder than the steel it covers. The downside is that it isn`t as corrosive resistant as most people think so you will need to keep a light coating of oil on it . If you carry it on a daily basis then you should wipe it down every night. NP3 is electroless nickel with teflon. It is very resistant to rust and it is very slick. Not as hard as hard chrome so not as durable. The cost is somewhat expensive running around 200.00. Good finish for a carry gun.
As for Bearcoat, Armor tuff, Armor cote, Black Robar, Black T etc... They use a baked on type finish. The good ones will parkerize the weapon first for better adhesion. They offer very good corrosion resistance but not as good durability as hard chrome or NP3. Hope this helps.
 
Sant:

I'm getting a hard chromed HK P7 PSP in three weeks. The chrome job maybe 10 years old and they is one shiny spot on the slide. It was carried off duty by an Ohio cop.

Can I get it replated?

Or is that a waste of time?

------------------
The Seattle SharpShooter
If it can't shoot jacketed rat turds powered by mouse farts, I ain't gonna shoot it!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jtduncan:
Sant:

I'm getting a hard chromed HK P7 PSP in three weeks. The chrome job maybe 10 years old and they is one shiny spot on the slide. It was carried off duty by an Ohio cop.

Can I get it replated?

Or is that a waste of time?

[/quote]
You can get it replated. What they will do is strip the old finish off and then plate the gun.
 
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