Best gun coating?

I'll agree witht he others the paint on coatings aren't great. I haven't had any, but I have seen a few and they don't seem to last well at all. Seems to be more about painting a color and maybe protecting non-wearing survaces than protecting what is important.

I personally prefer nitriding over hard chrome(Glock). Some people don't like the texture or how it wears, but it is one hell of a durable finish. The main problem is there aren't as many places that offer the service in the US. I was told the EPA does not like it. MOst people are familiar with TiN(titanium nitride) coatings on tool steel. That would be the gold colored drill bits and such. 3X harder than hard chrome apparently. I don't think black nitride is as tough as TiN, but it is tough.
 
ain't over till it's over

I've had a few custom finishes.

Hard chrome is very hard, and has added lubricity. It can rust.
My highest rd-ct gun (over 100K) was hardchromed by Accurate Plating & Weaponry.
I can most highly recommend Mr. Cogan's services, for pistolsmithing AND finishing. He is a true gentleman.

NP3 is electroless nickel with a Teflon mix.
It is not as hard as hardchrome, but it is still way harder than your gun.
NP3 will not rust, and offers significant additional lubricity.
My gun so finished has passed 70K.
It is my favorite finish of them ALL>
Robar Guns does both superior finishing and spectacular gunsmithing. Most highly recommend.


I also tested on of my custom 1911s with an (experimental at the time) electroless nickel with boron substrate.
Again, very hard with increased lubricity. Shinier than I prefer, although I have little actual concern over appearance.

Black-T is a superb finish if one wants black, and some rust resistance, and added lubricity. It is extremely soft, and will not hold up to hard wear.


Paints do not belong on any gun. Some of the modern ceramics are less costly alternative finishes.
I'd pay more :D
 
Gun treatments....

I, too have purchased after market coatings & treatments.
Id highly suggest any gun owner who wants a custom coating or service to go to a well known shop or gunsmith that offers a lifetime warranty/plan.
The extra time & $$$ you spend will be worth it.

Some might take it to heart but many US shooters & gun owners want to save a few $$$. :rolleyes:
They'll buy a $900.00 1911 series then get a few surplus GI mags for $5.00 each.
Or buy a $600.00 handgun then stick it in a $10.00 nylon gun show holster.

Clyde
 
Shop owner and painter both talked me into doing the mags! Said they've done 100's! If the cerakote can hold up on barrels, slides and other moving parts the mags should be no exception! I dropped 2 off and will probably drop a 3rd off next week before he coats my kimber! The shop was awesome! They charge $100 tax included for any size gun. He showed me a book full of cerakoted weapons and had tons of firearm parts in the shop for coating! A little wait (3 weeks) but he said it'll be worth it. I went with Armor black in a 13-2 hardner mix ratio as I didn't want it flat black. Wanted a little bit of satin finish!
 
Not sure why everyone is so against cerakote or other quality coatings. Has to be better than the crap finish I've had on my Kimbers. FYI the shop has a 5 year warranty!
 
What makes you think it holds up on interiors of barrels or on slides? I would love to see a gun with 70K rounds through it that has any cerakote left on any wear surfaces.
Actually, 10K would surprise me.
I would be surprised if there were no spots where it wore through after 5k.

I will clarify that Nitriding does not technically qualify as a coating as it is a material treatment. Nothing is added, rather the metal is changed.
 
johnwilliamson062 said:
What makes you think it holds up on interiors of barrels or on slides? I would love to see a gun with 70K rounds through it that has any cerakote left on any wear surfaces.
Actually, 10K would surprise me.
I would be surprised if there were no spots where it wore through after 5k.

I will clarify that Nitriding does not technically qualify as a coating as it is a material treatment. Nothing is added, rather the metal is changed.
Click to expand...

Who said anything about the "interior" of barrels? Your one of those guys that don't even read the threads and just ramble aren't you?
 
Well I promised pictures but she's not ready yet!
Here's a sneak peak after the Cerakoting. Ill be installing meprolight tactical wedge night sights and VZ grips shortly. My only hang up now is trying to decide on a vz grip pattern and profile!

Thanks for all the help guys. Ill be back with completed pictures from a real camera and not my iphone when she's done.
6epe3u9y.jpg
 
I have dura-coated several firearms and like any paint process it’s all in the prep.
The ones you see that did not hold up were not properly prepped prior to coating.
It does hold up even better if you bake the finish.
One thing that dura-coat does not tell you to do is to chemically surface etch the metal.
This gives microscopic pores for the coating to adhere too.
DuPont makes a number of chemicals suited for the different metals and plastics guns are made of to etch the surface. (Your local automotive paint supply can help you with this)
It is a simple process it just takes attention to detail and don’t rush.
Here is a picture of a LE 303 I did several months back that see a lot of use.
The only place that the coating has shown any wear is the receiver where the bolt contacts it. Of course this is to be expected considering every time the bolt moves it moves across this surface.
 

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Mahovsky's Metalife

Former owner of Sig 226 had it done but there was a few small areas that did not turn out perfect. Returned it to Metalife and they fixed it free of charge with turnaround in less than two weeks. Looks nice now.
 
It's a physical impossibility for paint to hold up as well as chrome (63 Rockwell "C" hardness.) Nitriding is even harder. Plating is molecularly bonded to the base metal. Nitriding is IN the metal.
Paint, no matter how you apply it or what is done to the subsurface, is just stuck to the metal, and it is not nearly as hard as the other treatments.
Even plain nickel plating is harder than paints, and holds up better.
 
I think some of the paints are better than bluing. They are all the rage with manufacturers now because the paint is a cheap way to finish the gun.
 
Hot bluing is a black or black-blue colored iron oxide, or rust. So it will not peel or chip as a paint can, over its adherence, but bluing can wear off from constant handling, etc. over the years. Of course, you have to keep it clean and oiled. Especially, don't handle it with bloody hands, without quickly wiping it off.

One can always tell a shotgun, such as the model 12 Winchester, that has been hunted with a lot, as the bluing is worn around the bottom of the receiver, at the carrier, where the hand cups it by carrying it in the field. It takes a lot of handling to bring that to a gray patina.

For aluminum, I prefer anodizing, if it is done correctly. If it was allowed to build up a full honeycomb oxide, and a good dye is used, then sealed, it will last a good while.

Another tough finish is Parkerising. It was military approved.:D
 
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